Everybody wants to stay young for as long as they can. We spend a great number of hours undertaking everything possible to stay youthful. From special diets to gym memberships to Botox to wrinkle creams. Still, with all that time and effort, the one thing that may actually work, we tend to avoid: using ear protection.
Hearing loss is often one of those “signs of aging” that we often think of as inevitable. But it’s not that simple. You can keep your hearing in good shape and help avoid damage by safeguarding and taking care of your ears. And good hearing can have considerable anti-aging benefits as the years go on.
Aging And Hearing
When we discuss “aging” we don’t usually mean the actual passage of time. Instead, certain emotional, mental, and physical changes are indications that someone is getting older. Joint pain is a perfect illustration of this. When your knees begin to bother you, you might associate that with “getting old”. But lifestyle has as much to do with this as does age.
Many types of hearing loss are in this category. There’s a build-up of damage as you get older. The build-up of damage, in most cases, is the actual cause of hearing deterioration. And that’s when things can start to snowball. Several other indications of aging have been linked to hearing loss:
- The onset of mental problems, including dementia, can sometimes be hastened by ignored or unnoticed hearing loss.
- Anxiety and depression have been demonstrated to have a significant connection to hearing loss.
- In some instances, the mental burden associated with trying to hear can result in issues such as memory loss or insomnia. And that can make you feel like you’re getting old in an especially profound way.
- Self isolation from friends and family can be the result of neglected hearing loss.
So How do I Combat Age-Related Hearing Loss?
When you fight the “signs of aging” in your ears, you’re really placing an emphasis on controlling damage. And it’s fortunate that we can accomplish that using several methods. Here are some things you can do:
- As much as you can, steer clear of loud noises. And when you can’t avoid high volume locations, use hearing protection. So when you go to that concert with your favorite musician, be sure to use earplugs.
- Wear ear protection to work if your job exposes you to loud noise. Modern ear muffs have incredible technology that can let you hear voices clearly while filtering out loud, damaging environmental sounds.
- Become more aware. It’s not only the painfully loud noises that can result in damage. Moderate sound for longer durations can cause injury to your ears, too.
All of these strategies will help safeguard your hearing. But if you want to keep your hearing in good shape you can do one more thing: contact us for a hearing examination. Catching hearing loss before it’s perceptible can be achieved by getting regular examinations. Even if your hearing is perfectly fine, a screening will still be able to provide a useful baseline to compare against future results.
Wear Hearing Aids to Keep Your Ears Healthy
We live in a loud world. Even with your best effort to protect your hearing, you still might eventually detect some hearing loss. If that’s the situation, it’s vital that you get help as quickly as you can. A good set of hearing aids can help lessen some of the so-called age-related issues related to hearing impairments.
Hearing aids can help your ears function more youthfully, sort of like a facelift for your ears. And that can help keep depression, dementia, and other issues at bay. This example only goes so far since a facelift is cosmetic and hearing aids are necessary. Wrinkle creams might help you look younger. But your best choice, if want to feel younger, is to deal with your hearing loss and safeguard your hearing.