Guest Blog: Hearing Loss: Its Preventability and How it Relates to Your Lifestyle

Living a healthy long life doesn't have to mean you give up all the FUN stuff in your life. If you still thinking smoking is fun, well, yes. Living healthy really is more about finding enjoyment in less destructive behaviors and reaping the benefits now and into the future.

It's in the future that we find ourselves looking desperately for "cures", for anything that will slow the process of aging and earlier than need be, death. I know I want to reap the rewards and I also know I'll have some regrets of unheeded advice from my younger years, like sun over-exposure. I am and will continue to pay the price of all those sunburns.

The outdoor world still calls me and I still answer, but now I cover up more and earlier. I used to crank up my music, now I tone it down a bit especially if I have my plugs in. In fact I'm looking at headphones that are bigger, that cover my ears more so I can keep more outside noise out and turn the volume down. 

I do want to be able to hear the world around me as I get older, even if that means hearing the young wipper-snappers call me to move the the slow lane on the track...

Thanks John for the Blog. sAq

Hearing Loss: Its Preventability and How It Relates to Your Lifestyle

An insightful and helpful Guest Blog By John O'Connor, Stoneham, MA

It is very common knowledge that the loss of hearing can also cause a rapid deterioration of both lifestyle and happiness; the prevention of hearing loss through a healthy lifestyle has become progressively more important as a larger percentage of people become affected by it. According to the Better Hearing Institute, approximately half of all people impacted by hearing loss are below the age of 55. As this condition continues to strike younger people, steps must be made if any individual wishes to ensure that his or her hearing will still be fully functional by the time of a middle-age adulthood. Hearing loss can negatively impact nearly all areas of a person's life- his relationships, his emotions, and even how he can go about his day. Although using a hearing aid is an immediate option for those who suffer from the condition, the preliminary prevention of any such condition is ideal. It is of the utmost importance to live a healthy lifestyle with the prevention of hearing loss on the mind, for living in healthiness is one of the only surefire ways to try to combat this condition before it actually strikes.

There is a multitude of steps that one can take to better his or her lifestyle and protect the senses. First, it is essential to take a look at the lifestyle that one is living- someone may need to ask himself "Am I a chronic smoker? Do I eat a nutritious diet? Do I always have my headphones blasting in my ears?" These are just a few questions that are relevant to the prevention of hearing loss through a healthier lifestyle.

Are Smokers More Susceptible to Hearing Loss?

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 20 percent of all adults in the United States are smokers; even without the threat of hearing loss, this habit can deliver a wide array of negative effects on one's health. However, smoking can actually have a significant effect on any habitual individual's hearing. A wide variation of studies have revealed that frequent exposure to nicotine can have a negative impact on one's ability to process and hear sounds. The ability to detect higher frequencies with hearing is significantly diminished by chronic exposure to cigarettes, whether it is through firsthand or secondhand smoke.

The Detrimental Impact of Loud Noise

Although this is hailed as one of the most obvious damages to hearing, some people are just not aware of how detrimental unnecessarily loud noise can really be to a person's hearing senses and health. For those who make a living out of working with tools such as chainsaws or jackhammers, their respective noise levels are far above the minimum level that can bring on hearing loss when their use is at a frequent occurrence. Being close to even just one gunshot can cause long term damage on a person's hearing; therefore, being wary and careful of one's surroundings and attempting to avoid overtly loud noise is key to preventing hearing loss.

Nutrition's Effects on Hearing

Not only can poor nutrition potentially bring on diabetes, it can also cause significant hearing loss. Getting proper nutrition is one of the surefire ways to help keep hearing sharp up through old age and beyond. Several studies have revealed that a diet rich in antioxidants can prove to be effective against hearing loss; and a lack of vitamins can contribute greatly to a lesser ability to hear. Watching one's lifestyle is of the utmost importance, and food is a monumental part of that.

The lifestyle habits listed above are just a few of the many factors that can be changed to prevent hearing loss. Doing research would be highly beneficial if any individual is fearing that he or she may be getting an early onset of hearing loss, and the lifestyle of that person has the potential to change everything. Hearing loss is not a pleasant condition for anyone, and the prevention of that should be the ultimate goal.