Hearing Awareness

How to Keep Your Hearing Strong as You Age?

Hearing is one of the essential senses that directly affects our quality of life, and with advancing age, some may experience a gradual decline in their hearing abilities. However, through some healthy habits and medical consultations, hearing can be preserved and the risk of hearing loss can be reduced. In this article, an audiologist explains some important steps to protect ear health over time:

Consult an audiologist regularly: The audiologist emphasizes the importance of periodic examinations to detect any early problems that may affect hearing ability. It is recommended to have a comprehensive hearing test after the age of fifty, even if there are no obvious symptoms, to ensure early intervention in case of any changes.

Protect your ears from noise: Continuous exposure to loud sounds may cause gradual damage to hearing cells. The audiologist recommends using earplugs in noisy environments, such as workplaces or musical events, and avoiding raising the volume when using headphones.

Handle ear infections with caution: Neglecting to treat ear infections may lead to complications that permanently affect hearing. If you feel pain in the ear or sudden blockage, it is best to see a doctor immediately to avoid worsening the problem.

Use hearing aids when needed: If hearing loss is diagnosed, the audiologist may recommend using hearing aids to improve hearing quality and daily communication. Delaying the use of hearing aids may lead to brain fatigue and difficulty adapting to sounds later.

Best Daily Habits to Maintain Your Ear and Hearing Health

Hearing is one of the most important senses that connects us to the world around us, but we often neglect to care for it until we face problems that affect its quality. Fortunately, many hearing problems can be prevented by following simple daily habits that contribute to maintaining ear health:

Avoid excessive exposure to loud sounds:

• Listen to music or watch videos at a moderate volume level, and avoid raising the volume to maximum
• Use earplugs when in noisy places such as parties or workshops
• Apply the 60/60 rule: do not raise the volume to more than 60% of maximum and do not use headphones for more than 60 consecutive minutes

Clean your ears properly:

• Avoid using cotton swabs, as they may push wax inward and cause blockage in the ear canal
• Clean the ear with a soft cloth on the outside of the ear only
• Use ear cleaning drops when needed to dissolve accumulated wax, after consulting an audiologist

Protect ears from water and infection:

• Gently dry the ear after swimming or showering to prevent moisture accumulation
• Wear swimming earplugs to reduce the risk of ear infections
• Treat ear infections immediately upon appearance to avoid complications

Have regular hearing checkups:

• Visit an audiologist regularly, especially if you work in a noisy environment or suffer from hearing problems
• Do not ignore any symptoms such as tinnitus or sudden hearing loss, as they may be a sign of a problem that needs medical intervention.

What to Do If You Feel Sudden Ear Blockage?

Common causes of sudden ear blockage:

• Earwax buildup: Excessive wax accumulation may lead to blockage of the ear canal, causing temporary hearing loss
• Air pressure (ear congestion due to flying or diving): Rapid changes in altitude affect pressure balance in the middle ear
• Ear infections: Middle or outer ear infections may cause a feeling of blockage with pain or tinnitus
• Colds and allergies: Sinus congestion can lead to Eustachian tube blockage, causing a feeling of ear blockage
• Fluid behind the eardrum: Fluid may accumulate in the middle ear due to infection or allergies, leading to temporary hearing loss
• Sudden hearing loss: In rare cases, sudden blockage may be a sign of sensorineural hearing loss that needs immediate medical intervention

When should you visit a doctor?

• If the blockage persists for more than two days without improvement
• If you suffer from severe pain, dizziness, or persistent tinnitus
• If the blockage is accompanied by sudden hearing loss
• If you notice abnormal discharge from the ear.

Earphones: Do They Cause Hearing Loss? And How to Protect Yourself?

Earphones have become an essential part of our daily lives, whether for listening to music, making calls, or watching content. However, with frequent use, many wonder: Can they cause hearing loss? Audiologists confirm that incorrect use of earphones, especially when raising the volume for long periods, may lead to permanent damage to the inner ear. So how do we protect our hearing without giving up earphones?

How can earphones affect hearing?

• Continuous exposure to loud sounds: The ear contains delicate sensory cells responsible for transmitting sound to the brain, and when exposed to high sounds for long periods, they can be irreversibly damaged
• Using in-ear earphones for long periods: Earphones that go into the ear canal may increase sound pressure, exposing the inner ear to dangerous levels of noise
• Not giving the ear rest periods: Continuous use of earphones without rest periods may cause ear fatigue and increase the risk of gradual hearing loss

How to protect your hearing when using earphones?

