The Nine Habits that can Harm your Hearing

Are your bad habits hampering the wellness of your ear? Read on to know how your everyday actions might result in hearing loss.

It doesn’t take too long to get accustomed to our everyday actions. These bad habits become a part of our identity and can impair our health. Hearing is one of the five primitive senses gifted to humans, and even our simple, harmless habits can result in its loss.

Here are the top worst habits that have the potential to harm hearing health in humans.

• Listening to Loud Music on Headphones:

One of the most common reasons for hearing impairment is the continuous use of headphones to listen to loud music. The modern music players and headphones are capable of providing high sound power. Constant exposure to such loud sounds can damage your sensitive eardrums.

To limit the exposure to loud music over headphones, leading health experts recommend a simple 60-60 rule. Do not use headphones for more than 60 minutes in a stretch and keep the sound level on your headphones below 60%.

• Excessive Smoking and Drinking:

Although smoking and drinking are infamous for causing damage to your lung, heart, and liver, they can contribute to hearing loss as well.

Nicotine present in the cigarettes thickens the arteries, which reduces the blood flow in the ear. The reduced blood flow limits the nutrition supplied to the fragile ear cells. Even passive smokers are at an increased risk of hearing loss.

Similarly, excessive drinking can damage the nerves in the brain. Such damage reduces the brain’s ability to interpret and process sounds, especially in the lower frequency region.

• Lack of Ear Protection at Work:

If you are a technician or a supervisor working in industries involving loud noise, you must wear proper earplugs. Construction, mining, aviation, plumbing, etc. are some common industries that require protection from loud noises. Additionally, stage artists and musicians must wear protective earplugs while performing.

• Improper Dental Care:

Wondering how dental care affects your hearing health? Well, healthy teeth and gums limit the presence of harmful bacteria in your mouth. Oral bacteria might get into your arteries and thickens them, which restricts blood circulation in your vital organs.

• Ignoring Ear Infections:

No matter how trivial an ear infection might seem, it can cause problems in the long run. Fungal and bacterial ear infections are the most common types of ear infections.

Excessive humidity in the ear can result in fungal infections in the ear, especially during the rainy season. Bacterial infection, on the other hand, is due to the presence of bacteria in the blood.

• Sedentary Lifestyle:

We are a part of a digital age, where most of our work takes place in front of computers. Sitting continuously at work can reduce the supply of blood and oxygen in our bodies.

If your job requires you to sit for long durations, consider taking short breaks every hour to re-posture your body. Exercising, or simply walking for half an hour a day can do wonders for ensuring proper blood circulation.

• Neglecting Early Signs:

Whenever we cause repetitive harm to our body, it gives us several warnings and early indications. In many cases, we ignore these signs until they grow into a health scare. If you notice missing some part of the conversation or high-frequency sounds, consult an ENT specialist immediately.

One possible reason for neglecting early signs of hearing problems is the fear of wearing hearing aids. However, the new sound hearing aids go unnoticed and can prevent compounded hearing loss in the future.

• Unhealthy Diet:

Due to a fast-paced life, we seldom pay attention to adopting a balanced diet. Even if your body appears healthy physically, your food might not be providing you with all necessary nutrients. Trans-fat present in fast foods results in obesity, which can cause heart and hearing problems.

Ensure that the food that you eat is rich in minerals like iron, zinc, magnesium, etc. If you are not able to get these necessary minerals, consider taking supplements.

• Use of cotton buds:

Quite often, many people use their fingers or cotton ear-buds to clean their ears. This unhealthy practice can easily rupture the ear canal. Your fingers can easily transport germs and bacteria inside your ear.

Applying pressure on the soft ear canal can cause it to bleed. Additionally, it pushes the ear wax deeper inside to block the ear canal.

Conclusion:

Following an active lifestyle, balanced diet, and taking proper care of your body can reduce the chances of damage to your ear. As the New Year arrives, make it your resolution to stop the bad habits mentioned above for improving your hearing health.

Whether you are suffering from partial or complete hearing loss, you should consider hearing aids. These cheap hearing aids can help in preventing further damage to your brain. You can even compare different brands and buy these hearing aids online.