You’ve most likely already noticed that your hearing is waning. Normally, we don’t even recognize that our decisions are negatively affecting our hearing.
Many kinds of hearing loss are preventable with several basic lifestyle changes. Let’s explore six unexpected secrets that will help you preserve your hearing.
1. Manage Your Blood Pressure
It’s not okay if your blood pressure remains high. A study found that hearing loss was 52% more likely with people who have higher than average blood pressure and they’re more likely to have other health issues also.
Take action to lower your blood pressure and prevent hearing damage. Consult a doctor right away and never dismiss your high blood pressure. Blood pressure management includes proper diet, exercise, stress management, and following your doctor’s orders.
2. Stop Smoking
Here’s another reason to quit: Hearing loss is 15% more likely to affect smokers. What’s even more alarming is that there’s a 28% higher chance of someone experiencing hearing issues if they are regularly subjected to second-hand smoke. The dangerous repercussions of second-hand smoke are not only harmful, they also linger in the air for long periods.
Think about safeguarding your hearing, if you smoke, by quitting. Take actions to minimize your exposure to second-hand smoke if you hang out with a smoker.
3. Manage Your Diabetes
Diabetes or pre-diabetes impacts one in four adults. Unless they make some serious lifestyle changes, someone who is pre-diabetic will very likely develop diabetes within 5 years.
High blood sugar damages blood vessels, which makes it very hard for them to effectively transport 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 suffer from diabetes, safeguard your hearing by taking the proper steps to manage it. If you are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, protect your hearing by making lifestyle changes to prevent it.
4. Lose Some Weight
This is more about your health than feeling great about your body image. Hearing loss and other health disorders increase as your Body Mass Index (BMI) rises. A mildly obese woman (with a 30 to 34 BMI) has a 17% higher risk of developing hearing loss. For someone with a BMI of 40 (moderate obesity), the risk increases to 25%.
Take measures to lose that excess weight. Something as simple as walking for 30 minutes every day can lower your chance of hearing loss and prolong your life.
5. Don’t Overuse OTC Drugs
Hearing impairment can be the consequence of certain over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The danger increases when these medications are taken regularly over lengthy periods of time.
Medicines like acetaminophen, naproxen, ibuprofen, and aspirin are known to lead to hearing loss. Take these medications in moderation and only with your doctor’s guidance if you need to take them more frequently.
Studies demonstrate that you’ll most likely be okay if you’re using these medications periodically in the suggested doses. Using them on a daily basis, however, raises the risk of hearing loss by up to 40% for men.
Your doctor’s guidance should always be followed. Your doctor may be able to recommend some lifestyle changes that will reduce your dependence on these drugs if you are taking them every day.
6. Eat More Broccoli
Broccoli is loaded with iron as well as essential nutrients such as vitamins C and K. Iron is integral to a healthy heart and proper blood circulation. Nutrients and oxygen are carried to your cells which helps keep them nourished and healthy and iron is a major part of this process.
If you’re a vegetarian or eat very little meat, it’s critical 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.
Pennsylvania State University researchers studied more than 300,000 individuals. People who suffer from anemia (severe iron deficiency) are twice as likely, according to this research, to experience sensorineural hearing loss than people who have normal iron concentrations. Sensorineural hearing loss is the scientific term for permanent hearing loss related to aging.
The inner ear has delicate hair cells that pick up sounds and connect with the brain to transmit the volume and frequency of those sounds. If these hair cells die due to poor circulation or other complications related to iron deficiency, they never grow back.
Don’t wait to get a hearing test because you’re never too young. Implement these steps into your life and prevent hearing loss.