It’s likely that you’ve already detected that you don’t hear as well as you once did. Normally, we don’t even realize that our choices are negatively impacting our hearing.
Many kinds of hearing loss are avoidable with several simple lifestyle changes. What follows are 6 secrets that will help you preserve your hearing.
1. Manage Your Blood Pressure
It’s not good if your blood pressure remains high. A study determined that people with higher than-average blood pressure are 52% more likely to develop hearing loss, not to mention other health concerns.
Prevent injury to your hearing by taking actions to reduce your blood pressure. Consult a doctor right away and never ignore your high blood pressure. Management of blood pressure includes correct 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. Even more shocking: People who are frequently exposed to second-hand smoke are 28% more likely to develop hearing issues. The hazardous consequences of second-hand smoke are not only harmful, they also hang in the air for long periods.
If you smoke, protect your hearing and consider quitting. Take measures to minimize your exposure to second-hand smoke if you hang out with a smoker.
3. Keep Your Diabetes Under Control
One in 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.
High blood sugar damages blood vessels, which makes it very hard for them to efficiently transport nutrients. Compared to someone who doesn’t have diabetes, a diabetic person has more than twice the chance of developing hearing loss.
If you suffer from diabetes, take the steps required to correctly 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 good about how you look. Hearing loss and other health conditions rise as your Body Mass Index (BMI) increases. A mildly obese woman (with a 30 to 34 BMI) has a 17% higher chance of getting hearing loss. For a person with a BMI of 40 (moderate obesity), the risk goes up to 25%.
Take measures to shed that extra weight. Something as simple as walking for 30 minutes each day can decrease your chance of hearing loss and prolong your life.
5. Don’t Overuse OTC Medications
Certain over-the-counter (OTC) drugs can cause hearing loss. The danger goes up when these medications are taken regularly over lengthy periods of time.
Medications such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin are known to cause hearing loss. Take these drugs in moderation and only with your doctor’s guidance if you need to take them more regularly.
If you’re using the recommended dose for the periodic headache, studies suggest you’ll most likely be fine. Taking them every day, however, increases the risk of hearing loss by up to 40% for men.
Always follow your doctor’s advice. But if you’re using these medications every day to deal with chronic pain or thin your blood, speak with your doctor about lifestyle changes you can make to lessen your dependence on OTC drugs.
6. Eat More Broccoli
Broccoli is loaded with iron along with essential nutrients such as vitamins C and K. Iron is vital to blood circulation and a healthy heart. Oxygen and nutrients are transported to your cells which helps keep them nourished and healthy and iron is a major part of this process.
For vegetarians or individuals who don’t eat meat very often, eating a sufficient amount of plant-based iron is important. 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.
More than 300,000 individuals were examined by Pennsylvania State University. People who suffer from anemia (severe iron deficiency) are two times as likely, according to this research, to develop sensorineural hearing loss than individuals who have typical iron concentrations. Age-related irreversible hearing loss is what the technical term “sensorineural hearing loss” refers to.
Sound is received and transmitted to the brain by fragile little hairs in the inner ear which vibrate with the frequency and volume of that sound. If these hair cells die because of poor circulation or other concerns arising from iron deficiency, they won’t grow back.
Don’t wait to get a hearing test because you’re never too young. Counter hearing loss by implementing these simple secrets in your day-to-day life.