Seems as if we’re always trying to stay youthful. We spend countless hours undertaking everything possible to stay young. From special diets to fad workout programs to Botox to wrinkle creams. And yet, even with all that effort (and all those hours), we commonly avoid doing one simple thing that could actually work: wearing ear protection.
Hearing impairment is often one of those “signs of aging” that we frequently consider to be inevitable. But it’s not as simple as that. You can keep your hearing in great shape and help prevent damage by protecting and taking care of your ears. And good hearing can have significant anti-aging benefits as the years go on.
Hearing And Aging
When we talk about “aging” we don’t normally mean the actual passing of time. Instead, “aging” typically refers to the presentation of certain physical, mental, or emotional characteristics that we associate with aging. Joint pain is a perfect example of this. You may relate sore knees, for instance, with “getting old”. But it’s not age by itself that causes the problem (your regular 5-mile run could have something to do with it, too).
The same is true of many types of hearing loss. There’s an accumulation of damage as you age. The build-up of damage, in most instances, is the actual cause of hearing deterioration. And it’s typically downhill from there. Several other indications of aging have been associated with hearing loss:
- When hearing problems are unnoticed and neglected they can often hasten the onset of other mental health problems, including dementia.
- Occasionally, issues such as insomnia and memory loss, can be initiated by the mental strain of trying to hear. And, in an especially profound way, that can make you feel like you are aging.
- Research has shown a robust link between neglected hearing loss, anxiety, and depression.
- Neglected hearing loss could cause you to isolate yourself from family or friends.
What to do About Age Related Hearing Loss
When you battle the “signs of aging” in your ears, you’re actually placing a focus on controlling damage. And it’s fortunate that we can achieve that in a number of ways. Here are a few things you can do:
- As much as you can, steer clear of loud noises. If you have to expose yourself to loud noise, use hearing protection. So when you go to that concert with your favorite musician, be certain to wear earplugs.
- Increase your awareness. You can still have damage to your hearing even if sounds are not painfully loud. Moderate noise for longer periods of time can cause harm to your ears, too.
- Wear hearing protection to work if your job exposes you to loud noise. With modern high quality ear muffs, loud sounds are filtered out while you can still hear people speaking clearly.
Your ears can be safeguarded by all of these steps. But there’s one more step you can take to keep your ears in fighting shape: contact us for a hearing exam. Making sure you undergo hearing examinations regularly can help you discover hearing loss before it’s even recognizable. You should still have an exam even if your hearing is normal so that you can have a baseline to compare against in the future.
Keep Your Ears Healthy by Wearing Hearing Aids
We live in a loud world. Your ability to prevent damage is critical, but you may eventually detect some hearing loss despite your best efforts. If that’s the situation, it’s vital that you seek help as soon as you can. A good set of hearing aids can help lessen some of the so-called age-related issues related to hearing impairments.
Hearing aids can help your ears function more youthfully, sort of like a facelift for your ears. And dementia, depression, and other issues can be avoided. This example only goes so far since a facelift is cosmetic and hearing aids are necessary. Wrinkle creams might help you look younger. But if you actually want to fight aging and feel somewhat more youthful, your best bet is to protect your hearing and deal with your hearing loss.