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 specialized diets to fad workout programs to Botox to wrinkle creams. And yet, even with all that effort (and all those hours), the one thing that could actually work, we often avoid: using ear protection.
Hearing impairment is often one of those “signs of aging” that we frequently think of as inevitable. But it’s not as simple as that. By protecting your ears (and treating them with some kindness along the way), you can help avoid harm and keep your hearing in good condition. And as time goes by, strong hearing can have considerable anti-aging benefits.
Aging And Hearing
When we discuss “aging” we don’t usually mean the actual passing of time. Instead, “aging” typically refers to the presentation of certain emotional, mental, or physical attributes that we link to aging. Joint pain is a perfect illustration of this. You might relate sore knees, for instance, with “getting old”. But lifestyle has as much to do with this as age does.
The same will also apply to many types of hearing loss. There’s a build-up of damage as you age. And in most cases, it’s the accumulation of damage that causes the actual hearing deterioration. And it’s typically downhill from there. Neglected hearing loss has been connected to several other signs of aging:
- When hearing problems are unnoticed and untreated they can sometimes hasten the onset of other mental health issues, including dementia.
- Sometimes, problems such as insomnia and memory loss, can be triggered by the cognitive strain of attempting to hear. And, in a particularly intense way, that can make you feel like you are aging.
- Self isolation from family and friends can be the outcome of untreated hearing loss.
- Anxiety and depression have been demonstrated to have a significant connection to hearing loss.
What to do About Age Related Hearing Loss
When you combat the “signs of aging” in your ears, you’re really placing an emphasis on controlling damage. And it’s fortunate that we can accomplish that using several methods. For instance, you can:
- As much as you can, avoid loud noises. And when you can’t avoid high volume areas, wear hearing protection. So when you go see that concert with your favorite band, be certain to use earplugs.
- Become more aware. You can still have damage 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 time periods.
- If you happen to work in a somewhat noisy environment, wear ear protection. Modern ear muffs have incredible technology that can allow you to hear voices clearly while filtering out loud, damaging environmental sounds.
Your ears can be safeguarded by all of these steps. But in order to keep your hearing in good condition you can do one more thing: contact us for a hearing test. Making certain you undergo hearing examinations regularly can help you catch hearing loss before it’s even noticeable. Even if your hearing is perfectly normal, a screening will still be capable of providing a useful baseline to compare against future results.
Keep Your Ears Healthy With Hearing Aids
The world we live in can be loud. Your ability to prevent damage is crucial, but you might ultimately detect some hearing loss in spite of your best efforts. If that’s the situation, it’s vital that you get help as soon as you can. A good pair of hearing aids can help prevent some of the so-called age-related problems related to hearing impairments.
Hearing aids can assist your hearing to function more youthfully, kind of like a facelift for your ears. And that can help keep depression, dementia, and other issues from increasing. The example isn’t perfect, as hearing aids are essential and a facelift isn’t, but you get the point. 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 safeguard your ears and deal with your hearing loss.