Hearing loss is an irreversible condition, and as they say, prevention is always better than the cure. This is why it is important to protect your hearing by taking steps to make sure your ears remain healthy.
Many of us used to scrunch our nose to our daily glass of milk when we were kids. Research shows that milk is chock full of calcium, which is essential for healthy bone structure. The delicate bones in your ears also need their daily dose of calcium, so drink one glass of milk each day. You can opt for skimmed milk if you are health conscious or almond/soy milk if you are vegan.
As children we always used to find excuses to avoid eating our vegetables. However, a research study exploring 109 participants shows that people who eat their veggies have the lowest likelihood of suffering from sudden deafness.
Snoring can lead to hearing loss in those who snore as well as their partners. This is why it is imperative that you seek some medical intervention for you or your partner to help ease snoring. Our ears can tolerate sound levels up to 85dB, after which point any sound level is unsafe. Snoring all night long exceeds this safe level of sound, and can cause hearing loss, which is why it should not be taken lightly.
Vitamins are essential to our general well-being. Vitamin A in particular, has been found to be beneficial to our hearing abilities. Sweet potatoes can be a tasty and healthy source of this vitamin. Deficiency in Vitamin A can enhance the likelihood of developing hearing loss due to noise, so load up with your plate with those delicious baked sweet potato fries to keep your hearing intact!
Be a safe driver not only to save your life but also your hearing. In the event of a collision, the noise of the collision coupled with the deployment of the airbags in the car exceeds the recommended 85dB which can result in hearing loss. Moreover, physical trauma to the brain or ears can also lead to loss of hearing.
Earwax is a yucky but inevitable part of life. It is imperative to have earwax for the protection of the ears, but can cause annoying after effects such as muffled hearing. Before you reach for that q-tip, be advised that shoving a q-tip into your ear can actually worsen the problem of excessive earwax, by pushing it deeper into the ear canal! Make a trip to your doctor to have them clean out your ears periodically if you have excessive buildup of earwax. Your ears practically clean themselves so believe it or not, most of the times you do not need to take any steps to clean your earwax since it simply falls out once it has finished its job!
Last but definitely not the least; make sure that you are listening to your favorite songs at a volume that does not exceed 85dB. We love blasting the music to full volume from time to time, but it can cause permanent damage to our hearing, so lower the volume to a maximum of 60% of the highest volume. This way you can enjoy the music without straining your ears.
Simple steps to protect your ears can go a long way in keeping your hearing intact for all your years to come. Happy hearing!