World Hearing Day raises awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss. Hearing loss is often permanent. Certain conditions, including age, illness, infections, ear wax, and genetics, may contribute to hearing loss. Also modern life has added a host of new ear-damaging factors to the list, including plenty of sources of loud, ongoing noise, better known as noise pollution. Below are some tips to protect your ears:
- Use earplugs around loud noises
- Turn the volume down when listening to music, listen with headphones at no more than 60% volume for no more than 60 minutes a day.
- Do not clean your ears with cotton swabs as inserting cotton swabs in your ear might damage your ear drum.
- Keep your ears dry by gently towel-dry them after bathing or swimming as excess moisture can allow bacteria to enter your ears causing ear infections.
- Exercise regularly to help your ears stay healthy, exercises such as walking, running, or cycling will pump blood to all parts of your body, including the ears.
- Have regular hearing checkups.
What Causes Hearing Loss?
Advanced age is the most common cause of hearing loss. One out of three people age 65-74 has some level of hearing loss. After age 75, that goes up to one out of every two people.
Noise wears down hearing if it’s loud or continuous.
Certain medications can impair hearing or balance.
Illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes put ears at risk by interfering with the ears’ blood supply. Otosclerosis is a bone disease of the middle ear, and Ménière’s disease affects the inner ear. Both can cause hearing loss.
Trauma, especially a skull fracture or punctured eardrum, puts ears at serious risk for hearing loss.
Infection or ear waxcan block ear canals and lessen hearing.
Take Good Care of Your Ears