It seems like we’re constantly trying to stay youthful. We spend a great number of hours trying everything we can to stay youthful. From specialized diets to fad workout programs to Botox to wrinkle creams. And yet, even with all that energy (and all those hours), the one thing that may actually work, we often avoid: protecting our ears.
Hearing impairment is often one of those “signs of aging” that we frequently think of as inevitable. But it’s not that simple. You can keep your hearing in good condition and help prevent damage by protecting and caring for your ears. And excellent hearing can have considerable anti-aging effects as time goes by.
Aging And Hearing
The actual passage of time is not generally what we are making reference to when we talk about aging. Rather, “aging” generally refers to the appearance of certain emotional, mental, or physical characteristics that we link to getting older. Pain in your joints is a great example of this. You may relate sore knees, for example, with “getting old”. But it’s not age alone that causes the issue (your regular 5-mile run may have something to do with it, also).
Many types of hearing loss are in this category. As you get older, damage accumulates. And in most situations, it’s the accumulation of damage that causes the actual hearing degeneration. And it’s often downhill from there. Untreated hearing loss has been associated with a number of other signs of aging:
- In some instances, the mental demand involved in attempting to hear can cause problems such as loss of memory or insomnia. And that might make you feel like you’re aging in an especially profound way.
- When hearing impairments are unnoticed and untreated they can often hasten the onset of other mental health problems, including dementia.
- Depression and anxiety have been demonstrated to have a significant link to hearing loss.
- Self isolation from friends and family can be the result of neglected hearing loss.
So How do I Overcome Age-Related Hearing Loss?
When you fight the “signs of aging” in your ears, you’re actually placing an emphasis on preventing damage. And it’s fortunate that we can achieve that using several methods. For example, you can:
- Become more aware. It isn’t only the painfully loud noises that can cause harm. Your hearing can also be damaged by moderate noise if you are exposed to it for long periods of time.
- Wear ear protection to work if your job exposes you to loud noise. Current ear muffs have incredible technology that can let you hear voices with clarity while eliminating loud, harmful environmental sounds.
- Try to avoid loud noises as much as possible. And when you can’t stay away from high volume areas, use hearing protection. So when you go to that concert with your favorite musician, be sure to wear earplugs.
Your ears can be protected by all of these actions. But there’s one more thing you can do to keep your hearing in good shape: contact us for a hearing examination. Catching hearing loss before you even notice it can be achieved by having regular screenings. Even if your hearing is perfectly fine, a screening will still be able to provide a useful baseline to compare against future results.
Keep Your Hearing Healthy With Hearing Aids
We live in a loud world. Despite your best effort to take care of your hearing, you still may eventually detect some hearing loss. You should seek out help right away if you do detect any symptoms of hearing loss. Some of the age related concerns associated with hearing loss can be avoided with a good pair of hearing aids.
You could maybe think of hearing aids as a facelift for your ears: something to make your ears to perform a little more youthfully. And that can help keep depression, dementia, and other problems at bay. The example isn’t perfect, because hearing aids are necessary and a facelift isn’t, but you get the point. Wrinkle creams could 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.