Everybody wants to stay young for as long as possible. From wrinkle creams to Botox to special diets to spin class, we spend countless hours every day doing what we can to slow the steady march of aging. And yet, even with all that energy (and all those hours), we commonly avoid doing one easy thing that could really work: wearing ear protection.
Hearing impairment is often one of those “signs of aging” that we often consider to be inevitable. But it’s not that simple. You can keep your hearing in great shape and help prevent damage by safeguarding and taking care of your ears. And excellent hearing can have significant anti-aging effects as time goes by.
Aging And Hearing
When we talk about “aging” we don’t normally mean the actual passage of time. Rather, “aging” usually refers to the presentation of certain physical, mental, or emotional attributes that we associate with getting older. Pain in your joints is a great example of this. You might associate sore knees, for instance, with “getting old”. But it’s not age by itself that leads to the problem (your regular 5-mile run could have something to do with it, also).
The same will also apply to many kinds of hearing loss. There’s an accumulation of damage as you get older. And in most circumstances, it’s the build-up of damage that leads to the actual hearing deterioration. And it’s often downhill from there. Several other signs of aging have been associated with hearing loss:
- Studies have shown a robust connection between neglected hearing loss, anxiety, and depression.
- Occasionally, issues like insomnia and memory loss, can be initiated by the mental strain of trying to hear. And that might make you feel like you’re getting old in an especially profound way.
- Untreated hearing loss might cause you to self-isolate from friends or family.
- When hearing impairments are undetected and neglected they can sometimes accelerate the onset of other mental health issues, including dementia.
What to do About Age Related Hearing Loss
You’re really emphasizing damage prevention when you fight the “signs of aging” in your ears. And luckily, there are a few ways to accomplish that. Here are some things you can do:
- As much as possible, steer clear of loud noises. And when you can’t avoid high volume places, use hearing protection. So make certain you wear earplugs when you go see your favorite band.
- If you happen to work in a somewhat noisy environment, wear hearing protection. With modern quality ear muffs, loud sounds are eliminated while voices are still able to be heard with clarity.
- Become more aware. It’s not just the painfully loud sounds that can result in damage. Moderate sound for longer periods of time can cause damage to your ears, too.
All of these strategies will help protect your ears. But there’s one more action you can take to keep your hearing in good shape: make an appointment with us for a hearing test. Making sure you undergo hearing examinations regularly can help you catch hearing loss before it’s even noticeable. Even if your hearing is perfectly fine, an exam will still be able to provide a useful baseline to compare against future results.
Wear Hearing Aids to Keep Your Ears Healthy
We live in a noisy world. Your ability to protect against 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 possible. A good pair of hearing aids can help prevent some of the so-called age-related concerns 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 that can help keep depression, dementia, and other problems from increasing. The analogy isn’t perfect, as hearing aids are necessary and a facelift isn’t, but you get the point. You might look younger if you use wrinkle cream. But if you actually want to fight aging and feel somewhat more youthful, your best choice is to safeguard your ears and treat your hearing loss.