7 Habits That Are Damaging to Hearing Health

Hearing loss is quite prevalent in America, with research revealing that one in eight individuals has hearing loss in both ears. People experience hearing loss due to many factors like old age and some illnesses. However, some habits are responsible for many people’s less than ideal hearing health. Here are seven habits that are damaging to your hearing health.

Smoking

You have likely heard a thousand times that smoking is bad for your health because it leads to heart disease or cancer. However, smoking is bad for your hearing health too, so the prospect of losing your hearing should be enough to convince you to give up this bad habit.

Nicotine limits blood flow to your ears, potentially destroying fragile inner ear cells responsible for processing sound and translating it into electrical impulses for the brain. In addition, your ability to hear low-pitched sounds slips away gradually as you smoke over time. It is crucial to note that vaping puts you at the same risk of hearing loss as smoking cigarettes, so these e-cigarettes aren’t worth considering as alternatives.

Drinking

Your liver isn’t the only body part that bears the brunt of your drinking habit. According to a study, moderate to excessive alcohol intake jeopardizes hearing health significantly. This reality is because high alcohol levels in the body destroy the inner ear’s hair cells, hampering your ability to process sounds correctly.

Alcohol also destroys your brain’s central auditory cortex. This area is responsible for processing and interpreting sounds and performs at subpar levels when alcohol shrinks it.

Using Cotton Swabs

It isn’t uncommon for people to clean their ears with cotton swabs to eliminate earwax, particularly after showers. However, many experts agree that it isn’t advisable to use cotton swabs because accidents can occur. Indeed, you can unintentionally pierce your eardrums which can cause terrible long-term outcomes for your hearing health.

Your ears are self-cleaning organs by nature, so they can slowly get rid of earwax and other debris without your help. However, consider visiting a hearing instrument specialist (HIS) to have your ears checked if you experience an excess wax issue.

Listening to Loud Music

Loud music can be energizing and a good distraction, but enjoying it typically comes at the expense of your hearing health. Young adults and teenagers are undoubtedly the biggest victims of noise-induced hearing loss from audio devices. According to experts, listening to music with headphones at above 60% volume for just an hour is enough to experience hearing loss from excessive noise exposure.

Consequently, always keep your headphone’s volume below 60% to prevent any long-term damage. Additionally, always select headphones over earbuds since the latter sits too close to your eardrums.

Not Keeping Your Ears Dry

Your ear’s interior, where the eardrum is, is an air-filled space. As such, excess moisture in this area can cause an imbalance in your middle ear and permit bacteria to enter and infect your ear canal. Consequently, you can develop swimmer’s ear and other kinds of ear infections that are detrimental to your hearing health.

Therefore, it is prudent to gently dry your ears after bathing or swimming with a towel or tissues. You can tilt your head to one side and tug on your earlobe to let water out.

Not Wearing Ear Protection in Noisy Environments

It is no secret that some jobs require you to work in a constantly noisy environment that can harm your hearing health over time. Industries like mining, plumbing, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, carpentry, music and military are perhaps the noisiest to operate in. Therefore, not wearing quality hearing protection devices in such environments can damage your hearing gradually.

As such, it is best to wear headphones specially designed to protect the ears from loud external noises if you operate in any of these sectors. For instance, if you are a professional musician, consider wearing earmuffs or noise-canceling headphones to drown out external sounds and reduce music volume while performing. 

Poor Oral Health

This habit is perhaps the oldest on the list, but it is best to note that neglecting one part of our body always affects another. As such, poor oral health can cause bacteria to enter your bloodstream. These bacteria can then cause artery inflammation and narrowing, triggering poor circulation that can cause hearing loss.

Why Visit Audio Hearing Aid Service for Your Hearing Health

Our trusted team of hearing instrument specialists can help treat your hearing loss with a wide range of technology that will suit your needs, lifestyle and budget. Also, we have over 40 years of experience in providing top-notch hearing health services to patrons. Feel free to reach out to us at 330-244-9881 or 330-364-6637 to learn more.