Let’s Talk S’more about preventing hearing loss! 


By: Dr. Dawn H. MacMillan, Audiologist

Happy National S'mores Day! To celebrate, we are sharing with you tips on how to prevent hearing loss. Each day in our office, we treat patients who feel like they are doomed to have hearing loss because someone in their family has hearing loss. While there may be a greater likelihood of developing hearing loss in those with a genetic link, often times it is because unhealthy hearing habits are passed down from generation to generation! Nights spent under the lights at the racetrack with no hearing protection, mowing the lawn with no hearing protection, smoking--there are things you can do to reduce your risk of hearing loss.

1.) Move away from the noise-This doesn't mean you can't enjoy a good outdoor concert. While being near the action may be good for your soul, it's bad for you hearing. By putting some distance between you and the noise source, you are reducing he level of hazardous noise reaching your ears which is good for your hearing. If you aren't sure what level of hearing loss is dangerous, install a sound level app on your smart phone. There are many that are free and will tell you when you are in dangerous levels of noise. Even Apple has introduced a safety feature on their watches to alert you when you are in noise that may be hazardous to your health.

2.) Protect your ears-You've heard us bang this drum! Use hearing protection! When doing yard work, wear earmuffs, While hunting, invest in some Electronic Shooters Protection (ESP). If you play in a band, use monitors to reduce the noise level reaching your ear. If your children play in the school band, educate the band director and insist your children wear musician's ear plugs designed for the instrument(s) they play. We are happy to provide an in-service to your child's band director about the dangers of noise-induced hearing loss and how they can help prevent it in their students. Noise-induced hearing loss is 100% preventable and irreversible.

3.) Stop smoking. Better yet, don’t start-It is well documented that smoking is bad for us. Direct exposure, secondhand, even in utero--all negatively impact our health including our hearing. Both nicotine and carbon monoxide lower oxygen blood levels and constrict blood vessels all over your body–including those in your inner ear responsible for maintaining hair cell health. Also nicotine and cigarette smoke are thought to interfere with neurotransmitters in the auditory nerve, which are responsible for telling the brain which sound you are hearing. Additionally, nicotine and carbon monoxide irritate the Eustachian tube and lining of the middle ear.
trigger the release of free radicals that can damage DNA and cause disease.

4.) Watch your medications-Certain medications can damage the ear, resulting in hearing loss, ringing in the ear, or balance disorders. These drugs are called ototoxic. There are more than 200 known ototoxic medications (prescription and over-the-counter) on the market today. Medications like aspirin (and those medications containing aspirin) can cause tinnitus (ringing in the ears), Typically, once these medications are stopped, the tinnitus will subside. These include medicines used to treat serious infections, cancer, and heart disease.Hearing and balance problems caused by these drugs can sometimes be  reversed when the drug therapy is discontinued. Sometimes, however, the damage is permanent. When a decision is made to treat a serious illness or medical condition with an ototoxic drug, your doctor should not only consider the effects of the medications on the illness they are trying to manage but also how it may effect your hearing and balance systems. Quality of life should certainly be discussed to determine if the treatment you're seeking is worth the potential for damage to your hearing and/or  balance system.

5.) Control your diabetes- Right now, we don't have solid research on exactly how diabetes and hearing loss are linked.  It's possible that the high blood glucose levels associated with diabetes cause damage to the small blood vessels in the inner ear, similar to the way in which diabetes can damage the eyes and the kidneys. Like other parts of the body, the hair cells of the inner ear rely on good circulation to maintain health. These hair cells are responsible for translating the noise our ears collect into electrical impulses, which they send along the auditory nerve to the brain to interpret as recognizable sound. These sensory hair cells, known as stereocilia, do not regenerate. Once they are damaged or die, hearing is permanently affected. Recent studies indicate that hearing loss is twice as common in those with diabetes than without. Controlling blood glucose levels aids in managing your diabetes which can lessen the impact on your hearing.

6.) Get your hearing tested-Everyday in our office, we test people who self-report that "they think they hear fine" or "they have trouble when it is noisy but don't think they have hearing loss." yet when the test is complete, the results indicate at least a mild level of hearing loss. From the first few teeth we get as infants, we are taught to get dental cleanings every six months to maintain good dental health. Annual eye exams are the norm and even necessary for those wearing corrective lenses. But hearing exams are something we get in grade school, perhaps before entering the military, or a baseline test if starting a job. Yet adults rarely get a hearing test otherwise unless there is a problem. It is past time to see hearing as healthcare. Baseline hearing tests and testing annually to monitor changes should be the norm, just like dental and eye exams. This is especially true for those with chronic health conditions such as diabetes. When was the last time you had a hearing test? If it was more than a year ago, you're overdue.

7.) Limit headphone use-According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 1.1 billion people ages 12-35 are at risk of hearing loss due to the use of headphones on personal listening devices. The recommendation from WHO and other health firms recommend is listening to mobile devices for a maximum of one hour per day, and the volume should stay around 60 percent. Headphones are better than earbuds. The exception is with custom monitors as they seal the ear better, requiring less overall volume. Regardless, volume should be no greater than 60% and for no more than one hour per day.


To schedule a hearing test or hearing conservation consult with us, please call (912) 748-9494 or schedule directly from our website.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt

Healthy Habits