You’ve most likely already noticed that your hearing is waning. Usually, we don’t even realize that our decisions are negatively impacting our hearing.
With a few simple lifestyle changes, many kinds of hearing loss can be prevented. What follows are 6 tips that will help you preserve your hearing.
1. Manage Your Blood Pressure
It’s not good 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 issues also.
Prevent damage to your hearing by taking steps to lower your blood pressure. Consult a doctor as soon as possible and never dismiss your high blood pressure. Management of blood pressure includes correct diet, exercise, stress management, and following your doctor’s advice.
2. Quit Smoking
There are plenty of reasons to quit smoking, here’s another: Smokers are 15% more likely to develop hearing loss. What’s even more alarming is that there’s a 28% higher chance of someone experiencing hearing problems if they are frequently subjected to second-hand smoke. The dangerous repercussions of second-hand smoke are not only harmful, they also linger in the air for long periods.
Think about protecting your hearing, if you smoke, by quitting. Take steps to decrease your exposure to second-hand smoke if you spend time around a smoker.
3. Control Your Diabetes
One out of four adults is either pre-diabetic or diabetic. A pre-diabetic individual is highly likely to develop diabetes within 5 years if they don’t make significant lifestyle changes.
Blood vessels that are injured by high blood sugar don’t 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, safeguard your hearing by taking the proper steps to control it. Safeguard your hearing by making lifestyle changes if you are at risk of type 2 diabetes.
4. Lose Some Weight
This is more about your health than feeling great about how you look. As your Body Mass Index (BMI) rises, so does your possibility of hearing loss and other health problems. A mildly obese woman (with a 30 to 34 BMI) has a 17% increased chance of developing hearing loss. For a person with a BMI of 40 (moderate obesity), the risk increases to 25%.
Work to eliminate some of that extra weight. Your life can be prolonged and your hearing can be protected by something as simple as walking for 30 minutes each day.
5. Don’t Overuse OTC Drugs
Hearing impairment can be the consequence of some over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The more often these medicines are taken over a long period of time, the higher the risk.
Medications including acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin are known to cause hearing loss. Take these medications moderately and consult your doctor if you’re taking them on a regular basis.
Studies demonstrate that you’ll most likely be fine if you’re using these medications periodically in the suggested doses. Using them on a daily basis, however, increases the risk of hearing loss by as much as 40% for men.
Always follow your doctor’s advice. 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 full of nutrients and vitamins including C and K and also is high in iron. Iron is essential to a healthy heart and strong blood circulation. Iron helps your blood carry oxygen and nutrients to cells to keep them nourished and healthy.
If you’re a vegetarian or don’t eat much meat, it’s important that you consume enough plant-based iron. 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 studied over 300,000 individuals. People who suffer from anemia (severe iron deficiency) are twice 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.
Sound is picked up and sent to the brain by tiny little hairs in the inner ear which vibrate with the volume and frequency of that sound. If these hair cells die due to poor circulation or other complications arising from iron deficiency, they never grow back.
You’re never too young to have your hearing examined, so don’t wait until it gets worse. Prevent hearing loss by using these simple secrets in your day-to-day life.