It’s likely that you’ve already detected that you don’t hear as well as you once did. Hearing loss frequently progresses due to decisions you make without realizing they’re affecting your hearing.
With a few simple lifestyle changes, many types of hearing loss can be prevented. Let’s explore six surprising secrets that will help you preserve your hearing.
1. Regulate Your Blood Pressure
It’s not good if your blood pressure remains high. A study revealed that hearing loss was 52% more likely with individuals who have higher than average blood pressure and they are more likely to have other health issues also.
Take steps to decrease your blood pressure and avoid hearing damage. Consult a doctor right away and never dismiss your high blood pressure. Following your doctor’s orders, eating a healthy diet, managing stress, and exercising regularly are all parts of blood pressure management.
2. Quit Smoking
Here’s another reason to quit: People who smoke are 15% more likely to develop hearing loss. What’s even more alarming is that there’s a 28% higher chance of someone developing hearing issues if they are frequently subjected to second-hand smoke. Even if you go away from the room, smoke hangs around for long periods of time with harmful repercussions.
Think about protecting your hearing, if you’re a smoker, by quitting. If you hang out with a smoker, take actions to reduce your exposure to second-hand smoke.
3. Keep Your Diabetes in Check
One out of four adults is either pre-diabetic or diabetic. A pre-diabetic person is extremely likely to get diabetes within 5 years if they don’t make serious lifestyle changes.
High blood sugar harms blood vessels, which makes it extremely hard for them to effectively carry nutrients. Compared to someone who doesn’t have diabetes, a diabetic person has more than twice the chance of developing hearing loss.
If you have diabetes, safeguard your hearing by taking the correct steps to 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 good about yourself. It’s about your health. Hearing loss and other health disorders rise as your Body Mass Index (BMI) increases. A slightly obese woman (with a 30 to 34 BMI) has a 17% increased risk of developing hearing loss. For a person with a BMI of 40 (moderate obesity), the risk increases to 25%.
Take actions to lose that extra weight. Your life can be prolonged and your hearing can be safeguarded by something as basic as walking for 30 minutes each day.
5. Don’t Overuse OTC Medications
Hearing loss can be the result of certain over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The danger goes up when these medicines are taken regularly over prolonged periods of time.
Common over-the-counter medications that affect hearing include aspirin, NSAIDs (such as naproxen, ibuprofen), and acetaminophen. Use these medications in moderation and only with your doctor’s guidance if you need to take them more frequently.
Studies show 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 medications are used on a daily basis.
Your doctor’s orders should always be implemented. But if you’re using these medications every day to control chronic pain or thin your blood, talk to your doctor about lifestyle changes you can make to lessen your dependence on OTC drugs.
6. Eat More Broccoli
Broccoli is packed with nutrients and vitamins like C and K and also has lots of iron. Iron is essential to a healthy heart and strong blood circulation. Oxygen and nutrients are transported to your cells which helps keep them nourished and healthy 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 essential. 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 discovered participants with anemia (severe iron deficiency) were two times as likely to develop sensorineural hearing loss as those without the disorder. Sensorineural hearing loss is the scientific term for irreversible hearing loss related to aging.
Sound is received 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 as a result of poor circulation or other complications related to iron deficiency, they won’t grow back.
Don’t wait to get a hearing exam because you’re never too young. Implement these steps into your life and reduce hearing loss.
