Hearing loss can be a result of many different factors.If you suffer from ear infections on a constant basis, this could lead to hearing loss over time. Recurrent infections could be due to excessive earwax, or a lack of wax to protect the eardrum and ear canal. Not removing water from the inner ear can also cause infection. These infections could also encourage the growth of tumors or cysts inside the middle or outer ear, which can cause hearing loss over a period of time. Loud noises are another common culprit.
A hearing assessment should be undertaken by a professional audiologist to determine the cause and recommend treatment. Your audiologist may ask you a series of questions that will help the both of you to determine what your hearing problems can be attributed to. For instance, you may be asked to recall if the hearing loss happens in one ear or both, or whether or not you experience ringing in the ears often. Your family history, and the frequency with which you experience ear infections will also be considered, as well as the types of voices you have trouble hearing the most (i.e., men’s women’s or children’s).
If you want to protect your ears from factors that will cause hearing loss, it is important to keep a few things in mind. First, your hearing may start to decline automatically with age, which means that you should protect your ears as much as you can in your younger years. Also, try to stay away from loud noises as much as you can. Activities like farming, motorcycling, and certain home repair projects can take a toll on your hearing, so try to ration these activities out as much as possible.
Keeping your ears clean is also important when it comes to maintaining your hearing health. Ear wax is supposed to repel water from getting inside of the ear canal, but if the wax builds up, water can actually get trapped in the canal, and this is normally what causes an ear infection. So, be sure to drain your ears after swimming or taking a shower, and use a few drops of alcohol every once in a while to get rid of excess water. When you’re cleaning your ears with cottons swabs, be sure to keep the swab in the outer ear; the further you go in the ear canal with the swab, the more you can negatively impact the eardrum.
Certain medicines and foods may also affect your hearing temporarily. If you have an aspirin allergy, you may find that you experience ringing in the ears when you take certain medications. Foods like red peppers, broccoli, and different types of nuts may have the same effect, since these foods contain high amounts of salicylates, which is the main ingredient found in aspirin. Keep in mind that stress can also affect your hearing health, so make sure that you take time to exercise a few times a week, or to take a walk after dinner to unwind after a long day. Growths on the auditory nerve can cause hearing loss as well, so if you start to feel pain or swelling around the ear, be sure to visit your audiologist right away.
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