You’ve probably already noticed that your hearing is failing. In most cases, we don’t even realize that our decisions are negatively affecting our hearing.
With a few simple lifestyle changes, many kinds of hearing loss can be avoided. Let’s look at six unexpected secrets that will help you maintain your hearing.
1. Manage Your Blood Pressure
Consistently high blood pressure is not good. A study found that hearing loss was 52% more likely with people who have above average blood pressure and they are more likely to have other health issues as well.
Take steps to decrease your blood pressure and prevent hearing damage. See a doctor as soon as possible and never ignore your high blood pressure. Following your doctor’s guidance, managing stress, eating a healthy diet, and getting regular exercise are all parts of blood pressure management.
2. Stop Smoking
Here’s another reason to quit: Smokers are 15% more likely to suffer from hearing loss. What’s even more surprising is that there’s a 28% higher chance of someone experiencing hearing problems if they are regularly subjected to second-hand smoke. The harmful repercussions of second-hand smoke are not only harmful, they also linger in the air for long periods.
Think about protecting your hearing, if you smoke, by quitting. Take actions to reduce your exposure to second-hand smoke if you hang out with a smoker.
3. Regulate Your Diabetes
Diabetes or pre-diabetes affects one in four adults. A pre-diabetic person is extremely likely to get diabetes within 5 years unless they make serious lifestyle changes.
Blood vessels that are damaged by high blood sugar don’t effectively transport nutrients. Compared to someone 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 properly control it. If you are at risk of developing 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 great about yourself. It’s about your health. Hearing loss and other health problems rise as your Body Mass Index (BMI) rises. A mildly obese woman (with a 30 to 34 BMI) has a 17% increased risk of getting hearing loss. For someone with a BMI of 40 (moderate obesity), the risk goes up to 25%.
Take steps to lose that excess weight. Your life can be prolonged and your hearing can be safeguarded by something as simple as walking for 30 minutes each day.
5. OTC Medications Shouldn’t be Overused
Hearing impairment can be the consequence of some over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The more often these drugs are taken over a long period of time, the greater the risk.
Typical over-the-counter drugs that impact hearing include aspirin, NSAIDs (such as naproxen, ibuprofen), and acetaminophen. Use these medicines in moderation and only with your doctor’s guidance if you need to take them more regularly.
Studies show that you’ll most likely be fine if you’re taking these medications periodically in the suggested doses. Taking them daily, however, increases the risk of hearing loss by up to 40% for men.
Always follow your doctor’s recommendations. Your doctor might be able to recommend some lifestyle changes that will lessen your dependence on these drugs if you are taking them every day.
6. Eat More Broccoli
Broccoli is packed with iron along with important nutrients like 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 healthy and nourished and iron is a major part of this process.
If you’re a vegetarian or don’t eat much meat, it’s critical that you consume enough plant-based iron. You’re more likely to be iron deficient because the iron found in plants is less bioavailable than the iron found in meat.
More than 300,000 individuals were examined by Pennsylvania State University. Individuals who suffer from anemia (extreme iron deficiency) are twice as likely, according to this research, to experience sensorineural hearing loss than people who have typical iron concentrations. Sensorineural hearing loss is the scientific term for irreversible hearing loss associated with aging.
The inner ear has delicate hair cells that detect sounds and communicate 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.
You’re never too young to have your hearing tested, so don’t wait until it’s too late. Prevent hearing loss by using these simple secrets in your day-to-day life.