Monday, July 23, 2012

Why Healthy Living is Important to Your Hearing: by Guest Author, John O'Connor


Today I welcome guest blogger, John O'Connor of Blogging with John O. Mr. O'Connor is a "full time husband and father, part time outdoorsman and new blogger with an extreme passion for healthy aging and living a healthy lifestyle."  He is also passionate about hearing loss and shares with us the following...

Hearing loss is something that often affects individuals who are older, however, more and more young adults and teenagers are dealing with hearing loss themselves.  Between listening to loud music and not wearing the right protective gear, children are putting themselves at risk for severe hearing loss.  Believe it or not, living a healthy and cautious lifestyle can also help to prevent hearing loss from affecting you.  You may not have even realized that there is a direct correlation between healthy living and being able to hear correctly.

Healthy living starts with the proper nutrition and the right amount of exercise.  The reason these two lifestyle changes are important to preventing hearing loss is simply because many medical ailments can cause the loss of hearing.  For example, diabetes is an ailment that affects millions of people.  This disease can be prevented through proper diet and exercise.  Having diabetes increases your risk of having hearing loss later on in life.   
 
Along with a healthy diet and exercise regimen, it is also vital that you protect your ears from damage.  There are many small things you can do each day to prevent hearing loss from happening to you.  For example, you may want to consider turning down the volume on your favorite music player.  Loud music can harm eardrums, which in turn can lead to permanent hearing loss as you age.  A good indicator that you are listening to music too loudly is if you have a ringing in your ears after you take off your headphones.  This lets you know that the music is simply too loud and is actually doing damage to the ear as listen to your music

Along with turning your music down, you should also get some earplugs and wear them consistently.  If you work in the construction area or are constantly exposed to very loud or high-pitched sounds, it is vital that you wear earplugs.  These small foam inserts will actually prevent excess noise from entering the ear canal.  This, in turn, helps to prevent hearing loss because you are simply not exposed to these sounds any longer while working or in a loud area.

If you feel like you are losing your hearing, be sure to visit your doctor and discuss options available to you.  Based on your current hearing levels, your doctor may prescribe you with hearing aids in order to help increase your hearing.  It is always a good idea to try and prevent a problem before it actually happens.  After all, prevention is easier and more worthwhile than having to take care of a serious medical ailment.  Be sure to incorporate these tips and healthy living into your daily routine at home.