Chances are you’ve already observed that you don’t hear as well as you used to. Usually, we don’t even realize that our decisions are negatively impacting our hearing.
With a few simple lifestyle changes, many types of hearing loss can be avoided. What follows are 6 tips that will help you preserve your hearing.
1. Manage Your Blood Pressure
It’s not good if your blood pressure remains high. A study revealed that individuals who have higher than-average blood pressure are 52% more likely to develop hearing loss, not to mention other health problems.
Avoid damage to your hearing by taking measures to lower your blood pressure. Consult a doctor right away and never dismiss your high blood pressure. Blood pressure management includes proper diet, exercise, stress management, and following your doctor’s orders.
2. Stop Smoking
Here’s another reason to quit: Hearing loss is 15% more likely to impact smokers. Even more shocking: People who are frequently exposed to second-hand smoke are 28% more likely to have hearing troubles. The hazardous repercussions of second-hand smoke are not only harmful, they also stay in the air for long periods.
If you’re a smoker, protect your hearing and think about quitting. Take measures to decrease your exposure to second-hand smoke if you spend time with a smoker.
3. Regulate Your Diabetes
Diabetes or pre-diabetes impacts one out of four adults. A pre-diabetic person is highly likely to develop diabetes within 5 years if they don’t make serious lifestyle changes.
Blood vessels that are damaged by high blood sugar don’t effectively transport nutrients. A diabetic person is more than twice as likely to experience hearing loss compared to a non-diabetic individual.
If you suffer from diabetes, safeguard your hearing by taking the appropriate steps to manage it. Safeguard your hearing by making lifestyle changes if you are at risk of type 2 diabetes.
4. Lose Some Weight
This is more about your health than feeling great about your body image. As your Body Mass Index (BMI) rises, so does your risk of hearing loss and other health conditions. The risk of getting hearing loss increases by 17% for a slightly obese woman with a BMI of 30 to 34. For somebody with a BMI of 40 (moderate obesity), the risk increases to 25%.
Take measures to lose that extra weight. Your life can be prolonged and your hearing can be protected by something as simple as walking for 30 minutes each day.
5. Don’t Overuse OTC Drugs
Hearing impairment can be the outcome of some over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The more frequently these drugs are taken over a long period of time, the greater the risk.
Medicines such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin are known to trigger hearing loss. Take these medications sparingly and talk to your doctor if you’re using them on a regular basis.
If you’re taking the recommended dose for the periodic headache, studies suggest you’ll most likely be okay. Taking them daily, however, increases the risk of hearing loss by up to 40% for men.
Always follow your doctor’s advice. Your doctor may be able to recommend some lifestyle changes that will decrease your dependence on these drugs if you are taking them every day.
6. Eat More Broccoli
Broccoli is high in nutrients and vitamins like C and K and also has lots of iron. Iron is vital to blood circulation and a healthy heart. Iron helps your blood transport nutrients and oxygen to cells to keep them healthy and nourished.
If you’re a vegetarian or eat very little meat, it’s important that you consume enough plant-based iron. You’re more likely to be iron deficient because the iron found in plants is less bioavailable than the iron found in meat.
More than 300,000 people were studied by Pennsylvania State University. The researchers found participants with anemia (extreme iron deficiency) were twice as likely to develop sensorineural hearing loss as those without the disorder. Age-related irreversible hearing loss is what the technical term “sensorineural hearing loss” refers to.
Sound is picked up and transmitted to the brain by delicate little hairs in the inner ear which vibrate with the frequency and volume of that sound. If poor circulation or an iron deficiency causes these little hairs to die they will be gone forever.
You’re never too young to get your hearing tested, so don’t wait until it’s too late. Implement these steps into your life and prevent hearing loss.