7 Lifestyle Changes to Help Improve Your Hearing Health
Hearing loss and impairment is preventable only when you take the right steps at the right time. As we age, our body becomes more vulnerable to health-related problems, one of which is hearing loss. Adopting a healthy lifestyle and protecting your hearing health is never too late.Â
As you age, hearing health care becomes increasingly important.Â
- Chronic stress can damage the delicate hair cells in the inner ear, affecting hearing.
- Excessive use of headphones at high volumes is one of the leading causes of early hearing loss in young adults.
- Ear infections during childhood, if untreated, can lead to long-term hearing issues.
- Consistent hydration is essential, as dehydration can reduce fluid levels in the inner ear, impacting balance and hearing.
- Some over-the-counter medications, like aspirin in high doses, can be ototoxic and harm hearing.
- Regular use of earplugs at concerts or loud events can prevent permanent damage to hearing.
Here are some habits that will help you preserve and improve your hearing and avoid permanent hearing loss.
The Causes of Hearing Loss
There are majorly two types of hearing loss:
- Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common form of hearing loss. It’s due to damage to your inner ear, also known as the cochlea, where many hair cells are responsible for hearing. But with time, the hair cells get badly damaged, which causes hearing loss. It’s due to:
- Age
- Genetics
- Ototoxic drugs
- Exposure to extremely loud music
- Another hearing loss is conductive, usually when the middle or outer ear gets damaged or blocked. It’s due to excessive ear wax or tumors. It is temporary and can be treated with antibiotics, ear canal deep cleansing, or surgery in some cases.
What to Do to Improve Your Hearing or Prevent Hearing Loss
From keeping a check on your diet to doing exercises, a few lifestyle changes can hugely and positively affect and improve your hearing. Are you eager to learn how to improve hearing health?Â
Let’s learn more about them and the factors that affect our hearing capability.Â
Foods for hearing healthcare
What you put in your body has a direct impact on your health. Like other organs, your ears also need some healthy food to function properly and to stay in tune and healthy in the long run. The vitamins and minerals that your body and ears need are:Â
Zinc
- It helps in cell growth and immunity boost.Â
- Optimal zinc intake also lessens the risk of tinnitus and presbycusis as it increases the fluid flow.Â
- You can enjoy zinc-rich foods: dark chocolate, yogurt, lentils, dry fruits, meat, mushrooms, oatmeal, garlic, and pumpkin seeds.Â
Magnesium
- Magnesium helps protect inner ear hair cells when exposed to loud music.Â
- It also improves blood flow and maintains the oxygen level in blood.Â
- You can add magnesium-rich foods to your diet: flax and pumpkin seeds, nuts, avocados, legumes, kale, banana, and whole grains.Â
Potassium
- Potassium helps convert sound into nerve impulses and sends them to the brain.Â
- Potassium also helps regulate the fluid in the inner ear, but the potassium level drops as we age.
- Some foods with a great potassium quantity, such as cucumber, eggs, banana, apricots, peas, and oranges, can be added to your plate for better benefits.
Omega-3s
- With age, your body needs a lot more energy to function properly, which comes from healthy ingredients: fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids help to protect your hearing as you age.Â
- You can have to intake omega-3s: fish, eggs, chia seeds, walnuts, flaxseeds, and Brussels sprouts.Â
Folic Acid
- It helps in cell growth and blood circulation, improving hair cell health.
- Some folate-rich foods are liver, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, peas, kale, whole grains, kidney beans, and fortified breakfast cereals.Â
2. Quit Smoking
Ears get affected by smoking. The nicotine and carbon monoxide in cigarettes contracts the blood vessels, and conversely, the inner ear cells suffer from low oxygen and slow blood flow.Â
Nicotine disturbs the efficiency of neurotransmitters in auditory nerves. It stops them from processing sound waves correctly. It causes ringing in the ears, known as tinnitus as well.Â
Smoking damages the middle ear’s lining and affects the Eustachian tube’s functionality. Any of these problems can become a major reason for hearing loss, and if you smoke, you should quit it immediately.Â
3. Go for a Walk
Keep your body and ears in good shape and health by exercising. Hearing improves if you go for a walk or do any exercise regularly. When you exercise, your blood flow increases, keeping the inner ear hair cells healthy.Â
As you know, that hair doesn’t regenerate, which means once they are damaged or destroyed, the hearing impairment will get worse.Â
For that, go for a walk without music, and listen to natural sounds such as birds chirping. Avoid artificial noise. You will see the change in yourself gradually.Â
4. Turn Down the Volume
It would help if you kept the volume as low as possible for hearing comfort and health. If your ears are exposed to 85 decibels or above the noise, you have a higher risk of hearing loss. Move away from that surroundings. And if you cannot move away from the high volume, wear any hearing protection to avoid harm.Â
Keeping the music and TV volume low also makes a huge difference.Â
5. Remove Build-up of Ear Wax
In some cases, hearing can get affected by the build-up of ear wax. When there is impacted ear wax, ears can lose their receptivity to sounds. But it’s treatable. With the help of a professional, you can remove the stored ear wax.Â
6. Yoga
Yoga has served several health benefits, both physical and mental. And when it comes to ears, yoga also helps people with a hearing impairment. Different stretching postures in yoga help increase the oxygen level in the blood.Â
You don’t need to turn your body upside down completely; you can practice simple stretching postures such as a downward dog.Â
7. Book a Hearing Test
Lastly, book a hearing test to understand the full context of your hearing impairment. Only then can you take better care of your ears. The test will help you detect the impairment’s potential causes, and the audiologist will also provide you with solutions to avoid permanent damage.Â
Whether you have a hearing problem or not, taking good care of your ears and body is important. However, not many people understand the severity of the problem until they encounter this. If you don’t want to end up with hearing impairment and hearing loss, take your ears’ health seriously.Â
Follow the above-mentioned steps and change your lifestyle for lifetime well-being and health.
Takeaway
Hearing health care is very important, as hearing loss is prevalent among older people. In the article, we have explained many options to improve your hearing health. The most important one is a well-balanced diet. There are many health issues associated with a poor diet.Â
Diet plays an important role in the normal functioning of our body functions. Moreover, regular checkups and an active lifestyle help improve hearing health.Â
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