If you’re already planning your New Year resolutions, be sure to include prioritizing your hearing health in 2021. Many people focus on fitness and wellness at the start of the year, but millions overlook their hearing. However, these three simple resolutions can transform your well-being and protect your hearing health in 2021:
1. Wear Hearing Protection
Hearing loss can occur for many reasons, but noise-induced hearing loss is increasingly common. Being exposed to loud noises can cause permanent hearing loss but wearing suitable hearing protection can prevent this from happening.
Hearing protection products include noise-canceling headphones, ear defenders, and earmuffs, so it’s easy to find something to suit your needs. Remember to check the Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) on these products to be sure you’re getting the right level of protection.
If you choose to wear headphones or earbuds, lowering the volume can also be an effective way of protecting your hearing function. Many devices have an in-built feature that warns you when the volume is approaching a dangerous level. By activating this feature and giving your ears regular breaks from earbuds, you can ensure that you don’t inadvertently damage your hearing.
2. Stop Using Cotton Swabs
Millions of people routinely use cotton swabs in an attempt to clean their ear canals, but they don’t realize they could be damaging their hearing in the process. Although some cotton swabs are suitable to be used gently in the outer ear, they should never be inserted into the inner ear. Doing so can injure the delicate hairs, or cilia, which often leads to hearing loss.
In addition to this, cotton swabs typically push wax further into the ear canal, which can cause temporary hearing loss and increase the risk of infection. If you want to tackle a build up of wax, ask your audiologist or doctor for advice. With professional wax removal, for example, you can keep your ears clean and healthy without risking your hearing.
3. Go for a Hearing Check Up
A routine checkup is one of the most effective ways to protect your hearing health. With simple hearing function tests, your audiologist can identify any hearing loss. As well as helping you to access any treatment you might need, your audiologist can also give you bespoke advice on protecting your hearing health or function in the future. If you’re exposed to loud noises at work, for example, your audiologist can help you to choose custom ear protection that will prevent hearing loss.
If your hearing test indicates that you’re experiencing hearing loss, your audiologist will also be able to determine what kind of hearing loss you have and how severe it is. Based on this, you can access the right range of treatments or symptom management, such as wax removal or hearing aids.
Book a Hearing Checkup Now
It’s never too early – or too late – to start prioritizing your hearing health. If you want to kickstart your New Year resolutions, contact Chicago Hearing Services today to schedule your appointment!
