Five Things You Can Do to Improve Your Hearing Health – Audiology Associates

Whether you’ve been diagnosed with hearing loss or not, there are things you can do to minimize the risk of it getting worse, as well as improve your overall health at the same time. They include these five action items: 
1. Turn down the volume: Without a doubt, the easiest way to prevent hearing loss is to reduce the volume of the noise in your environment. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) estimates 26 million Americans have hearing loss that may have been caused by exposure to noise.
2. Take a walk (or a jog): Exercise is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your overall health. Is it any surprise it’s good for your hearing health, too? 
Hearing health professionals believe exercise increases the blood flow to the ear. Good blood flow is essential to the health of the tiny hair cells in the inner ear which are responsible for translating the sound your ears collect into electrical impulses for your brain to translate. These hair cells do not regenerate, so our hearing suffers permanently when they die or are damaged. This is why hearing loss is more likely among people with heart disease and diabetes.
3. Stop smoking: If you’ve been waiting for a good reason to stop smoking, here’s one: Smoking is linked to hearing loss.
Medical professionals believe the nicotine and carbon monoxide in cigarettes tighten your blood vessels, effectively starving your inner ear of the oxygen it needs to keep hair cells in the cochlea healthy. Nicotine can also affect the neurotransmitters in the auditory nerve, preventing them from correctly processing sound.
Fortunately, kicking the habit is almost immediately beneficial to your health. The American Heart Association says your lungs will begin to heal themselves as soon as you stop smoking. Those who quit also reduce their risk of developing heart disease, lung cancer and early death from smoking-related disease. Many smoking cessation programs are offered at no charge or reduced cost. The AHA lists these resources to help you quit smoking.
4. Schedule a hearing evaluation: The best way to improve your hearing health is to establish a relationship with a hearing healthcare professional you trust. This professional can administer a base line hearing evaluation to determine the current health of your hearing and monitor it as you grow older.
5. Diagnosed with hearing loss? Wear your hearing aids: You’ll be doing yourself a big favor if you wear them as recommended.
Amplification provides the “brain boost” your ears need to send sound waves to the auditory region of the brain, where it’s processed as recognizable sound. If hearing loss is left untreated, brain atrophy can occur, making it much harder to hear. 
To learn more about hearing aids, make an appointment with Audiology Associates at 661-284-1900. Kevin Bolder, Au.D and John Davis, Au.D are two of the best in Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valley. Visit our website at www.AudiologyAssociates.net or stop by our office located at 25425 Orchard Village Road, Ste 220, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
We are hearing healthcare excellence!