An individual’s hearing health has a great impact on their overall health.
As many as 80 percent of people suffering from hearing loss leave it untreated. It’s important to make sure you can recognize hearing loss symptoms and receive treatment immediately. Common symptoms include loud ringing noises, having trouble understanding conversations and hearing better with one ear than the other.
In many cases, hearing loss is preventable! Below are a few ways you can protect your hearing now:
Lower the volume when listening to music: Listening to loud music through headphones can be detrimental to your hearing health. Make sure to keep the volume at a comfortable range, and take breaks often. The louder your music is, the more often you should take a break from listening.
Wear hearing protection: Earplugs and/or earmuffs should be worn when you know you will be exposed to loud noises. Both of these can reduce noises up to 30 decibels.
Avoid cleaning or scratching your ears with small objects: Although products such as cotton swabs can be an easy, fast way to clean your ears, they do more harm than good. These small objects can damage your eardrum if pushed in too far.
Stay away from the loudest sound source: Some activities make it impossible not to be around loud noises. In these cases, ensure that you are as far as possible from the sound source, such as speakers, to diminish the chances of hearing loss.
Exercise regularly: Exercising is very beneficial to hearing health. It keeps blood circulating throughout the body, including the ears.
Get your hearing tested: Having your hearing checked regularly can help you catch any underlying symptoms that you didn’t notice before turned into a larger issue. Audiologists are specially trained to evaluate, diagnose and treat hearing loss.
If you’re having trouble hearing, you’re not alone! It is estimated that one in five people in the United States suffers from some form of hearing loss. The Florida Center for Hearing Health is a specialized division of Florida E.N.T. & Allergy that focuses solely on hearing health, and their specially trained doctors of audiology are available to discuss any hearing-related needs.
For additional information or to schedule an appointment with a Florida E.N.T. & Allergy physician and/or Florida Center for Hearing Health audiologist, please call (813) 879-8045 or visit them online at www.FloridaENTandAllergy.com.