You’ve most likely already recognized that your hearing is failing. Hearing loss often progresses because of decisions you make without recognizing they’re impacting your hearing.
With a few simple lifestyle changes, many types of hearing loss can be avoided. Let’s look at six surprising secrets that will help you preserve your hearing.
1. Regulate Your Blood Pressure
Consistently high blood pressure is not good. A study found that individuals with above-average blood pressure are 52% more likely to have hearing loss, not to mention other health issues.
Reduce injury to your hearing by taking steps to reduce your blood pressure. Don’t dismiss high blood pressure or wait to see a doctor. Following your doctor’s orders, managing stress, eating a healthy diet, and getting regular exercise are all parts of blood pressure management.
2. Quit Smoking
Here’s one more reason to quit: Smokers are 15% more likely to suffer from hearing loss. What’s even more surprising is that there’s a 28% higher chance of someone developing hearing issues if they are frequently exposed to second-hand smoke. Even if you go away from the room, smoke lingers for long periods of time with hazardous repercussions.
If you smoke, protect your hearing and think about quitting. If you spend time with a smoker, take measures to reduce your exposure to second-hand smoke.
3. Manage Your Diabetes
One out of four adults is either pre-diabetic or diabetic. A pre-diabetic individual is extremely likely to develop diabetes within 5 years unless they make serious lifestyle changes.
Blood vessels that are injured by high blood sugar don’t efficiently transport nutrients. A diabetic individual is more than two times as likely to experience hearing loss compared to a non-diabetic individual.
If you suffer from diabetes, protect your hearing by taking the correct steps to manage it. If you are at risk of getting type 2 diabetes, protect your hearing by making lifestyle changes to prevent it.
4. Lose Some Weight
This isn’t about body image or feeling good about yourself. It’s about your health. As your Body Mass Index (BMI) goes up, so does your possibility of hearing loss and other health disorders. A slightly obese woman (with a 30 to 34 BMI) has a 17% increased risk of developing hearing loss. For an individual with a BMI of 40 (moderate obesity), the risk goes up to 25%.
Work to eliminate some of that extra weight. Your life can be prolonged and your hearing can be protected by something as basic as walking for 30 minutes every day.
5. Don’t Overuse OTC Medications
Certain over-the-counter (OTC) medicines can cause hearing loss. The danger rises when these medicines are taken on a regular basis over prolonged periods of time.
Medicines including acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin are known to trigger hearing loss. Take these medicines in moderation and only with your doctor’s guidance if you need to take them more regularly.
Studies demonstrate that you’ll probably be okay if you’re using these medications occasionally in the recommended doses. Taking them every day, however, raises the chance of hearing loss by as much as 40% for men.
Always follow your doctor’s advice. Your doctor might be able to recommend some lifestyle changes that will reduce your dependence on these medications if you are taking them every day.
6. Eat More Broccoli
Broccoli is packed with nutrients and vitamins such as C and K and also is high in iron. Iron is essential to blood circulation and a healthy heart. Oxygen and nutrients are carried to your cells which helps keep them nourished and healthy and iron is a major part of this process.
If you’re a vegetarian or don’t eat much meat, it’s important that you consume enough plant-based iron. 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 studied by Pennsylvania State University. The researchers determined participants with anemia (severe iron deficiency) were two times as likely to develop sensorineural hearing loss as those without the disorder. Age-related irreversible hearing loss is what the technical term “sensorineural hearing loss” refers to.
Sound is picked up and sent to the brain by tiny little hairs in the inner ear which vibrate with the volume and frequency of that sound. If these hair cells die because of poor circulation or other complications related to iron deficiency, they won’t grow back.
You’re never too young to have your hearing examined, so don’t wait until it’s too late. Counter hearing loss by applying these simple tips in your daily life.