The surrounding world surprises with a variety of sounds. Some of them are intimidating and repulsive. Others give positive emotions, such as joy or peace. You can improve your mental state by spending time listening to birdsong, the sound of the ocean, etc. Thus, sound therapy helps to cope with stressful periods of life, bringing harmony and peace.
But it’s possible only with healthy hearing. Unfortunately, today people are increasingly suffering from hearing problems. Moreover, most of them are acquired difficulties due to various reasons. According to WHO, today more than 500 million people from all over the world have hearing problems. And the figure is growing every year. Unfortunately, the dangerous trend has not been reversed, despite all the attempts of audiologists to attract the public to the danger of hearing loss. What causes these problems?
First, most people take healthy hearing for granted. No one cares about the health of the hearing organs until they encounter a problem. No one is following preventive measures. In short, low awareness of hearing loss and tinnitus creates conditions when most people do not worry about hearing health and do not take any measures to protect it.
In fact, modern life, especially in big cities, greatly affects our health, including hearing. Meanwhile, the hearing organs have a complex and fragile structure. Due to such complexity, you can damage the normal operation of the system without even knowing it. Loud traffic, noise pollution, constant stress, bad habits, and frequent throat/nose infections can lead to irreparable consequences. For example, loud music from your headphones harms the hair cells. These cells respond to external sounds and create electrical impulses. They travel through the auditory nerve to the brain. Thanks to their work, we can hear. But prolonged noise exposure to music destroys hair cells, and they do not regenerate like other cells in the body! Once damaged, you’ll have hearing problems for the rest of your life. There are many such examples. All of them confirm the frivolity of most people to their health.
Fortunately, modern medicine has effective tools and methods to combat hearing loss. If you notice a deterioration in hearing acuity in yourself or a loved one, then do not waste time. The sooner you seek help from an audiologist, the faster and easier it’ll be to restore your hearing loss.
The ear doctor Staten Island will diagnose and, based on the result, prescribe the necessary treatment for you. What is the best remedy for hearing loss? Of course, we are talking about the daily use of hearing aids. But don’t be afraid. These devices were bulky, prominent, and inconvenient many years ago. Today, hearing aids are small, comfortable electronic devices that can enhance your individuality and style.
However, like any other disorder, hearing loss is better prevented than treated in the future. Therefore, each person should know the enemies of his hearing to try to prevent the development of hearing problems!
The main enemies of healthy hearing
Taking care of your health, remember the invisible factors that pose a serious threat to hearing. How do I avoid trouble with such extremely valuable and delicate sense organ?
Avoid prolonged noise exposure
This is one of the most important negative factors in any large city. How does exceeding noise limits affect the ability to hear? It’s written above. It is important to understand that the danger is not only loud music and headphones. Public transport, especially the metro and major highways, creates a constant noise background, from which the hearing organs suffer more.
In addition, today many professions are forced to endure noise exposure for a long time. These are professional musicians, builders, and military and aviation workers.
Fortunately, you can protect your hearing. Use special protective equipment. These are headphones, helmets, and special liners (ear plugs). When using the latter, it is better to give preference to individual ones, since they’ll be made exactly according to the impression of the ear and let in less extraneous sounds.
Any soundproofing is useful, even during a concert, even during a racing show. It is important to always protect your ears from the noise. Therefore, you can always carry disposable earplugs with you. They do not take up much space in your pocket, and the price allows you to change them for new ones after each use.
Infectious complications
Some infectious diseases, such as measles, and herpes, can cause complications such as hearing loss. However, complications from the common cold can also lead to problems. After all, the nose, throat, and organs of hearing are closely related. And inflammation from one place can go to another. Therefore, do not hope that everything will pass by itself. If you get sick, even with a cold, you need treatment. Proper treatment can help prevent unpleasant complications, including ear infections and hearing loss.
Ignoring the first symptoms
If you find any problems with your ears or any hearing impairment, you should immediately consult a doctor. Otherwise, you risk getting serious problems in the future. Even mild infections can cause reduced blood supply and eventually even total deafness.
Incorrect ear cleaning
Today, doctors do not recommend the use of cotton swabs to clean the ears, although they are the most popular hygiene products. Why shouldn’t you use them? Cotton swabs do not clean wax from the ear canal. On the contrary, they push it deeper, increasing the risk of ear infections. Too vigorous and careless use of cotton buds is one of the most common causes of hearing loss.
