Everyone wants to stay young for as long as possible. From gym memberships to Botox to wrinkle cream to special diets, we spend countless hours every day doing everything we can to slow the steady march of aging. And yet, even with all that energy (and all those hours), we have a tendency to avoid doing one easy thing that could actually work: using ear protection.
Hearing impairment is often one of those “signs of aging” that we frequently consider to be inevitable. But it’s not that simple. By protecting your ears (and treating them with some kindness on the way), you can help prevent damage and keep your hearing in great shape. And as the years go on, strong hearing can have considerable anti-aging advantages.
Hearing And Aging
When we talk about “aging” we don’t normally mean the actual passing of time. Instead, specific emotional, mental, and physical changes are indications that somebody is getting older. Pain in your joints is a perfect illustration of this. When your knees start to bother you, you may relate that with “growing old”. But it’s not age alone that leads to the issue (your regular 5-mile run might have something to do with it, also).
The same is true of many kinds of hearing loss. As you get older, damage builds up. And in most cases, it’s the build-up of damage that causes the actual hearing deterioration. And that’s when things can start to grow out of control. Untreated hearing loss has been related to a number of other signs of aging:
- Neglected hearing loss might cause you to isolate yourself from family or friends.
- Anxiety and depression have been demonstrated to have a strong link to hearing loss.
- In some cases, issues like insomnia and loss of memory, can be triggered by the mental strain of trying to hear. And that might make you feel like you’re aging in an especially intense way.
- When hearing problems are unnoticed and neglected they can often hasten the onset of other mental health issues, including dementia.
What to do About Age Related Hearing Loss
You’re actually emphasizing damage prevention when you fight the “signs of aging” in your ears. And it’s fortunate that we can achieve that in a number of ways. Here are a few things you can do:
- Become more aware. You can still suffer harm to your hearing even if sounds are not painfully loud. Moderate sound for longer periods of time can cause harm to your ears, too.
- Wear ear protection to work if your job exposes you to loud noise. Modern ear muffs have incredible technology that can allow you to hear voices clearly while eliminating loud, damaging environmental sounds.
- Steer clear of loud noises as much as possible. If you have to expose yourself to loud noise, use hearing protection. So make certain you use earplugs when you go to that rock concert.
All of these steps will help protect your hearing. But there’s one more step you can take to keep your hearing in good shape: make an appointment with us for a hearing examination. Catching hearing loss before you even notice it can be accomplished by having regular examinations. 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
We live in a noisy world. Even with your best effort to protect your hearing, you still may ultimately notice some hearing loss. You should seek out help right away if you do notice any symptoms of hearing loss. A good set of hearing aids can help prevent some of the so-called age-related problems related to hearing impairments.
You can perhaps consider hearing aids as a facelift for your ears: something to make your ears to perform a little more youthfully. And dementia, depression, and other problems can be avoided. This analogy only goes so far since a facelift is cosmetic and hearing aids are necessary. Wrinkle creams might help you look younger. But if you really want to battle aging and feel a bit more youthful, your best bet is to protect your ears and treat your hearing loss.
