It seems like we’re constantly attempting to stay youthful. We spend a great number of hours trying everything possible to stay youthful. From special diets to fad workout programs to Botox to wrinkle creams. And yet, even with all that energy (and all that time), we have a tendency to neglect doing one simple thing that may actually work: protecting our ears.
Many people probably think of hearing loss as inevitable as we get older. But it’s not that easy. You can keep your hearing in great condition and help prevent damage by safeguarding and taking care of your ears. And as time goes by, great hearing can have considerable anti-aging advantages.
Aging And Hearing
The actual passage of time is not normally what we are describing when we speak of aging. Rather, “aging” typically describes the appearance of certain emotional, mental, or physical characteristics that we link to getting older. Joint pain is a great example of this. You may relate sore knees, for example, with “growing old”. But lifestyle has as much to do with this as does age.
Many types of hearing loss fall into this category. As you get older, damage accumulates. And in most circumstances, it’s the build-up of damage that leads to the actual hearing degeneration. And it’s often downhill from there. Untreated hearing loss has been related to several other indications of aging:
- Self isolation from friends and family can be the result of neglected hearing loss.
- When hearing impairments are unnoticed and neglected they can sometimes hasten the onset of other mental health problems, including dementia.
- Anxiety and depression have been shown to have a strong link to hearing loss.
- Sometimes, issues such as insomnia and loss of memory, can be triggered by the mental strain of trying to hear. And, in a particularly intense way, that can make you feel like you are getting old.
What to do About Age Related Hearing Loss
When you battle the “signs of aging” in your ears, you’re really placing an emphasis on preventing damage. And it’s fortunate that we can achieve that using several methods. Here are some things you can do:
- As much as you can, steer clear of loud noises. If you need 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.
- If you happen to work in a relatively noisy environment, wear ear protection. Current ear muffs have excellent technology that can allow you to hear voices with clarity while filtering out loud, harmful environmental sounds.
- Raise your awareness. You can still have harm to your hearing even if sounds are not painfully loud. Your hearing can also be injured by moderate noise if you are exposed to it for long periods of time.
All of these steps will help protect your hearing. But in order to keep your hearing in good shape you can do one more thing: make an appointment with us for a hearing test. Making certain you undergo hearing tests with regular frequency can help you catch hearing loss before it’s even perceptible. You should still get an exam even if your hearing is fine so that you can have a baseline to compare against in the future.
Wear Hearing Aids to Keep Your Ears Healthy
The world we live in can be boisterous. Your ability to avoid damage is essential, but you might eventually notice some hearing loss even with your best efforts. If that’s the situation, it’s vital that you get help as quickly as you can. A good set of hearing aids can help lessen some of the so-called age-related concerns related to hearing impairments.
You could maybe consider hearing aids as a facelift for your ears: something to allow your ears to work a little more youthfully. And dementia, depression, and other issues can be prevented. 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 combat aging and feel a bit more youthful, your best bet is to protect your ears and treat your hearing loss.