During Christmas time, many of us are running around shopping for gifts to enjoy holiday festivities with our friends and family. Or maybe you're spending more time in the kitchen, from cooking that savory ham for Christmas dinner to baking your family's favorite Christmas dessert.
Either way, much of the Christmas season is spent putting others’ needs before your own. Perhaps that’s why, as we get closer to January 1st, we start talking about the personal goals we’d like to set for the coming year.
“What are your New Year’s resolutions?” many will ask.
Whether you plan to eat healthier or adopt a new hobby, resolutions usually involve self-improvement. If you have hearing loss and are looking for a way to improve yourself, why not commit to better hearing?
To get started, here are 6 tips for hearing better.
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Visit your doctor.
If you suspect that you have hearing loss, the best first step is to consult a doctor. By visiting your local ENT, you can take a hearing test to find out if and what kind of hearing loss you may have.
Your ENT can also verify that your ears are healthy, or if they would benefit from a cleaning. According to Bottom Line Health, 1 in 20 adults experience hearing loss due to earwax buildup.
NOTE: DO NOT clean your ears yourself. Ask your doctor for help.
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Try eating healthier.
Once you’ve visited your doctor, it’s time to start taking proactive measures to retain the hearing you have. One great way to improve your hearing health, or health in general, is a healthier diet.
A recent study sought to determine if following a healthy diet reduces one’s risk of hearing loss. An evaluation of 70,000 questionnaires completed by women revealed that those who followed diets associated with good health were 30% less likely to have moderate or worse hearing loss.
Both diets associated with a lower risk for hearing loss included fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and fish. So, to reduce your risk of hearing loss, start putting more fruits and veggies on your plate.
With hearing loss, life isn’t as good as it could be. Learn about how Hearing Better Promotes a Better Well-Being.
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Hop on that treadmill.
In addition to eating well, exercise is a great way to keep your body in check. But did you know that it can help to improve your hearing health as well? That’s because your hearing health is connected to your heart's health.
Most of us know that exercise is good for your cardiovascular health: The American Heart Association recommends just 30 minutes of exercise, 5 days a week. One study even found that poor cardiovascular health can lead to poor hearing health, so why not keep your heart and ears healthy?
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If you smoke, consider cutting back.
While exercise is great for your body, there’s one thing that isn’t: smoking. In fact, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) created a website dedicated to encouraging Americans to quit smoking, where the NIH illustrates how smoking negatively affects your brain, heart, lungs, and more.
Since smoking impacts almost every part of your body, it should come as no surprise that your ears can be impacted as well. The NIH states that smoking reduces the amount of oxygen that goes to your inner ear, which can result in mild to moderate hearing loss, making smoking inadvisable.
Tired of not enjoying time out with family and friends? Check out our 7 Tips for Making the Most of Social Outings with Hearing Loss.
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Take measures to prevent hearing loss.
Another great way to ensure that you hear your best in the coming year is by protecting the hearing you have. Although one of the leading forms of hearing loss is noise-induced, it can be prevented by taking certain precautions.
Especially if you work in an industry, or have any hobbies, that frequently expose you to loud noises, it’s all the more important that you take action to protect your hearing. Construction workers and musicians, for example, are at higher risk for experiencing this type of hearing loss.
If you are in one of these fields, a few ways to minimize the impact of loud noises include: wearing ear muffs or ear plugs in noisy environments, keeping the volume of headphones low, and leaving noisy environments when you can.
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Start wearing hearing aids.
Above all, the best way to address hearing loss is by wearing hearing aids. In fact, 90% of those who purchased hearing aids in 2017 would recommend purchasing hearing aids. So, why wait to start hearing better?
As an added plus, hearing aids will also improve your overall quality of life. By hearing better, you’ll have the chance to better enjoy your favorite activities, relationships, and the sounds of the world around you.
How do you know when you have hearing loss?
Advanced Affordable Hearing is here to help you hear better at a price you can afford. To keep our prices low, we offer hearing aids that are pre-programed to accommodate the most common hearing loss.
To find out what level of hearing loss you may be experiencing, simply visit our Online Hearing Check or call one of our friendly customer service representatives at 1 (800) 804-0434. From there, we can help you to find the best hearing aids for you.