Seems like 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. And yet, even with all that effort (and all that time), we have a tendency to avoid doing one simple thing that could actually work: safeguarding our ears.
Hearing impairment is often one of those “signs of aging” that we tend to think of as inevitable. But it’s not that easy. You can keep your hearing in good shape and help avoid damage by protecting and taking care of your ears. And great hearing can have significant anti-aging benefits as time goes by.
Hearing And Aging
The actual passage of time is not generally what we are referring to when we talk about aging. Instead, specific mental. emotional, or physical changes are signs that someone is getting older. A perfect example of this is pain in your joints. You might associate sore knees, for example, with “growing old”. But it’s not age alone that causes the issue (your daily 5-mile run may have something to do with it, also).
The same will also apply to many kinds of hearing loss. There’s a build-up of damage as you get older. And in most cases, it’s the build-up of damage that leads to the actual hearing degeneration. And it’s typically downhill from there. A number of other signs of aging have been linked to hearing loss:
- Untreated hearing loss may cause you to self-isolate from family or friends.
- The onset of mental issues, including dementia, can sometimes be accelerated by neglected or unnoticed hearing loss.
- Occasionally, issues like insomnia and loss of memory, can be initiated by the cognitive strain of attempting to hear. And, in a particularly profound way, that can make you feel like you are aging.
- Depression and anxiety have been demonstrated to have a significant link to hearing loss.
So How do I Fight Age-Related Hearing Loss?
When you combat the “signs of aging” in your ears, you’re actually placing a focus on controlling damage. And it’s fortunate that we can accomplish that in a number of ways. Here are a few things you can do:
- Try to avoid loud noises as much as you can. If you need to expose yourself to loud noise, wear hearing protection. So make sure you wear earplugs when you go see your favorite band.
- Become more aware. It isn’t only the painfully loud sounds that can cause damage. Your hearing can also be injured by moderate noise if you are exposed to it for long time periods.
- If you happen to work in a rather noisy setting, wear hearing protection. With modern quality ear muffs, loud sounds are filtered out while you can still hear people talking clearly.
All of these actions will help protect your hearing. But there’s one more action you can take to keep your hearing in good condition: come see us for a hearing exam. Catching hearing loss before it’s perceptible can be achieved by getting regular tests. You should still have a screening even if your hearing is normal so that you can have a standard to compare against in the future.
Wear Hearing Aids to Keep Your Ears Healthy
The world we live in can be noisy. Even with your best effort to take care of your hearing, you still might ultimately detect some hearing loss. You need to seek out help right away if you do notice any symptoms of hearing loss. Some of the age related concerns associated with hearing loss can be avoided with a quality pair of hearing aids.
Hearing aids can assist your hearing to function more youthfully, sort of like a facelift for your ears. And dementia, depression, and other issues can be avoided. This analogy only goes so far since a facelift is cosmetic and hearing aids are necessary. You may look younger if you use wrinkle cream. But if you really want to combat aging and feel a bit more youthful, your best bet is to safeguard your hearing and treat your hearing loss.
