5 Things That Put You At High Risk Of Losing Your Hearing

Despite the fact that it is perfectly possible to live happily with hearing loss, many would agree that it’s preferable to avoid it happening if at all possible. Most of us will experience some degree of hearing loss at some point in our lives, but there are definitely things that we can all do to minimize the chances of this, and to reduce the level of hearing loss that takes place even if it does so.

In this post, we are going to take a look at a few of the main risk factors that will put you at a high risk of losing your hearing. If you are able to reduce these factors, then you should find that your hearing is going to be much less likely to worsen over time, so they are worth thinking about and knowing about.

Loud Music

One of the most obvious things that you need to watch out for here is loud music. If you are frequently exposed to loud music, that is going to hurt your hearing considerably. That is equally true if you go to a lot of concerts, and if you listen to loud music through headphones, earphones or earbuds. If you want to look after your hearing, the simple act of doing this less often, or even just turning the sound down a few degrees, can make a world of difference and help you to really keep your hearing intact.

Noisy Environments

In fact, it’s not just music, but any loud sounds. And a major risk factor is when you spend a lot of time in noisy environments of various kinds. If you do this, you are going to find that your hearing is going to struggle a lot more. It might not be possible to avoid those situations – for instance, you might work on a construction site or live in a busy part of the city. But you can take steps to protect your hearing while spending time in these kinds of environments – primarily by wearing hearing protection such as earmuffs or in-ear earbud protectors.

Genetics

As with most health concerns, genetics do play a considerable role as well. Of course, there is nothing that we can do about our genetics, but being aware of this is nonetheless helpful, as a means of trying to fully understand what leads to hearing loss of various kinds. It does also mean that you can know whether you are likely to be prone to hearing loss, and therefore in a position where you should take extra care of your hearing. For instance, if your parents and grandparents all experienced hearing loss, that is a sure sign that you should take care and try to minimize your exposure to loud noise.

Stress

Just as genetics affect everything, so too does stress. Hearing loss is just another thing that can be brought about and exacerbated by a continual exposure to stress. It is especially chronic stress that you need to worry about here, and which you have to make sure that you are keeping to a minimum. How to do that will of course depend on the kind of lifestyle you lead and what stress-busting activities you are able and happy to do. But anything that you can do to keep stress low is certainly going to help you to keep your hearing in check too.

Excessive Drinking

Alcohol is one of those things that will make most health problems worse and believe it or not this is also applicable to hearing loss. You can damage your hearing a lot more and be much more prone to hearing problems of many kinds if you drink excessively.

You might not be aware of it happening, as it can be slow and subtle, but it really does make a difference. For that reason, it’s important that you are trying to keep your drinking to a minimum wherever possible. Over time, you’ll find that this helps a great deal and you are much more likely to keep hold of your hearing for good.

Those are just some of the main risk factors that you should be keen to avoid if you want to lessen your chances of losing your hearing. As long as you are doing that, there is every chance your hearing will remain strong. If you would like further advice or help with your hearing, then be sure to get in touch with an audiologist as soon as possible. You can call Peninsula Hearing at 360-697-3061 for their Poulsbo office or for Port Townsend at 360-379-5458.