How Can You Protect Your Hearing Today?

As we get older, it’s natural for our hearing to worsen. Luckily, there are preventative measures you can take now that will push off the onset of hearing loss a bit further into the future. Don’t take your hearing for granted — El Dorado Hearing has put together a list of tips to help you continue hearing the world around you for many years to come. Follow along to learn how to protect your hearing and prevent hearing loss.

Lower the Volume

Whether you’re watching television, jamming out to your favorite tunes while working out, or listening to the radio on the way home from work, you need to be mindful of the volume levels. Listening to sounds too loudly, especially with headphones in your ears, can result in noise-induced hearing loss. Make sure you are listening to music or the TV at a reasonable level to minimize the risk of hearing loss.

Minimize Exposure to Loud Noises

Frequent exposure to loud noise can be detrimental to your hearing over time. What may seem harmless can cause irreversible damage. If you find yourself regularly in concerts, construction, etc., the hairs of the inner ear can become damaged, preventing your ear from being able to process noise.

Wear Protective Hearing Gear

Sometimes it may be challenging to minimize your exposure to loud sounds because of your workplace or hobbies. If you must visit noisy environments regularly, it is recommended that you wear protective hearing gear to minimize the risk.

Earplugs are small and easy to keep tucked away in your jacket pocket or purse and can be worn at concerts, sporting events, fireworks, and other loud activities. They’ll help diminish the loud sounds while still letting you enjoy the festivities and help prevent hearing loss.

Earwax Irrigation

When was the last time you had your ears irrigated? Cleaning your ears with cotton swabs isn’t enough — and it may be causing earwax blockages! If you experience earwax buildup, you will notice diminished levels of hearing in your ears. Visiting a hearing specialist will allow them to properly remove the earwax buildup, unclogging your ears and making it easier to hear conversations and sounds around you.

Quit Smoking

It’s common knowledge that smoking isn’t good for one’s health. But were you aware that it can impact your hearing? Because smoking restricts the blood flow within the body, the ears may not receive ample blood flow to promote quality hearing.

Smoking regularly increases the odds that you will experience hearing loss as you age, and those chances can be significantly reduced by quitting smoking early on.

Have Your Hearing Tested by a Professional

As you get older, it’s recommended that you get your hearing tested more often so your audiologist can pick up on any hearing problems early on. This will allow them to provide you with the best treatment plan to prevent further hearing loss.

Schedule an appointment with El Dorado Hearing to get your hearing tested if you:

• Have a family history of hearing loss
• Are regularly exposed to loud noises
• Have difficulty engaging in conversations
• Are constantly turning up the volume

Or, take our online hearing quiz to determine the level of assistance you need. If the evaluation concludes there is hearing loss, our team of skilled audiologists can get you fitted for hearing aids or provide you with another solution to improve or restore your hearing.

If you’re experiencing hearing loss, the skilled audiologists at El Dorado Hearing can perform a diagnostic evaluation and provide the recommended treatment and hearing devices. Contact our experienced team to schedule your hearing evaluation.