• Follow the 60/60 rule: Audiologists recommend not raising the volume to more than 60% of maximum, and not using earphones for more than 60 consecutive minutes
• Use over-ear headphones instead of in-ear earphones: Large headphones reduce direct pressure on the eardrum and reduce risks
• Choose noise-canceling earphones: These earphones provide better sound quality without the need to raise the volume to compensate for ambient noise
• Give your ears rest periods: After every hour of using earphones, make sure to rest your ears for 5 to 10 minutes
• Do not exceed the safe sound intensity limit: Continuous exposure to sounds above 85 decibels may lead to gradual hearing loss. If you need to raise the volume to hear clearly, it may be too loud.

Silent Hearing Loss: Early Signs You Shouldn't Ignore

Hearing loss may develop slowly and unnoticeably, making many unaware of the problem until it worsens. This type of hearing loss is known as "silent loss" because it occurs gradually without pain or obvious symptoms initially. However, there are early signs that may indicate a hearing problem, which audiologists emphasize the importance of paying attention to and taking appropriate action early:

Early signs:

• Difficulty hearing conversations in noisy environments: If you find yourself having difficulty understanding speech while in crowded places, such as restaurants or meetings, this may be an early sign of hearing loss. This problem occurs because the inner ear loses its ability to distinguish sounds amid noise
• Frequently raising the volume: If you notice that you are raising the volume of the TV or phone more than usual, while others find it too loud, this may be a sign of gradual hearing decline
• Hearing tinnitus in the ear (Tinnitus): Feeling a continuous ringing or whistling sound in the ear, especially in quiet places, may be a sign of sensorineural hearing loss. Tinnitus is often one of the first signs of a problem in the inner ear
• Feeling fatigue while listening: If you find yourself straining your mind to understand speech during conversations, or feel tired after repeated attempts to listen, this may indicate that the brain is exerting more effort to compensate for hearing loss
• Avoiding social conversations: Many people with unnoticeable hearing loss begin to avoid social gatherings because they feel embarrassed or unable to follow conversations clearly

What to do if you notice these signs?

If you suffer from any of these symptoms, it is important to see an audiologist for a comprehensive hearing test. Early diagnosis helps find appropriate solutions, such as using hearing aids or available treatments, which prevents the problem from worsening and improves your quality of life

Troubleshooting and Repairing Hearing Aids

Symptoms, Causes, and Solutions:

How to Care for Hearing Aids

Anyone who wears a hearing aid needs a complete understanding of how to use it correctly, including understanding how to deal with some of the most common problems that can occur even with the best cleaning and maintenance routine.

One of the most common situations that can occur with hearing aids is that they stop working frequently, and this is due to several reasons as follows:

Humidity

One of the most common causes that may continue to disconnect the hearing aid is humidity. If there is any moisture in the internal hearing aid parts, this may lead to regular shutdown. Moisture can significantly block microphones, speakers, and wires, leading to some problems and automatic shutdown of the hearing aid.

To avoid this, make sure of the following:

• Simply make sure you aim to keep your hearing aids away from moisture as much as possible.
• You should store them in a dryer (hearing aid drying device requested from hearing aid companies) to help them dry even the small amounts of moisture that may be present. This will generally be sufficient to avoid this problem.
• Make sure not to wear them during swimming, showering, or ablution and clean the ear well before using the hearing aid again.

Hearing Aid Filter

The filter is an important part of the hearing aid and helps ensure it works properly and protects the hearing aid from wax. However, if there is a blockage in the hearing aid filter, this leads to the hearing aid stopping or weakening its quality. The best way to clean it is by using cleaning tools and cleaning it periodically.

Improper Storage

This is an important aspect to avoid moisture or dust entering the hearing aids. It is best to store them in the same case provided with the hearing aids.

Dropping the Hearing Aid

What happens with most hearing aid wearers from time to time is accidentally dropping the hearing aid on a hard surface. When this happens, it may mean that the hearing aid has already been damaged.

Incorrect Battery Placement

You may find that the battery is not exactly in its correct place or is completely missing. This clearly means the hearing aid is not working. When removing the battery from the strip and removing the adhesive on the battery, leave the battery for about five seconds before installing it in the hearing aid. So it lasts longer with use.