3 Ways to Support Your Hearing Health

Ear and hearing health is a significant part of our overall health that many of us might not think about until we have an earache or experience hearing loss. But unfortunately, once your hearing is gone, there is no chance of it coming back. All over America, this is the reality for 15% of people aged 18 and over who experience some type of hearing loss throughout their lives. Once we've experienced hearing loss, we become aware of how fragile our hearing can be and seek ways to support our hearing health. 

How The Ear Works 

Unless you remember biology from high school, you may not know how your ear works. Three components make up our ear: the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. 

The outer ear has the auricle, ear canal and eardrum. Sound travels down the ear canal towards the drum and into the inner ear, which contains three tiny bones called the ossicles. These small bones link the outer ear to the inner ear. The inner ear has two functions; it helps us to hear and keep our balance. The hearing part of the ear contains the cochlea, which is a coil shape and contains many tiny hair cells that are connected to the central hearing system and the auditory nerve. The cochlea is also filled with fluid that is important to your hearing.

The second is sensorineural hearing loss, this happens when there is an issue between the inner ear and the brain. While the outer and middle ear are functioning normally, the sound isn't being processed properly by the cochlea, either because there is damage to the tiny hair cells or the auditory nerve. There are many reasons why you may experience sensorineural hearing loss, and this include aging, exposure to loud noises, illness and some medications. Finally, mixed hearing loss happens when you experience a mixture of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. This could be a result of trauma, a genetic disorder or a host of other factors.  

Due to these determinants, it is essential that you find the support you need to take care of your hearing health. Fortunately, there are many ways that could help you to combat or slow down hearing loss. Here are three:  

Take Care Around Loud Noises 

If you are exposed to loud noises over a significant amount of time, it could affect your hearing. This is due to the fact that loud noises can impact the delicate hairs in your inner ear, causing them to become damaged over time. Headphones on full volume, motorcycles, sirens and even a trip to the movie theater could have a profound effect on your hearing.

In addition, sounds that are over 80dB could affect your ears after prolonged exposure. For example, most headphones at full volume could be between 95 to 110dB and a movie theater is between 74 to 104dB. If you find yourself in an environment where you will encounter loud noises, it helps to protect your hearing with earplugs or types of ear protection. 

Using Cotton Swabs

Cotton swabs might seem like a great idea, but it is the quickest way to conductive hearing loss. Some people who use cotton swabs push the swab too deep into their ears, resulting in an impaction. Impaction happens when earwax is pushed close together in the ear canal, causing it to become impacted, leading to hearing loss and infection. There are also often accidents in which the cotton swabs perforate the eardrum causing more damage.  

Visit Your Audiologist 

Audiologists have the resources you need to help you with your hearing health. Whether it is an obstruction, infection or trauma, they are here to give you the support you require to help you maintain good hearing health. 

If you find that you are experiencing hearing loss, it helps to speak with an audiologist to support your need, whether that is a hearing test, hearing aids or extra support. If you want to learn more about EarTech Audiology, you can call us today at (866) 464-1008.