6 Resolutions for Healthy Hearing in 2021
Each January, many of us find ourselves thinking about ways we can prioritize our health in the new year. While this often means thinking about how we can better our physical and mental wellbeing, it is essential to remember that prioritizing health extends past going for regular walks and remembering to take our vitamins. A key part of healthy living is tuning in with your body - paying attention to changes you experience and making decisions that protect and benefit all of your body’s important functions, including hearing health. This is especially paramount because, as mentioned in previous posts, all the body’s systems are connected and reliant on one another functioning properly. With that in mind, we have rounded up a few easy ways you can make your hearing health part of your 2021 health resolutions!
BE PREPARED FOR LOUD EXPOSURES
With noise-induced hearing loss affecting millions of Americans, it is a condition to take seriously. Fortunately, the right education and interventions can prevent this condition. Preparing for events and situations that you know could cause hearing damage and keeping hearing protection nearby can protect your hearing.
PAY ATTENTION TO HEADPHONE VOLUMES
With so much of our communications and entertainment being virtual these days, many of us may be wearing headphones more than ever. Therefore, we must have safe listening practices when putting anything on or in our ears. High headphone volumes can damage the ears. And, the higher the decibel, the shorter the period your ears can be exposed before being damaged. You can find helpful apps for monitoring noise exposure here.
EAT A HEALTHY, WELL-BALANCED DIET
Eating healthy is a great way to care for your health in general, but it can also positively impact your hearing. Not only can certain foods benefit your hearing, but some health conditions that are affected by diet, like high cholesterol, can negatively affect the functions of your ears. A healthy diet can give your ears essential and helpful nutrients and help prevent the development of other conditions that can impair ear and hearing functions. Learn more about the link between nutrition and your hearing here.
DON’T SKIP ANY IMPORTANT CHECK-UPS
Did you know that the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association recommends that healthy adults have their hearing checked at least once every ten years up until the age of 50 and then every three years for those above the age of 50? These check-ups help audiologists proactively catch and address changes in your hearing.
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT IF YOU NOTICE CHANGES IN YOUR HEARING
Have you noticed any changes in your hearing, like ringing in your ears or trouble hearing others? Just like with many other medical conditions, hearing loss can worsen with time. The sooner an audiologist can address your hearing problems, the sooner he/she can both provide you with better hearing solutions and help mitigating other health issues shown to be associated with untreated hearing loss.
SKIP THE COTTON SWABS
While it may seem like ear cleaning should be part of prioritizing your ear care and health, this practice can do significantly more harm than good. In fact, the ears are naturally able to clean themselves. If you are experiencing hearing loss, it is always best to visit a health care provider or audiologist rather than trying to fix the problem yourself or assuming it is just from wax build-up.
Have other questions about hearing health? Check out our other blog posts and follow our Roanoke and Crozet Facebook pages! To schedule an appointment with one of our offices, click here.
