It’s likely that you’ve already detected that you don’t hear as well as you once did. Hearing loss frequently develops due to decisions you make without realizing they’re affecting your hearing.
With a few simple lifestyle changes, many kinds of hearing loss can be prevented. What follows are 6 secrets that will help you preserve your hearing.
1. Manage Your Blood Pressure
It’s not okay if your blood pressure remains high. A study revealed that hearing loss was 52% more likely with people who have higher than average blood pressure and they are more likely to have other health problems as well.
Take steps to reduce your blood pressure and avoid hearing damage. Consult a doctor as soon as possible and never ignore your high blood pressure. Blood pressure management includes proper diet, exercise, stress management, and following your doctor’s orders.
2. Stop Smoking
There are plenty of good reasons to quit smoking, here’s another: People who smoke are 15% more likely to develop hearing loss. What’s even more alarming is that there’s a 28% higher probability of someone experiencing hearing problems if they are frequently subjected to second-hand smoke. The dangerous consequences of second-hand smoke are not only harmful, they also remain in the air for long periods.
Think about protecting your hearing, if you’re a smoker, by quitting. If you spend time with a smoker, take measures to minimize your exposure to second-hand smoke.
3. Regulate Your Diabetes
Diabetes or pre-diabetes impacts one in four adults. A pre-diabetic person is extremely likely to develop diabetes within 5 years unless they make serious lifestyle changes.
High blood sugar damages blood vessels, which makes it extremely difficult for them to effectively carry nutrients. A diabetic individual is more than twice as likely to experience hearing loss compared to a non-diabetic individual.
If you have diabetes, take the steps necessary to properly control it. Safeguard your hearing by making lifestyle changes if you are at risk of type 2 diabetes.
4. Lose Some Weight
This isn’t about body image or feeling great about yourself. It’s about your health. Hearing loss and other health conditions rise as your Body Mass Index (BMI) increases. A mildly obese woman (with a 30 to 34 BMI) has a 17% increased risk of getting hearing loss. For someone with a BMI of 40 (moderate obesity), the risk rises to 25%.
Work to get rid of some of that extra weight. Your life can be prolonged and your hearing can be safeguarded by something as basic as walking for 30 minutes every day.
5. Don’t Overuse OTC Medications
Hearing loss can be the outcome of certain over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The danger goes up when these medications are taken regularly over prolonged periods of time.
Medicines including acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin are known to cause hearing loss. Take these drugs sparingly and consult your doctor if you’re using them regularly.
Studies reveal that you’ll probably be fine if you’re taking these medications periodically in the suggested doses. Using them every day, however, increases the risk of hearing loss by as much as 40% for men.
Always follow your doctor’s recommendations. Your doctor may be able to recommend some lifestyle changes that will decrease your dependence on these medicines if you are using them every day.
6. Eat More Broccoli
Broccoli is high in nutrients and vitamins including C and K and also has lots of iron. Iron is essential to blood circulation and a healthy heart. Iron helps your blood carry oxygen and nutrients to cells to keep them nourished and healthy.
For vegetarians or people who don’t eat meat very often, eating a sufficient amount of plant-based iron is essential. 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.
More than 300,000 people were studied by Pennsylvania State University. People who suffer from anemia (extreme iron deficiency) are two times as likely, according to this research, to develop sensorineural hearing loss than people who have typical iron concentrations. Age-related permanent hearing loss is what the technical term “sensorineural hearing loss” refers to.
The inner ear has delicate hair cells that pick up sounds and connect with the brain to transmit the volume and frequency of those sounds. If poor circulation or an iron deficiency causes these delicate hairs to die they will never grow back.
You’re never too young to get your hearing checked, so don’t wait until it gets worse. Apply these steps to your life and prevent hearing loss.