4 Steps to Protect Your Ears and Hearing

Your hearing is important and as simple as this sounds; many people usually overlook the need to protect their ears. Unfortunately, they don’t know how to protect their ears and hearing too. Once your ears are damaged, they cannot be reversed, and the condition might even get worse over time. So, don’t wait until your ears are damaged; here are some ways to protect your ears and hearing:

Avoid Using Cotton Swabs Many people use a cotton swab in Ear wax removal. This is very common, but it isn’t the safest. What many people don’t know is that the human ear is self-cleaning and that wax acts as a barricade for dirt and other damaging particles. Using cotton swabs to clean the ear only pushes the wax deeper in. The earwax will then be hard to sweep out. Additionally, cotton swabs can puncture the eardrum and cause hearing loss.

Monitor the Volume of your Devices

According to a WHO study, 1.1 billion youths are at jeopardy for experiencing hearing loss triggered by the use of unsafe audio devices. This is very important for parents of young kids. Parents should ensure that the music their teens are listening to are at sixty percent volume for less than one hour. When watching tv or using your mobile phone, the volume should be at a comfy level, not too loud and not too low that your strain to hear. Also, as a parent, when buying an audio device for your teens, consider going for over-the-ear headphones.

Use Hearing Protection Always use hearing protection whenever you are around loud noises. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to loud noises can cause hearing loss quickly or over time. Hearing loss can result from one extremely loud sound like a firework close to your ear or result from repeated exposure to loud sounds. Extremely loud sounds can cause hearing loss over a short time, nearly immediately. Additionally, being exposed to loud noises without wearing hearing protection can increase the risk of experiencing hearing loss.

Most hearing protection are affordable and easy to find.  You, therefore, have no excuse to expose your ears to extremely loud sounds without wearing hearing protection.

Keep your Ears Dry at all Times

This point is crucial, especially for parents or guardians. Infection of the outer ear is usually a result of trapped water in the ear. This condition is called Otitis Externa or commonly referred to as the swimmer’s ear. Everyone loves swimming during the hot months of summer. It is then essential to make sure that you properly dry the ears after every dip into the pool to avoid hearing loss. Gently dry the ears using a towel. And if the water is trapped in the ear canal, have the child tilt the head and lightly pull the ear lobe to release the trapped water.

Wrapping Up

Protecting your ears is essential to your hearing. Nearly all the time, people fail to realize that they are putting their hearing under a lot of stress until it is too late. Don’t neglect your ears; follow the above tips to maintain healthy hearing. Regularly visit an audiologist for checkups since hearing loss develops gradually. You will be more likely to pinpoint the signs of hearing loss and take action as soon as possible.

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