Everyone wants to stay young for as long as they can. We spend a great number of hours trying everything we can to stay young. From special diets to fad workout programs to Botox to wrinkle creams. Still, with all that time and effort, we tend to avoid doing one simple thing that may actually work: protecting our ears.
Many people probably think of hearing loss as inevitable as we age. But it’s not that simple. By protecting your ears (and treating them with a bit of kindness on the way), you can help prevent damage and keep your hearing in good condition. And as time goes by, great hearing can have significant anti-aging rewards.
Aging And Hearing
When we talk about “aging” we don’t usually mean the actual passage of time. Instead, certain emotional, mental, and physical changes are signs that somebody is getting older. A good example of this is pain in your joints. When your knees begin to bother you, you might associate that with “growing old”. But lifestyle has as much to do with this as age does.
The same goes for many types of hearing loss. As you get older, damage builds up. And in most situations, it’s the build-up of damage that leads to the actual hearing degeneration. And that’s when the problems can begin to grow out of control. Several other indications of aging have been linked to hearing loss:
- Untreated hearing loss might cause you to isolate yourself from family or friends.
- The onset of mental issues, including dementia, can often be hastened by ignored or undetected hearing loss.
- Research has shown a strong link between untreated hearing loss, anxiety, and depression.
- In some cases, the mental demand associated with attempting to hear can cause problems such as memory loss or insomnia. And that can make you feel like you’re getting old in a particularly intense way.
What to do About Age Related Hearing Loss
You’re really emphasizing damage prevention when you combat the “signs of aging” in your ears. And it’s fortunate that we can achieve that in a number of ways. For example, you can:
- Increase your awareness. It’s not only the painfully loud sounds that can cause harm. Your ears can also be injured by moderate noise if you are exposed to it for long periods of time.
- If you happen to work in a somewhat noisy setting, wear ear protection. With modern high quality ear muffs, loud sounds are eliminated while you can still hear people speaking clearly.
- Steer clear of loud noises as much as possible. And when you can’t stay away from high volume locations, use hearing protection. So make sure you use earplugs when you go to that rock concert.
All of these strategies will help protect your ears. But in order to keep your hearing in good condition you can do one more thing: contact us for a hearing test. Catching hearing loss before it’s perceptible can be accomplished by getting regular tests. You should still get a screening even if your hearing is fine so that you can have a standard to compare against in the future.
The world we live in can be noisy. Your ability to prevent damage is critical, but you might eventually detect some hearing loss despite your best efforts. If that’s the situation, it’s vital that you get help as quickly as possible. Some of the age related issues associated with hearing loss can be prevented with a quality pair of hearing aids.
You could perhaps consider hearing aids as a facelift for your ears: something to allow your ears to function a little more youthfully. And dementia, depression, and other issues can be prevented. This analogy only goes so far since a facelift is cosmetic and hearing aids are necessary. Wrinkle creams may help you look younger. But if you actually want to combat aging and feel somewhat more youthful, your best choice is to safeguard your hearing and deal with your hearing loss.