As you age, it’s normal to experience changes in your vision and hearing. However, if you’re living at home alone, these changes can be especially dangerous. Because of the increased risk of falls and injuries associated with elderly adults, residents must be aware of how their lifestyle habits affect their health – including hearing loss. Some of these changes are normal, while others could indicate an underlying health problem. Hearing loss is one common condition that affects many people as they age, but it doesn’t have to be permanent if caught early enough. You can do many things to keep your ears healthy as you age. One of those things is living assisted living in Wilmer. AL!
Avoid Loud Noises
The first thing to avoid is loud noises, which can damage your hearing. This includes listening to music that’s too loud and attending concerts where you’re standing near speakers. To protect yourself from these sounds, wear earplugs when you go to concerts or use earmuffs when you work with loud machinery.
Consume Healthy Foods
Eating a healthy diet is an important part of maintaining good health. Eating too much or too little can lead to poor health, as well as hearing loss. Maintain your normal weight by eating three meals and two snacks per day, with each meal consisting of one-third protein, one-third carbohydrate, and one-third fat. These foods should be chosen from a variety of sources, including fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, and fish, or beans/legumes with moderate amounts of low-fat dairy products such as yogurt or cheese. Avoid processed foods containing trans fats and added sugars while also limiting saturated fats (found in red meat) and cholesterol (found in egg yolks).
Exercise Regularly
Like most individuals, you probably don’t think of exercise as a key component of good health. However, it is! Exercise can help keep your heart healthy, joints flexible, muscles strong, and bones dense. It also plays an important role in helping to keep your weight in check and preventing obesity-related conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke.
Exercise includes activities that involve physical exertion but does not necessarily mean participating in competitive sports or training for a marathon. As long as you are getting the recommended amount of physical activity each week (150 minutes per week), then any form of physical activity can be considered part of an active lifestyle.
Stop Smoking
Smoking has been identified as a risk factor for hearing loss. It damages the cilia, tiny hair-like structures that move in and out of your inner ear’s cochlea, which can cause irreversible damage to your hearing. Additionally, smoking increases susceptibility to otitis media (inflammation of the middle ear), which can also lead to permanent loss of hearing.
Limit Alcohol Intake
Alcohol use can lead to hearing loss. Alcohol consumption has been linked to hearing problems such as ringing in the ears and tinnitus or a constant ringing or buzzing sound usually perceived as high-pitched. This is because alcohol affects the inner ear’s delicate nerve endings, which carry sound from your eardrum to your brain’s auditory centers. In addition to causing temporary damage by drying out these sensitive areas, alcohol also makes them more susceptible to infection—and as we’ve already established, infections are one of the most common causes of permanent hearing loss.
Keep Your Ears Clean
The best way to do this is by gently washing them with warm water and a cloth or soft washcloth. You should also use an ear wax removal solution, which you can buy at any pharmacy or online. Doing this regularly will keep the wax from building up in your ears, which can cause infections and blockages that prevent sound waves from reaching the eardrums and being transmitted through them into the brain.
