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Woman with hearing loss touching her ear and thinking about preventing further loss.

Usually, when you’re first notice hearing loss (no matter the variety), the first thing you should do is try to minimize the damage. There are, in fact, some straightforward steps you can take to protect your hearing and limit further hearing loss.

Step 1: Clean Your Ears

Remember learning to be certain you clean behind your ears when you learned general hygiene (or at least should have learned). In terms of hearing health, though, we aren’t concerned with the areas behind your ears, but rather your inner ears.

Keeping your ears free of wax buildup can help your hearing in a number of different ways:

  • If you use a hearing aid, earwax accumulation can hinder its function as well. This may make it seem like your hearing is getting worse.
  • Your brain and ability to decipher sound will ultimately be impacted by untreated hearing loss.
  • Unkempt ears raise your odds of developing an ear infection, which leads to inflammation that (when severe enough) impedes your ability to hear. When your ear infection clears, your regular hearing will usually return.
  • When wax buildup becomes severe, it can block sound from reaching your inner ear. As a result, your ability to hear becomes weakened.

If you observe earwax buildup, it’s definitely not suggested that you dig around in there with a cotton swab. Additional damage can be done by cotton swabs and they will frequently worsen your ability to hear. Alternatively, use over-the-counter ear drops.

Step 2: Avoid Loud Noises

This one is so instinctive it almost shouldn’t be listed. But knowing how loud is too loud is the real difficulty for most people. For instance, highway driving can be loud enough to damage your ears over an extended time period. Your lawnmower motor can be fairly taxing on your ears, as well. Obviously, it’s more than rock concerts or high volume speakers that cause hearing impairment.

Here are some ways to stay away from damaging noise:

  • Wearing hearing protection when loud environments can’t be avoided. Does your job put you on the floor of a loud manufacturing plant? Do you really want to go to that rock concert? That’s cool. But be certain to wear the appropriate protection for your ears. Modern earmuffs and earplugs supply ample protection.
  • When you’re watching videos or listening to music keep the volume on your headphones at a manageable level. When dangerous volumes are being approached, most phones have a built in warning.
  • Utilizing an app on your phone to notify you when volume levels get to hazardous thresholds.

The damage to your ears from loud sounds will develop slowly. So if you’ve been to a loud event, you could have done damage even if you don’t notice it. You can only get a clean bill of health for your ears by a hearing specialist.

Step #3: If You Have Any Hearing Loss – Have it Treated

Generally speaking, hearing impairment is cumulative. So catching any damage early will go a long way to preventing additional injury. So when it comes to slowing down hearing loss, treatment is so significant. Practical treatments (that you follow through with) will put your hearing in the best possible condition.

Here’s how treatments work:

  • Hearing aids stop the brain strain and social solitude that worsen hearing loss-related health problems.
  • Hearing aids can stop some, but not all, damage. Hearing aids will, for instance, let you listen to the TV or music at a lower volume, preventing damage. Hearing aids will prevent further deterioration of your hearing by preventing this damage.
  • Our guidance will help you learn to protect your hearing because it is customized and personalized for you.

You Will be Benefited in The Long Run by Limiting Hearing Loss

Even though we can’t cure hearing loss, further damage can be prevented with treatment. One of the primary ways to do that, in many instances, is hearing aids. The appropriate treatment will help you maintain your present level of hearing and stop it from getting worse.

When you wear hearing protection, exercise good hygiene, and pursue hearing loss treatment, you’re taking the correct steps to limit hearing loss while also giving yourself the best chance for healthy hearing in the years to come.

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The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.