Healthy choices are not always straight forward. We can oftentimes overcome our hesitation by reminding ourselves what is good for us. But is it possible that our health habits may actually hurt our ears? It’s more likely than you’d think.
Your Hygiene Practice
How healthy you look and how well you keep up yourself matters to you. Most likely brushing your teeth, combing your hair, and maybe cleaning your ears is a normal practice.
With time an irritating trickle of a small amount of earwax can build up. Despite earwax having many vital purposes in your ear, it does have to be cleaned from time to time. The means you use to remove earwax determines the potential damage.
You should stop using cotton swabs for earwax removal as they are not really the tool of choice. Irreparable harm can be done by using cotton swabs to eliminate your earwax. The better choice would be to seek advice from a hearing specialist for help. It’s a standard and easy process for them to remove the wax and you can rest assured that your hearing is safe.
Your Workout Habits
Staying physically fit is the best way to look and feel your best. The benefits of working out are that it gets your blood flowing, clears your mind, helps you lose weight, and relaxes your muscles. But workouts practiced improperly are the concern.
It’s becoming more popular to do endurance testing, high impact workouts. Taking part in these kinds of workouts, while building muscle, may also be harming your ears. Strenuous exercise can cause a build up of pressure in the ears. Resulting in balance and hearing concerns.
That doesn’t mean that you should quit working out. The important factor is correct workout technique. Avoid strain and don’t hold your breath while exercising. If you feel like you’ve come to your limit, quit.
Your Prospering Career
Stress goes with a successful career. While working hard to achieve career accomplishment is great, the high levels of stress can cause health troubles.
Stress has been known to cause weight gain, impaired thinking, and muscle pain, but did you know it can also cause hearing loss? Poor circulation caused by stress is actually the issue. When you have poor circulation the delicate hairs in your ears don’t get the blood flow and oxygen they need. When the hairs in your ear die, they won’t grow back. Why are these little hairs important? Those hairs are how your brain senses sound waves. Because without them your brain has no way to receive sound waves.
But don’t suspect your job has to cost you your hearing. Finding ways of reducing strain can help blood flow. If you’re finding yourself stressed out, take a break. If you have time, read or watch something funny. When you laugh, you naturally shake off your strain.
Enjoying the Arts
Exposing your mind to all forms of art is a healthy practice. But different forms of art have different levels of impact on hearing.
Going to the movies or attending a live music event is louder than you may imagine. While enjoying our favorite art form we usually don’t worry about whether it is damaging our hearing. The sad truth is, it very well may be.
This is easily solved. Make sure you protect your ears if you are planning on attending a loud event. While you wouldn’t wear large earmuffs at an opera, you might use small discreet in-ear noise reduction devices instead.
Like with anything else, being informed and prepared will help to protect. If you fear that participation in a high volume activity has already damaged your hearing, you should schedule an appointment with a hearing expert. Only then will you know for certain.