Hearing loss leads to social isolation, and with high -sound devices in our pockets, and almost permanently using earphones, we have become more vulnerable to danger than ever. How can we protect our hearing for as long as possible?
Hearing loss affects 42% of people over 50 years old, and the percentage rises to 71% for those over the age of 70, according to the National Institute for Excellence in Health Care in the United Kingdom, where hearing declines with age.
“For the majority of people, hearing deterioration is gradual throughout their lives,” Kevin Monroe, a hearing professor and director of the Manchester Hearing and Designing Center at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, told the British newspaper.
Patients reach the stage of what they believe that everyone is mutating, films each other, then who lives with them says: “Why is the voice of TV very high? And why do I always have to repeat my words?”
Here are these 7 tips provided by experts, which help their followers to maintain hearing for as long as possible:
The first advice: Be careful about exposure to noise and use earplts
Dr. Siuban Brennan, from the University of Manchester and President of the British Association for Hearing Science, says that a billion young men are at risk of hearing loss that can be avoided.
She adds that the devices have become much better than they were in terms of sound quality, and she explains that when the cassette operating devices were available in the eighties of the last century there was a maximum to raise the sound level, because it was distorted and annoying, but today you can raise the sound more and more while keeping excellent quality, so we notice a global increase in hearing loss caused by noise.
“When my career began, we knew that one of the biggest risk factors is the damage caused by noise, but that was the habit of work noise, when factories and heavy industries were many, but today anxiety is on entertainment noise and youth listening to music through headphones,” Monroe says.
“The high noise is one of the most common causes of hearing loss among young people,” says Rene Almeida, head of the audio department for adults at the Imperial Health Care Foundation of the National Health Services Authority in London in the United Kingdom.
Caution should be exercised when exposed to sounds more than 85 dB (the unit of sound measuring the sound), for example, the sound of the grass is 90-95 dB, while the concert sound is between 110-120 dB.
The higher the level of noise, the less the period that can be exposed without damage, and it is better to avoid high noise, and this means not standing next to the loudspeakers at concerts.
“Everyone is leaving concerts with tinnitus in the ears for a few days,” Almeida says, and explains that this is due to the fact that “the rump in the inner ear contracts to protect the cochlea, which is part of the inner ear necessary for hearing. It ends up with the cramping of this muscle, and this is the reason for the tinnitus of the temporary ear.”
When Brennan goes to live musical performances, she always puts earplashes and says about it: “It is important that the ear protectors are perfectly suited, they are available in different sizes, and you can get earproofes specially designed for you.”
Monroe recommends that the musicians ear, as it contains a filter (filter) completely reduces the sound level without distorting it.
The second advice: Do not exaggerate the use of headphones
“The problem is that everyone carries in his pockets these very loud devices, and the world is a noisy place,” says hearing specialist Dr. Jay Gindall.
A person is aware of the level of music sound in quiet environments, but as soon as he enters a loud environment, he will inevitably raise the level of sound without realizing that he may be very high on his ears.
“I spend my life telling people with a 50/50 base, which means to listen to 50% of the sound level on your headphones for 50 minutes, and it seems that this is the safe limit for most things,” says Gindall.
The third advice: Check your hearing
“One of the things we notice clearly in the field of hearing is that people do not realize the possibility of hearing loss, it takes about 10 years between the appearance of hearing difficulties and the request for help,” Brennan says.
Brennan says there are many options for hearing examination, such as the World Health Organization application, there are 3 minutes’ tests that you can perform, and you do not need a soundproofing room and can be done at home. They will say that everything is fine, or there may be evidence of hearing loss, then you should visit a doctor for a more accurate examination.
Fourth advice: Consult a doctor if you are worried
Monroe says: “If you go to sleep safely, then you wake up and you find one of your ears completely deaf or suffer from severe hearing loss, then you should visit the doctor, if there is inflammation in the inner ear, then giving steroids as soon as possible is the best way to reduce exposure to permanent damage,” Monroe says.
Brennan explains that some people develop ear infections more frequently than others, and recommends: “If you are repeatedly developing it, there may be an inherent cause.”
Fifth advice: Do not use cotton sticks
“Good care of the ears does not mean using cotton sticks, let the ears keep their natural oils,” says Almeida.
Not to use cotton sticks can help avoid ear infections, because dry skin can easily crack, and Almeida recommends drying the ears after bathing or swimming: “When the ears are slightly wet, put a piece of gauze on your little finger and wipe well.”
Do not wipe the ears only as much as you can, it is natural that the color of the gauze piece becomes a little yellow, but then leave it for nature.
Sixth advice: Accept that wax has a purpose
“The wax itself is not bad, it is a preventive mechanism, which maintains the health of the ears in general, and comes out on its own,” Brennan says.
“The presence of wax in the ear does not mean that they are unhealthy or unimportant, as research indicates that wax contains an enzyme that can kill bacteria and viruses that enter the ear, as it moisturizes the skin, so the wax is actually beneficial than being useless.”
And if you want to clean your ears, never be wax at home and go to the doctor to help you.
Seventh advice: If you need an ear headphone, get it
Monroe says: “Remember, you need a good hearing to communicate well, and hearing devices can handle this. If you do not hear well, you will not be able to stay in social communication with others. Social communication.