Add This to Your List: New Year’s Resolutions for Your Hearing
With the New Year comes a fresh slate. A chance to start a new beginning, using the knowledge we have gathered from years past to move forward. Hence why many people set New Year’s resolutions for themselves and try to set positive intentions for self-improvement for the upcoming year. Year after year, many people’s resolutions are the same. To lose weight, exercise more, save money, spend more time with family, and so on. While these are all great resolutions, New Year’s resolutions for your hearing should also be included on the list.
This year make it a point to add some hearing New Year’s resolutions to your list for 2018. Improving and maintaining your hearing can have a long-term positive impact on your life, so make sure you add some of these resolutions to your list.
To Take Better Care of Yourself
Investing in your health is probably the most important investment you can make during your lifetime. While this resolution may already be on your list, double check to make sure “to take better care of myself” is definitely on it. You know the drill; this means lowering your stress levels, exercising, and eating right. If you want your ears to work to the best of their ability for the long haul, you need to take care of yourself by staying fit and healthy. Remember, everything is connected in your body.
Quit Smoking
Smoking is bad for your health. This is a term that is ingrained in our minds. However, many people only know about some of the risks, and don’t realize that smoking nicotine can negatively affect your ears and hearing as well. A clinical study that appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that smokers are 70% more likely to experience hearing loss than non-smokers due to the ototoxic chemicals found in cigarettes.
To Become More Aware of Sound
If you become more aware of the sounds around you and realize how some of them can harm you, you can take the steps necessary to safeguard your ears. By this we mean, limiting the volume level on your portable mp3 player, following the 60/60 rule when you are listening to sound from a handheld device, wearing hearing protection when you know you will be exposed to loud noise, standing away from speakers at concerts, and limiting your exposure time to loud noises.
Schedule a Hearing Test
When is the last time you had a hearing exam? If you can’t remember, then it’s time to see an audiologist for a thorough hearing exam. By doing this, you can catch changes to your hearing, and we all know that when problems are caught early they are easier to handle. Early detection can also help create a better outcome. If you are wondering about the general guidelines for hearing exams, learn when you should get tested based on your age.
• Ages 18 – 45 : If you are between the ages of 18 and 45, then you should get tested every 5 years.
• Ages 45 – 60 : If you are between the ages of 45 and 60, then you should get tested every 3 years.
• Over the age of 60 : If you are over the age of 60, then you should get tested every 2 years.