Chances are you’ve already observed that you don’t hear as well as you once did. Normally, we don’t even realize that our decisions are negatively affecting our hearing.
Many kinds of hearing impairment are preventable with several simple lifestyle changes. What follows are 6 tips that will help you maintain your hearing.
1. Regulate Your Blood Pressure
Consistently high blood pressure is not good. A study revealed that hearing loss was 52% more likely with individuals who have higher than average blood pressure and they’re more likely to have other health issues as well.
Take steps to lower your blood pressure and prevent hearing damage. Don’t ignore high blood pressure or wait to see a doctor. Following your doctor’s guidance, eating a healthy diet, managing stress, and exercising regularly 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. Even more alarming: Individuals who are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke are 28% more likely to have hearing troubles. The harmful 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. Take steps to decrease your exposure to second-hand smoke if you hang out with a smoker.
3. Control Your Diabetes
Diabetes or pre-diabetes impacts one in four adults. Unless they make some serious lifestyle changes, somebody who is pre-diabetic will very likely develop diabetes within 5 years.
High blood sugar harms blood vessels, which makes it extremely hard for them to effectively transport nutrients. Compared to a person who doesn’t have diabetes, a diabetic person has more than twice the chance of developing hearing loss.
If you suffer from diabetes, protect your hearing by taking the correct steps to control it. If you are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, protect your hearing by making lifestyle changes to prevent it.
4. Lose Some Weight
This is more about your health than feeling great about how you look. Hearing loss and other health problems increase as your Body Mass Index (BMI) increases. A mildly obese woman (with a 30 to 34 BMI) has a 17% higher risk of developing hearing loss. A moderately obese individual has a 25% chance of hearing loss if they have a BMI of 40.
Take measures to shed that excess weight. Your life can be prolonged and your hearing can be safeguarded by something as basic as walking for 30 minutes every day.
5. OTC Medications Shouldn’t be Overused
Certain over-the-counter (OTC) medications can cause hearing loss. The risk increases when these drugs are taken on a regular basis over lengthy periods of time.
Medications including acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin are known to cause hearing loss. Take these medications in moderation and only with your doctor’s guidance if you need to take them more regularly.
Studies show that you’ll most likely be okay if you’re using these medications periodically in the suggested doses. The danger of hearing loss increases up to 40% for men, however, when these medications are used on a day-to-day basis.
Your doctor’s guidance should always be implemented. But if you’re taking these drugs every day to deal with chronic pain or thin your blood, talk to your doctor about lifestyle changes you can implement to reduce your dependence on OTC drugs.
6. Eat More Broccoli
Broccoli is packed with iron in addition to essential nutrients such as vitamins C and K. Iron is essential to blood circulation and a healthy heart. Oxygen and nutrients are transported to your cells which helps keep them nourished and healthy and iron is a significant 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. You’re more likely to be iron deficient because the iron found in plants is less bioavailable than the iron found in meat.
More than 300,000 people were studied by Pennsylvania State University. The researchers found participants with anemia (extreme iron deficiency) were twice as likely to develop sensorineural hearing loss as those without the disorder. Sensorineural hearing loss is the scientific name for permanent hearing loss related to aging.
The inner ear has fragile 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 little hairs to die they will never grow back.
You’re never too young to get your hearing checked, so don’t wait until it’s too late. Counter hearing loss by implementing these simple secrets in your day-to-day life.
