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Prioritize Better Hearing in the New Year!
Ed became an audioprosthologist because he wanted to be able to help people enjoy better hearing, which can ultimately improve their quality of life in ways they never thought possible. His approach to patient care is highly personalized and informative.
Latest posts by Ed Kocher, ACA, BC-HIS (see all)
- Navigating the Conversation: The Significance of Thoughtful Disclosure in Hearing Loss - December 10, 2023
- The Sound of Dreams: Understanding How Hearing Loss Impacts Dreaming - November 7, 2023
- Traveling Effectively with Hearing Aids - October 16, 2023
With January quickly approaching, it’s a great time to focus on your goals and resolutions. What do you hope to do, to ensure that you’ll feel your best in the next year? Many people resolve to work out more or start that project they’ve always dreamed of. There is no time like today to start, however, you’ll be ready for whatever comes with improved hearing.
Taking Hearing Loss for Granted
Many people minimize the importance of hearing loss. It’s easy to take your hearing for granted when you have it. You don’t realize how important it is to your mental, physical, and emotional health. This may be why so many people in their youth attend loud concerts or sporting events without hearing protection or listen to headphones loudly, not realizing the repercussion. Noise-Induced hearing loss is irreversible and once it is gone it is hard to hear the people in your life. You may not realize it at first but over time it can take a serious toll on the quality of your life.
Protecting Your Hearing in 2022
The Important thing to remember is that it is never too late to start taking care of your hearing. This year, resolve to wear hearing protection whenever you are in a noisy space. This doesn’t just mean if you go to a place with loud music. Noise-induced hearing loss often occurs at work, in the car, or your own home. You can measure the decibel level in the spaces you frequent most to know for sure if it’s loud enough to cause lasting damage.
As a general rule, sound is measured in decibels and any decibel over 85dB can cause permanent damage. It’s not just the level but the length of exposure. At 85dB you can probably be safe for about 8 hours of constant exposure. However, an exposure of 90dB can cause damage in just an hour. Foam earplugs or protective earmuffs can lower the decibels levels reaching your ears, by 15 -33 dB – enough to protect your ears in many situations. This year resolve to carry them with you everywhere you go and wear them when you are at risk. Your future self will thank you.
An Improved Diet and Exercise For the Next Year
A common resolution people make for New Year is to exercise more and stop eating all that junk you love even though it doesn’t always make you feel the greatest. The good news is that an improved diet along with regular exercise not only improves heart health but can protect your hearing as well. The body is an amazing, interconnected creation. A healthy heart maintains healthy blood pressure and ensures delivery to the cells throughout your entire body – including your ears. Your inner ears have tiny cells which are responsible for transmitting sound to the brain. These cells rely on a healthy and constant supply of oxygenated blood and when it is interrupted due to constricted blood vessels, diabetes, or hypertension it can cause permanent hearing loss.
This year prioritize a hearing healthy diet, by eating lots of vegetables, lean meat, whole grains, and fruits while cutting out processed foods and refined sugars. In addition, getting your heart rate up for at least a half-hour daily three times a week can keep your hearing clear and feeling healthy for a new year and those to come.
Improve Your Hearing
One of the most important things you can do to protect your hearing this year is to commit to an annual hearing checkup. Hearing loss often develops slowly over years, so you aren’t aware of how severe it’s become until other people mention it. However, if you found that you struggled to hear people over the holidays during gatherings or in life, commonly experience buzzing or ringing in your ears (tinnitus) or some voices just feel out of range it’s a good time to get a hearing checkup. This is an easy resolution. All you have to do is schedule an appointment. Contact us today to schedule an appointment and start working towards your goal of hearing better this year.
