Seems as if we’re always attempting to stay youthful. From gym memberships to Botox to wrinkle cream to special diets, we spend a great number of hours every day doing everything we can to slow down the aging process. Still, with all that time and effort, we commonly avoid doing one easy thing that might really work: protecting our ears.
Hearing impairment is often one of those “signs of aging” that we often think of as inevitable. But it’s not as simple as that. By protecting your ears (and treating them with a bit of kindness as you go), you can help avoid harm and keep your hearing in great shape. And as time goes by, strong hearing can have considerable anti-aging benefits.
Hearing And Aging
When we speak about “aging” we don’t usually mean the actual passing of time. Rather, “aging” typically refers to the presentation of certain physical, mental, or emotional characteristics that we link to getting older. A good example of this is pain in your joints. You might associate sore knees, for instance, with “growing old”. But lifestyle has as much to do with this as age does.
The same will also apply to many types of hearing loss. There’s an accumulation of damage as you get older. And in most situations, it’s the build-up of damage that leads to the actual hearing degeneration. And it’s often downhill from there. Several other signs of aging have been associated with hearing loss:
- When hearing problems are unnoticed and untreated they can sometimes hasten the onset of other mental health issues, including dementia.
- Untreated hearing loss could cause you to self-isolate from family or friends.
- Studies have shown a robust link between untreated hearing loss, depression, and anxiety.
- Occasionally, problems like insomnia and memory loss, can be triggered by the cognitive strain of trying to hear. And, in a particularly intense way, that can cause you to feel like you are aging.
So How do I Overcome Age-Related Hearing Loss?
When you combat the “signs of aging” in your ears, you’re really placing a focus on preventing damage. And thankfully, there are a few ways to accomplish that. For instance, you can:
- Try to avoid loud noises as much as you can. And when you can’t stay away from high volume places, use hearing protection. So when you go see that concert with your favorite musician, be certain to wear earplugs.
- If you happen to work in a relatively noisy environment, wear hearing protection. Current ear muffs have amazing technology that can let you hear voices clearly while filtering out loud, harmful environmental sounds.
- Boost your awareness. You can still suffer damage to your hearing even if sounds are not painfully loud. Moderate sound for longer periods of time can cause damage to your ears, too.
All of these actions will help safeguard your hearing. But there’s one more thing you can do to keep your ears in fighting condition: contact us for a hearing test. Catching hearing loss before it’s perceptible can be achieved by getting regular screenings. You should still have an exam even if your hearing is fine so that you can have a standard to compare against in the future.
Wear Hearing Aids to Keep Your Ears Healthy
We live in a loud world. Despite your best effort to protect your hearing, you still might ultimately notice some hearing loss. You need to get help right away if you do notice any symptoms of hearing loss. A good pair of hearing aids can help counter some of the so-called age-related concerns related to hearing impairments.
You can maybe think of hearing aids as a facelift for your ears: something to allow your ears to work a little more youthfully. And that can help keep depression, dementia, and other problems from increasing. The example isn’t ideal, because hearing aids are essential and a facelift isn’t, but you get the point. You might look younger if you use wrinkle cream. But your best choice, if want to feel younger, is to deal with your hearing loss and protect your hearing.