There are a lot of myths and misconceptions surrounding hearing health. Hopefully, this will clear some of that up.
Ears are incredibly sensitive to damage. There’s also a lot of misinformation out there as to what you can and cannot do to your ears or how you should take care of them. You may not notice your hearing health suffering until it’s already too late, so it’s important to be as aware as you can be as to what will impact your hearing health and what won’t.
1. Cotton Swabs
Cotton swabs just aren’t designed to be used with your ears. Earwax is an important part in keeping your ears functioning properly–cleaning them out aggressively will only end up hurting your ears. You could push wax further into the ear, which will create a potential impaction, seriously hurting your hearing and even balance.
2. Loud Headphones
We’ve mentioned before that loud headphones can take their toll on your hearing health. Try to keep the volume at a reasonable level. If the person sitting next to you can hear you while you’re using earbuds, chances are it’s way too loud. We know it might sound better if you turn the volume up, but your hearing health can’t take that damage.
3. Not Using Ear Plugs
If you’re going to be in an environment with repeated exposure to loud noises, you’ll want to wear headphones. Noise pollution at high decibel levels can cause hearing loss. This includes loud concerts and industrial work. If your ears hurt from the sound around you, you need to invest in some earplugs.
4. Home Ear Piercings
Don’t go the DIY route with ear piercings. Get a professional to do it. Nasty infections or piercing the wrong spot could leave you with some serious medical damage.
Bay Area Audiology can help your hearing recover!
If you are concerned about hearing loss or seeking hearing evaluations, tinnitus evaluations, or hearing aid assistance, our doctors are ready to help. We are passionate about helping all of our patients improve their quality of life through better hearing. We also believe that patient education is critical, so you won’t be lead through endless sales pitches at our office. If you are interested in hearing how we can help you hear even better, contact us at (410) 838-4327 or online. For more hearing tips and articles, follow Bay Area Audiology on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
Don’t hesitate–we can help.