You’ve probably already recognized that your hearing is failing. Hearing loss often progresses because of decisions you make without recognizing they’re impacting your hearing.
Many types of hearing impairment are avoidable with a few basic lifestyle changes. Let’s look at six surprising secrets that will help you maintain your hearing.
1. Manage Your Blood Pressure
It’s not okay if your blood pressure remains high. A study revealed that individuals who have above-average blood pressure are 52% more likely to have hearing loss, not to mention other health problems.
Take actions to lower your blood pressure and prevent hearing damage. Don’t dismiss high blood pressure or wait to consult a doctor. Management of blood pressure includes proper diet, exercise, stress management, and following your doctor’s orders.
2. Quit Smoking
Here’s one more reason to quit: Hearing loss is 15% more likely to affect smokers. Even more shocking: People who are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke are 28% more likely to have hearing troubles. The dangerous repercussions of second-hand smoke are not only harmful, they also remain in the air for long periods.
Think about protecting your hearing, if you’re a smoker, by quitting. If you hang out with a smoker, take actions to reduce your exposure to second-hand smoke.
3. Manage Your Diabetes
Diabetes or pre-diabetes impacts one out of four adults. Unless they make some serious lifestyle changes, somebody who is pre-diabetic will probably get diabetes within 5 years.
High blood sugar damages blood vessels, which makes it very difficult for them to efficiently carry 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 necessary to properly manage it. If you are at risk of getting type 2 diabetes, protect your hearing by making lifestyle changes to avoid it.
4. Lose Some Weight
This is more about your health than feeling good about your body image. As your Body Mass Index (BMI) goes up, so does your possibility of hearing loss and other health conditions. A mildly obese woman (with a 30 to 34 BMI) has a 17% increased chance of developing hearing loss. A moderately obese person has a 25% chance of hearing loss if they have a BMI of 40.
Take actions to lose that excess 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 Drugs
Hearing loss can be the outcome of some over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The danger increases when these medications are taken on a regular basis over prolonged periods of time.
Common over-the-counter medications that impact hearing include aspirin, NSAIDs (like naproxen, ibuprofen), and acetaminophen. Take these medicines moderately and consult your doctor if you’re using them regularly.
Studies reveal that you’ll most likely be fine if you’re taking these medications occasionally in the recommended doses. The danger of hearing loss increases up to 40% for men, however, when these medications are taken on a day-to-day basis.
Always follow your doctor’s advice. But if you’re using these medications every day to manage chronic pain or thin your blood, speak with your doctor about lifestyle changes you can implement to reduce your dependence on OTC drugs.
6. Eat More Broccoli
Broccoli is packed with iron as well as important nutrients such as vitamins C and K. Iron is essential to a healthy heart and proper blood circulation. Oxygen and nutrients are carried to your cells which helps keep them nourished and healthy and iron is a significant 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.
More than 300,000 individuals were examined by Pennsylvania State University. People who suffer from anemia (severe iron deficiency) are twice as likely, according to this research, to experience sensorineural hearing loss than individuals who have typical iron concentrations. Sensorineural hearing loss is the scientific name for irreversible hearing loss related to the aging process.
The inner ear has tiny hair cells that pick up sounds and interact with the brain to transmit the volume and frequency of those sounds. If poor circulation or an iron deficiency causes these delicate hairs to die they will be gone forever.
Don’t wait to get a hearing exam because you’re never too young. Apply these steps to your life and prevent hearing loss.