Chances are you’ve already noticed that you don’t hear as well as you used to. Normally, we don’t even realize that our choices are negatively impacting our hearing.
Many types of hearing loss are avoidable with a few simple lifestyle changes. What follows are 6 secrets that will help you preserve your hearing.
1. Regulate Your Blood Pressure
Consistently high blood pressure is not okay. A study determined that people with above-average blood pressure are 52% more likely to have hearing loss, not to mention other health problems.
Reduce damage to your hearing by taking actions to lower your blood pressure. Don’t ignore high blood pressure or wait to consult a doctor. Following your doctor’s guidance, managing stress, eating a healthy diet, and getting regular exercise are all parts of blood pressure management.
2. Quit Smoking
There are plenty of reasons to quit smoking, here’s another: Hearing loss is 15% more likely to affect smokers. What’s even more surprising is that there’s a 28% higher probability of someone experiencing hearing issues if they are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke. Even if you go away from the room, smoke hangs around for long periods of time with harmful consequences.
If you smoke, protect your hearing and think about quitting. Take measures to minimize your exposure to second-hand smoke if you spend time around a smoker.
3. Keep Your Diabetes in Check
Diabetes or pre-diabetes impacts one out of four adults. A pre-diabetic person is highly likely to get diabetes within 5 years unless they make significant lifestyle changes.
High blood sugar harms blood vessels, which makes it very hard for them to effectively transport nutrients. Compared to a person who doesn’t have diabetes, a diabetic person has more than twice the chance of developing hearing loss.
If you have diabetes, take the steps required to correctly manage it. If you are at risk of getting type 2 diabetes, safeguard your hearing by making lifestyle changes to avoid it.
4. Lose Some Weight
This isn’t about body image or feeling good about yourself. It’s about your health. Hearing loss and other health conditions increase as your Body Mass Index (BMI) rises. A slightly obese woman (with a 30 to 34 BMI) has a 17% increased risk of developing hearing loss. For somebody with a BMI of 40 (moderate obesity), the risk rises to 25%.
Work to get rid of some of that extra weight. Something as simple as walking for 30 minutes each day can reduce your chance of hearing loss and prolong your life.
5. OTC Medications Shouldn’t be Overused
Certain over-the-counter (OTC) drugs can lead to hearing loss. The more frequently these drugs are taken over a long period of time, the higher the risk.
Medicines like acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin are known to lead to hearing loss. Take these medicines in moderation and only with your doctor’s advice if you need to take them more frequently.
If you’re taking the recommended dose for the occasional headache, studies suggest you’ll most likely be fine. The danger of hearing loss increases up to 40% for men, however, when these drugs are taken on a day-to-day basis.
Your doctor’s orders should always be implemented. Your doctor may be able to recommend some lifestyle changes that will decrease your dependence on these medicines if you are taking them every day.
6. Eat More Broccoli
Broccoli is loaded with iron as well as important nutrients like vitamins C and K. Iron is vital to blood circulation and a healthy heart. Nutrients and oxygen are carried to your cells which helps keep them nourished and healthy, and iron is an important part of this process.
If you’re a vegetarian or eat very little 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.
Pennsylvania State University researchers studied more than 300,000 individuals. Individuals who have anemia (extreme iron deficiency) are two times as likely, according to this research, to experience sensorineural hearing loss than people who have typical iron concentrations. 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 fragile little hairs in the inner ear which resonate with the frequency and volume of that sound. If poor circulation or an iron deficiency causes these delicate hairs to die they will never grow back.
You’re never too young to have your hearing examined, so don’t wait until it gets worse. Apply these steps to your life and reduce hearing loss.