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Being able to see, hear, taste, and smell is something many people take for granted. However, your senses are a precious gift, and they need to be protected. Your hearing is a sense you depend on every day as it enables you to take part in conversations, detect the sound of approaching danger, and plays a crucial role in being able to take part in your daily life. Many people think of hearing loss as something that mainly impacts older people. While age-related hearing loss does occur, your hearing can be damaged at any age and result in either a permanent or temporary loss of hearing.
Did you know hearing loss is right up near the top of the list when it comes to chronic physical conditions? The CDC ranks hearing loss as the third-most common chronic physical condition experienced by adults in the United States. To maintain your ability to hear clearly throughout your life, it is essential to take the best care of your hearing and to protect it as much as possible. Here are some of the ways that you can look after your hearing:
Turn the Volume Down
Have you ever been to a noisy bar or watched a live band and experienced a ringing in your ears afterward? You may even have woken up the next morning unable to hear clearly and experienced everyday sounds as muffled noises. This is known as acute temporary noise-induced hearing loss, which means that the tiny sensory hairs inside your inner ear have become damaged. Exposure to very occasional loud music may keep this hearing loss as a temporary occurrence. But, if you are continually wearing headphones and playing your music super loud, these sensory hairs may become permanently damaged, and the signals the auditory nerve sends your brain will be altered. This type of permanent damage to your hearing usually cannot be repaired.
Take Care at Work
Hearing loss caused by loud noise is not simply the result of attending fun events such as concerts or noisy parties. One common cause of temporary and permanent hearing loss is working in a noisy environment. Exposure to excessive noise in the workplace is often the result of loud equipment and machinery and is most common in construction and manufacturing industries. When noise levels in the work environment exceed 85 decibels, it is possible for your hearing to be damaged. The good news is hearing loss in the workplace is preventable, but the right actions need to be taken. Employers can protect their workers’ hearing by purchasing equipment that is less noisy when operated, equipping employees with ear defenders, and installing monitors to detect when the noise in the workplace exceeds a healthy level. If you often have to shout over the noise to have a conversation with your colleagues, or your hearing feels muffled after your shift, you may want to discuss your concerns with your manager so they can take action to reduce the noise levels.
Schedule Hearing Checks
Getting your hearing checked regularly by scheduling regular hearing tests with a qualified audiologist is vital. Early detection of hearing loss is the best way to prevent your hearing from deteriorating further. The sooner your hearing loss is detected, the faster you will find the best solution to improve your hearing.
At your appointment, your audiologist will carry out a thorough hearing test to detect any issues with your hearing. After your hearing test, your audiologist may recommend hearing aids for either one or both of your ears. Wearing hearing aids can significantly improve your ability to hear and can help make your everyday life so much easier. But, to get the most benefit from your hearing aids, you need to take good care of them. It is helpful to familiarize yourself with hearing aid troubleshooting tips to know what to do if you notice an issue.
Know the Signs of Hearing Loss
As well as scheduling regular appointments to have your hearing tested, it is also helpful to know the early signs of hearing loss. Once you know what to look out for, you will be able to get your hearing issues dealt with much more quickly. Some of the early signs of hearing loss include struggling to follow conversations in environments where there is background noise, being unable to hear consonant sounds in speech and needing to adjust your television to a higher volume. If you have been experiencing these issues, it is worth scheduling a hearing test.
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