Do you love blasting music on high volume on your morning drive to work? If yes, you may be killing your hearing capability. As most people are naturally born with hearing, they take it for granted. Hearing worsens as we age, but that is not the sole reason that may be damaging our hearing. Many people are unaware of the adverse effects of their everyday habits on their hearing. Being conscious of these habits can help you prevent or reduce the risk of losing your hearing.
Habits you should avoid to save your hearing from damage
1. Smoking
All of us are aware of the harmful effects of smoking on the human body, but did you know it increases the chances of hearing loss? Chemicals in cigarettes can affect your neurotransmitters. Nicotine blocks blood flow to your ears hence harming ear cells. It can lead to hearing impairment.
2. Using cotton swabs
Most people use cotton swabs to remove ear wax. It is not something you should be doing if you care about your sense of hearing. Cotton swabs may penetrate the inner layer of your ear, damaging your eardrums. Ears have a self-cleaning system, and it also helps in shutting out foreign objects such as insects from your ear. If you feel an excessive earwax buildup in your ear, an ENT specialist in Lahore can guide you on what to do.
3. Not using hearing protection!
Avoiding noise pollution has become almost impossible, especially due to your occupation or environment. Leisure activities such as attending to concerns or mowing your lawn can also impact your hearing. Loud noise is detrimental to your hearing health. If you feel that listening to these noises is unavoidable, earplugs are the answer. They’re convenient to use and easy to carry, and can save your hearing from wear and tear from loud noises.
4. Ignoring your dental hygiene
Your dental hygiene impacts all systems of your body. Bad dental hygiene may cause bacteria to enter your body and spread to the bloodstream. Oral bacteria in the bloodstream can constrict your blood vessels and cause heart problems which can damage your ears.
5. Sedentary Lifestyle
Like all the factors mentioned above, poor blood circulation can also be due to a lack of an active lifestyle. Eating more and not exercising can lead to problems with blood circulation. It not only increases the chances of obesity and heart disease, but it also impacts your hearing by its negative effects on blood circulation.
6. Earbuds usage
With the ease of technology, earbuds are a part of our daily life. Whether you are commuting through public transport or sitting in the office, listening to songs or watching videos while wearing earbuds is something we all are guilty of. No matter how tempting it may be to blast the volume high to cancel out noises around you, it can lead to permanent hearing loss. Try to keep the volume at 60% or less to reduce the damage. Investing in noise-canceling headphones may also be useful.
7. Not paying attention to your hearing
With all these factors in play, preventing hearing damage completely is next to impossible. Getting an annual hearing checkup from the Best ENT specialist in Karachi can help you detect any problems with your hearing. Getting a diagnosis at the right time can help you and your doctor devise a treatment plan.
Can you reverse hearing loss?
Unfortunately, coming back from hearing loss is not probable. For this reason, ignoring your hearing impairment may not be a bright idea!