You’ve probably already recognized that your hearing is waning. Hearing loss frequently develops as a result of decisions you make without realizing they’re affecting your hearing.
With a few simple lifestyle changes, many kinds of hearing loss can be avoided. What follows are 6 secrets that will help you protect your hearing.
1. Regulate Your Blood Pressure
It’s not good if your blood pressure stays high. A study determined that individuals with higher than-average blood pressure are 52% more likely to have hearing loss, not to mention other health concerns.
Reduce damage to your hearing by taking steps to lower your blood pressure. Don’t dismiss high blood pressure or wait to see a doctor. Following your doctor’s orders, managing stress, eating a healthy diet, and getting regular exercise are all parts of blood pressure management.
2. Stop Smoking
Here’s one more reason to quit: Hearing loss is 15% more likely to affect smokers. What’s even more alarming is that there’s a 28% higher probability of someone developing hearing problems if they are frequently subjected to second-hand smoke. The harmful repercussions of second-hand smoke are not only harmful, they also remain in the air for long periods.
If you’re a smoker, protect your hearing and consider quitting. Take actions to decrease your exposure to second-hand smoke if you spend time with a smoker.
3. Manage Your Diabetes
Diabetes or pre-diabetes affects one out of four adults. Unless they make some serious lifestyle changes, someone who is pre-diabetic will very likely get diabetes within 5 years.
Blood vessels that are damaged by high blood sugar don’t effectively carry nutrients. A diabetic individual is more than two times as likely to experience hearing loss compared to a non-diabetic person.
If you have diabetes, safeguard your hearing by taking the proper steps to control it. If you are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, safeguard your hearing by making lifestyle changes to prevent it.
4. Lose Some Weight
This isn’t about body image or feeling great about yourself. It’s about your health. 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 mildly obese woman with a BMI of 30 to 34. For someone with a BMI of 40 (moderate obesity), the risk goes up to 25%.
Take action to lose that excess weight. Your life can be prolonged and your hearing can be protected by something as simple as walking for 30 minutes every day.
5. Don’t Overuse OTC Medications
Hearing impairment can be the consequence of some over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The risk increases when these medicines are taken on a regular basis over prolonged periods of time.
Common over-the-counter drugs that impact hearing include aspirin, NSAIDs (like naproxen, ibuprofen), and acetaminophen. Use these medicines in moderation and only with your doctor’s guidance if you need to take them more regularly.
Studies demonstrate that you’ll most likely be fine if you’re using these medications periodically in the recommended doses. Using them on a daily basis, however, raises the risk of hearing loss by up to 40% for men.
Your doctor’s advice should always be implemented. But if you’re taking these drugs each day to deal with chronic pain or thin your blood, consult your doctor about lifestyle changes you can implement to reduce your dependence on OTC drugs.
6. Eat More Broccoli
Broccoli is packed with iron along with important nutrients including vitamins C and K. Iron is vital to blood circulation and a healthy heart. Oxygen and nutrients are carried to your cells which helps keep them nourished and healthy and iron is an important part of this process.
For vegetarians or people who don’t eat meat very often, eating a sufficient amount of plant-based iron is important. The iron found in plants is not as bioavailable as the iron in meat so people in this group are more likely to be deficient in iron.
Pennsylvania State University researchers examined more than 300,000 people. People who suffer from anemia (extreme iron deficiency) are two times as likely, according to this research, to develop sensorineural hearing loss than individuals who have normal iron concentrations. Sensorineural hearing loss is the scientific term for permanent hearing loss associated with aging.
Sound is picked up and sent to the brain by tiny little hairs in the inner ear which resonate with the frequency and volume of that sound. If these hair cells die because of poor circulation or other concerns related to iron deficiency, they never grow back.
Don’t wait to get a hearing exam because you’re never too young. Reduce hearing loss by implementing these simple secrets in your day-to-day life.