Hearing is a lot like the lyric from the Joni Mitchell song: “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone?” For those of us who have normal hearing abilities, we go through our days without much thought to our hearing.
If you take a step back to reflect, you’ll begin to realize how important your hearing is. From the moment you wake up to an alarm clock to the phone calls you take throughout the day on the job to the warning blare of car horns in traffic, your sense of hearing connects you to the world around you and ensures that you are aware of your surroundings.
Over time, hearing loss may occur due to the natural process of aging (presbycusis) or due to noise-induced hearing loss. It may also occur due to related medical conditions (Meniere’s disease, tumors in the neck/head area, certain antibiotics and chemotherapy medications). All of this aside, there are certain habits in your life that could harm your hearing as well.
Unfortunately, hearing loss is a permanent condition, which is why it’s important to protect it. Pay attention to a few of these habits, so that you can ensure that your hearing health is at is best.
Smoking Cigarettes
In case you needed another reason to quit smoking, add hearing loss to the list. While smoking is more commonly linked to heart disease and various forms of cancer (lung, mouth, etc.), it has also been found to put your hearing – and those around you – at risk. According to Hearing Health, “The chemicals emitted by smoking cigarettes affect the inner ear’s ability to transmit vibrations. The more you smoke, the greater the risk for damage – not only your hearing, but also the hearing of the people you love most. Studies show that adolescents exposed to second-hand smoke were almost twice as likely to experience low-frequency hearing loss as those who had no exposure.”
Within your inner ear, there are tiny hair cells that transmit neural signals to your brain to be registered as sound. The chemicals in cigarettes are considered ototoxic (poisonous to the ear) and could cause permanent damage to these hair cells. Once damaged, they do not regenerate, which could lead to sensorineural hearing loss.
Break the habit today! Sign up for a quit smoking program – it’ll benefit more than just your hearing.
Earbuds
These days, most smartphones and electronics come with a complimentary pair of earbuds. While these little guys are convenient and easily portable, they also cause a lot of damage to your hearing. First, their placement, close to your eardrum within your ear canal, leads to dangerous noise conditions. Hearing specialists have compared these conditions to using a jackhammer inside a coal mine. Secondly, earbuds don’t do a very good job at blocking out external sounds in your environment, which means when you’re wearing them to listen to music or media, you tend to crank up the volume in order to hear properly. The high volume and proximity to your eardrum are both very dangerous to your hearing. Third, most of our electronics these days have an extremely long battery life. Compared to young people in the 1980s who used devices like the Walkman, today’s younger populations are carrying around smartphones with many hours of juice. Longer exposure to louder sounds could permanently damage your hearing.
Instead, switch to noise-canceling headphones. Also, when listening to music or media, follow the 60-60 rule of 60% volume for no more than 60 minutes at a time.
Avoiding the Dentist
This one may seem less obvious – after all, how are your teeth and your ears related at all? Think back to the last time you had a toothache. Did you feel a pounding in your ears? According to Hearing Health, “When your teeth and gums are healthy, your mouth is free from the bacteria that can cause infections and swelling. When oral bacteria enters the bloodstream, it can cause inflammation and narrowing of the arteries – and poor circulation is detrimental to hearing health.” If you’ve been avoiding the dentist, schedule a cleaning today!
Pro tip: When visiting the dentist, be sure to bring a pair of earplugs (foam or silicon) or your custom ear protection. The high-frequency sound of dental tools could harm your hearing as well!
Visit Us at My Hearing Centers
The best thing you can do for your hearing health is to schedule an annual hearing test. Many people avoid hearing tests and wait far too long to seek treatment for their changing hearing abilities. If you haven’t taken a hearing test in a while, give us a call today and schedule an appointment at the My Hearing Centers location nearest you.