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5 Tips For Protecting Your Hearing

10 July 2015 by Clifford Ramos

Hearing is something many of us take for granted. We go about our days thinking that we will never lose this incredible sense. However, if you do not take proper care of your hearing, it is possible to lose it later in your life. Here are five tips for protecting your hearing:

1. Wear Hearing Protection

While it is best to avoid excessive noise altogether, it isn't always possible. For example, you may work at a factory where you are exposed to loud machinery all day. Hearing this noise all day long can damage your hearing over time, so it is a wise idea to wear hearing protection like earmuffs or earplugs.

2. Be Careful When Removing Earwax

When there is a lot of earwax built up in your ears, it can be very difficult to hear things. However, you should be careful about how you remove that earwax. If you try to clean your ears with a cotton swab, for example, you can actually push the wax farther into the ear canal. It is best to remove earwax with an at-home irrigation kit.

3. Be Mindful of Your Medications

Unfortunately, certain drugs damage the cochlea in the inner ear, putting you at risk of hearing loss, according to WebMD. Some of the most common medicines that increase your chances of hearing damage include Aspirin, loop diuretics, certain cancer drugs and antibiotics. 

4. Do not Listen to Your Music Too Loudly

When you are listening to your favorite tunes, you might not notice if you have the volume up too high. However, listening to music too loudly can have negative effects on your hearing. If someone has to shout to get your attention, it is time to turn the volume down.

5. Put Down the Cigarette

You have probably been told countless times how bad smoking is for your heart and lungs. Did you also know it can damage your hearing? All the dangerous chemicals in cigarettes damage the hair cells in the cochlea, putting you at risk of hearing loss. If you make the effort to quit smoking, you can lower your chances of suffering hearing damage.

If you follow these helpful tips, you will be less likely to lose your hearing in the future. Do not forget to visit a hearing doctor for a checkup once a year at a clinic like Audiology Consultants, P.C. He can give you a thorough examination and detect the early signs of hearing loss.

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