Are you OK with losing your hearing in later life? Probably not, and that means as a man you need to do all you can to safeguard your ear and hearing health now. Read on to find out how.
Clear your ears! (The right way)
Keeping your ears clean makes good hygiene sense and can help prevent wax build-up. However, there is a right way and a wrong way to clean your ears properly. For instance, using a damp flannel or cloth to clean the outer part of the ear or ear lobe is fine. However, sticking things into the ear canal is not.
This is because the ear is formed of some very delicate mechanism, which can easily be injured. That is why it's always best to steer clear of inserting anything into the ear to clean it or rid it of earwax. Including cue tips. Instead, if you are concerned about ear wax buildup, get a medical professional to remove it for you.
Be mindful of your headphone use
Headphones are a wonderful way to allow us to listen to our music, audiobooks and podcasts without having to impose them on everyone else around us. However, listening too much and at too loud a volume can contribute to hearing loss later in life.
That is why it's best to only listen to your headphones at around 60 per cent of the maximum volume that your device allows. It's also a good idea to take a break after listening for around an hour, this will help to preserve healing in later life.
Use ear plugs
The decibel limit for noise that can damage your ears is 85. That means you need to prevent your ears from being exposed to this level of noise or higher. To do that it's best to wear earplugs in loud situations including at work, at concerts, when doing motorsports and even when playing regular sports.
Get your hearing checked regularly
In a similar way to going to the doctor or opinion for a checkup, seeing your audiologist for a hearing assessment should be part of your healthcare routine. Indeed, by getting regular hearing checks you can catch any hearing issues early and stop them from developing into more serious ones later on.
Some people may be reluctant to go for a hearing check because they don’t know what to expect. However, finding out how assessments work and that they are quick and easy can reassure people and help them include regular hearing checking into the regular healthcare routine.
Reduce and manage stress
Last of all, if you want to safeguard your hearing as a man, it is crucially important to keep an eye on your stress levels. This is because stress can have a huge impact on the health of our hearing. The reason for this is that stress impacts the circulatory system, which in turn affects the tiny blood vessels in our ears impeding our ability to hear.
To that end, it's very important to have some effective techniques for managing stress that are conducive to overall health. For example, managing stress by drinking alcohol is a bad idea because it will have negative impacts on your health. Managing stress by exercising can positively contribute to your overall health while also helping you manage stress, and so help you stave off hearing loss.
