Hearing Loss Prevention

For people concerned about their hearing health or the hearing ability of a loved one, prevention is worth more than nearly any hearing solution once the hearing loss has become permanent. Take these common hearing loss prevention tips and apply them to your life to increase the chance you’ll enjoy your hearing for years to come.

Common Causes of Hearing Loss

Two types of hearing loss that people can’t necessarily avoid include age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Age-related hearing loss happens as our bodies wear down over time and the sensitive organs and bones that conduct hearing become inefficient or unresponsive to certain sounds. NIHL on the other hand, is when exposure to constant, loud noises or extreme, short sounds damages the hearing organs. Loud environments, even when they can’t be avoided, can be mitigated with prevention measures, which can help people who know they’re at risk for hearing loss protect their hearing.

How to Protect Your Hearing

There are many ways you can actively protect your hearing ability, whether you know you’re at high risk for hearing loss or not. Depending on your lifestyle, here are the top ways to prevent your hearing from degrading with healthy hearing habits.

Ear and Hearing Protection

The simplest way to protect your hearing from noise-related hearing loss is to use well-fitting ear plugs or protective headsets when knowing you may be exposed to loud noises. This includes using them in noisy work environments, at loud events like live concerts, or even when working with power tools in a confined space.

Regular Hearing Tests

Getting regular hearing checks with a hearing specialist is essential to finding and addressing hearing issues before they become a problem. In some cases, hearing loss can be treated and reversed when detected early. Not all conditions are this way, but many issues, like an overabundance of earwax, is easily treatable.

Reduce Certain Medications

Did you know the medication you take on a regular basis could be affecting your hearing? A class of medications are designated as “ototoxic,” literally toxic to your hearing. The most commonly taken medications that are ototoxic include aspirin and ibuprofen, so talk to your doctor about switching to different medications to help protect your hearing.

Quit Smoking

Among with a host of other risk factors, smoking increases your risk for developing hearing loss. The chemicals in cigarettes affect the sensitive organs and nerves that process auditory information. People who smoke can be up to 15% more likely to develop hearing loss than non-smokers.

Take Care of Mental and Physical Health

Stress levels directly affect your body in ways not everyone understands intuitively. Stress has been shown to increase the severity of symptoms related to hearing loss including tinnitus. It also increases the amount of adrenaline present in the blood, which can reduce blood flow to the ears, resulting in temporary hearing loss or gradual degradation of those structures.

Hearing Loss Solutions in Georgia

Not all kinds of hearing loss can be prevented, which is why we at Georgia Hearing Aid Factory Outlet are here to provide custom, effective hearing aids to help people get back to or maintain their active lifestyle. To learn more about your hearing health or to find a hearing aid that is perfect for you, visit one of our locations or contact us online today. Our three locations throughout Georgia are ready to help patients from cities including Murrayville, Bogart, Clarksboro, and more.