Here are three ways that you might unknowingly hurt your ears.
Your hearing health is an important part of your well-being as a whole. But there are a lot of ways that you should be careful about how you treat your ears. By being aware of the potential harm that could come to them, you can make sure that your ears stay healthy. Here are three ways that you might unknowingly hurt your ears.
Noise Exposure
It’s no secret that loud noises can damage your hearing. What many people don’t know is the threshold for how loud and how long they should be exposed to that noise. Eighty-five decibels is the limit, which is just slightly louder than the average vacuum cleaner. In general, you should make sure that you aren’t listening to things like television or your music at a louder volume than necessary. Also, if you are in a loud environment, try to get earplugs or take breaks periodically to help your ears recover.
Moisture
Getting your ears wet is another way that you could hurt them. If you have ever heard of swimmer’s ear, then you know that having moisture in your ears for an extended period can cause infections, which can damage your hearing health. So, whenever your ears get wet, try to dry them out as soon as possible. Don’t forget that even when you sweat, it could cause excess moisture to collect in your ears.
Cotton Swabs
By now, it has started to become common knowledge that cotton swabs are bad for your ears. But in case you didn’t know, here is the reason why you should never clean your ears with cotton swabs. Cotton swabs aren’t effective enough to remove ear wax and they will more likely pack it further into your ear canal, which causes more harm than good. And there’s also a risk that you could put the cotton swab too far and puncture your eardrum, which is very painful and hard to heal. The best way to handle earwax is to let it naturally come out, and you can always come in for a professional cleaning if there is too much wax in your ears.
Contact Bay Area Audiology Today
Ready to change the way you look at hearing loss? Our Doctor of Audiology, Dr. Trisha A. Bents Muth, is exceptionally experienced in the art of audiology and is dedicated to providing the absolute best solutions. Bay Area Audiology has been working to give patients a comfortable environment, with thorough evaluations. We are independently owned, and unbiased when it comes to finding you the care you need.
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