Chances are you’ve already observed that you don’t hear as well as you once did. Hearing loss typically 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 preserve your hearing.
1. Manage Your Blood Pressure
Persistently high blood pressure is not good. A study revealed that people who have higher than-average blood pressure are 52% more likely to have hearing loss, not to mention other health issues.
Reduce injury to your hearing by taking actions to lower your blood pressure. Don’t dismiss high blood pressure or wait to consult a doctor. Blood pressure management includes proper diet, exercise, stress management, and following your doctor’s orders.
2. Stop Smoking
Here’s one more reason to quit: Smokers are 15% more likely to develop hearing loss. What’s even more surprising is that there’s a 28% higher chance of someone developing hearing problems if they are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke. Even if you go away from the room, smoke hangs around for long periods of time with hazardous consequences.
If you smoke, protect your hearing and consider quitting. If you spend time with a smoker, take actions to minimize your exposure to second-hand smoke.
3. Keep Your Diabetes Under Control
One out of four adults is either pre-diabetic or diabetic. A pre-diabetic person is highly likely to get diabetes within 5 years if they don’t make significant lifestyle changes.
High blood sugar damages blood vessels, which makes it very difficult for them to efficiently transport nutrients. A diabetic individual is more than twice as likely to experience hearing loss compared to a non-diabetic individual.
If you suffer from diabetes, take the steps required to properly manage it. If you are at risk of getting type 2 diabetes, protect your hearing by making lifestyle changes to avoid it.
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 problems increase as your Body Mass Index (BMI) increases. A slightly obese woman (with a 30 to 34 BMI) has a 17% increased risk of getting hearing loss. For somebody with a BMI of 40 (moderate obesity), the risk goes up to 25%.
Take action to lose that extra weight. Something as simple as walking for 30 minutes each day can lower your chance of hearing loss and prolong your life.
5. Don’t Overuse OTC Drugs
Certain over-the-counter (OTC) medications can result in hearing loss. The risk rises when these drugs are taken on a regular basis over lengthy periods of time.
Common over-the-counter medicines that impact hearing include aspirin, NSAIDs (like naproxen, ibuprofen), and acetaminophen. Take these medicines in moderation and only with your doctor’s guidance if you need to take them more frequently.
Studies reveal that you’ll probably be fine if you’re taking these medications periodically in the recommended doses. The danger of hearing loss goes up to 40% for men, however, when these medicines are taken on a day-to-day basis.
Always follow your doctor’s orders. But if you’re using these medications each day to manage chronic pain or thin your blood, talk to your doctor about lifestyle changes you can implement to decrease your dependence on OTC drugs.
6. Eat More Broccoli
Broccoli is high in nutrients and vitamins including C and K and also is high in iron. Iron is essential to a healthy heart and strong blood circulation. Nutrients and oxygen are transported to your cells which helps keep them healthy and nourished and iron is an important part of this process.
For vegetarians or people who don’t eat much meat, 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.
Pennsylvania State University researchers examined more than 300,000 individuals. 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 typical iron concentrations. Sensorineural hearing loss is the scientific name for irreversible hearing loss associated with aging.
Sound is picked up and sent to the brain by fragile little hairs in the inner ear which resonate with the volume and frequency of that sound. If these hair cells die as a result of poor circulation or other complications related to iron deficiency, they never grow back.
Don’t wait to get a hearing test because you’re never too young. Apply these steps to your life and reduce hearing loss.