It seems as if we’re constantly trying to stay young. We spend a great number of hours trying everything possible to stay young. From special diets to gym memberships to Botox to wrinkle creams. Still, with that amount of time and effort, the one thing that could actually work, we tend to avoid: protecting our ears.
Many people most likely think of hearing loss as inevitable as we age. But it’s not that easy. By safeguarding your ears (and treating them with some kindness as you go), you can help avoid damage and keep your hearing in great shape. And as the years go on, great hearing can have significant anti-aging rewards.
Aging And Hearing
When we discuss “aging” we don’t usually mean the actual passage of time. Rather, “aging” generally describes the presentation of certain physical, mental, or emotional attributes that we link to getting older. Joint pain is a great example of this. When your knees start to bother you, you might associate that with “getting old”. But it’s not age alone that causes the issue (your regular 5-mile run may have something to do with it, also).
The same will also apply to many kinds of hearing loss. There’s an accumulation of damage as you get older. And in most cases, it’s the build-up of damage that leads to the actual hearing deterioration. And it’s typically downhill from there. A number of other indications of aging have been associated with hearing loss:
- The onset of mental problems, including dementia, can often be accelerated by ignored or unnoticed hearing loss.
- In some cases, problems like insomnia and memory loss, can be triggered by the mental strain of trying to hear. And that might make you feel like you’re getting old in a particularly intense way.
- Neglected hearing loss could cause you to isolate yourself from family or friends.
- Anxiety and depression have been demonstrated to have a strong link to hearing loss.
What to do About Age Related Hearing Loss
You’re actually emphasizing damage prevention when you fight the “signs of aging” in your ears. And fortunately, there are a number of ways to achieve that. Here are some things you can do:
- Wear hearing protection to work if your job exposes you to loud noise. With modern quality ear muffs, loud noises are filtered out while voices are still able to be heard with clarity.
- Steer clear of loud noises as much as possible. And when you can’t stay away from high volume locations, use hearing protection. So when you go to that concert with your favorite musician, be sure to use earplugs.
- Boost your awareness. It’s not only the painfully loud sounds that can result in harm. Moderate sound for extended durations can cause injury to your ears, too.
Your ears can be protected by all of these actions. But there’s one more step you can take to keep your hearing in fighting condition: schedule an appointment with us for a hearing test. Making certain you undergo hearing examinations with regular frequency can help you discover hearing loss before it’s even recognizable. Even if your hearing is perfectly fine, a screening will still be able to provide a useful baseline to compare against future results.
Keep Your Hearing Healthy by Wearing Hearing Aids
The world we live in can be noisy. Even with your best effort to protect your hearing, you still might ultimately detect some hearing loss. If that’s the case, it’s vital that you get help as soon as possible. A good pair of hearing aids can help lessen some of the so-called age-related concerns related to hearing impairments.
You can maybe consider hearing aids as a facelift for your ears: something to allow your ears to work a little more youthfully. And that can help keep depression, dementia, and other issues from increasing. This example only goes so far since a facelift is cosmetic and hearing aids are necessary. You may look younger if you use wrinkle cream. But your best choice, if want to feel younger, is to deal with your hearing loss and protect your ears.