Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Hearing Loss and Its Solutions
How to recognize the signs of hearing loss and what to do about it.
Why Knowing the Signs and Symptoms of Hearing Loss is Important.
Early Signs of Hearing Loss
Recognizing the signs of hearing loss for you or your family member will help in being proactive. Knowing the symptoms and signs is an important first step towards correcting your hearing loss.
Conversations
Do you have difficulty following conversations? Have you noticed you have to ask people to repeat themselves in large groups?
Phone Conversations
Do you struggle to understand phone conversations, frequently asking for repetitions even in quiet situations?
People just mumbling?
Do people sound like they are mumbling when you are having a conversation more often than before?
Locating sounds
Have you noticed you are having difficulty locating where sounds are coming from?
Tinnitus
Constant ringing or thumping in one or both ears? It could be tinnitus.
Turning up the volume
Has your family been telling you that the TV volume is too loud?
Tips to Prevent Hearing Loss
Hearing loss can have a serious impact on your overall well-being. Whether you’re trying to preserve your current hearing or prevent further damage, it’s important to take proactive steps. Here’s how you can protect your ears and maintain healthy hearing:
- Limit exposure to loud sounds. Avoid environments with excessive noise, or take precautions when you can’t.
- Use hearing protection. Wear earplugs, noise-canceling headphones, or earmuffs when operating loud equipment like motorcycles, power tools, lawnmowers, or when attending concerts and fireworks shows.
- Turn the volume down. Keep the volume at a safe level when using your phone, TV, tablet, or music player.
- Give your ears a break. During loud events, take five-minute quiet breaks to let your ears recover.
- Avoid cotton swabs. Don’t insert anything into your ear canal – it can harm your eardrum and push wax deeper.
- Keep your ears dry. Moisture can lead to infections that affect hearing. Use custom earplugs when swimming to keep water out.
- Stay physically active. Regular exercise like walking or cycling boosts blood flow, which helps keep your ears healthy.
- Manage stress. High stress can worsen tinnitus (ringing in the ears), so find ways to relax and unwind.
- Be mindful of medications. Some drugs have side effects that can impact hearing – always consult your doctor.
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