Hearing loss is common with age. However, this problem can occur at an early age, if your ears are overburdened and they are not properly cared for and cleaned. The two main categories of hearing loss are sensorineural and conductive. Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL) is the most common ear disorder and is usually damage to the internal sense organs (cochlea) or to the nerve that connects the inner ear to the brain. Most cases of SNHL are curable and assisted by hearing aids and cochlear implants. On the other hand, conductive hearing loss (CHL) occurs when some sound waves are blocked from reaching the small bones (ossicles) in the middle ear. CHL can also be cured.
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Part 1 of 6: Check Your Ears
Step 1. Talk to your doctor about your hearing loss
Make an appointment with your doctor to have both ears examined. When examined, the doctor may ask about your history and lifestyle. Hearing loss is generally harmless and curable, so don't hesitate to seek professional opinion.
- The diagnosis should be carried out by a professional. Ears should not be examined by an incompetent person.
- Your doctor may suggest visiting an ENT specialist for further examination.
Step 2. Visit an ENT specialist for a hearing test
An otolaryngologist or ENT specialist can examine your hearing thoroughly, including hearing or audiometric tests that evaluate the brain's ability to respond to sound. This test is short and painless and is very important to check whether the disorder is permanent or not.
An ENT specialist will know if your hearing loss is SNHL or CHL
Step 3. Understand the diagnosis and treatment options
Make sure the doctor has explained the diagnosis clearly and provided several treatment options. If the disorder is included in the SNHL, then treatment is given by an ENT specialist. However, if the disorder is included in CHL, then the treatment options are many and the methods are safe and easy depending on the cause of the disorder.
Do some research on hearing loss online. You will have an overview of the treatment that may be suggested. However, stick to the doctor's recommendations
Part 2 of 6: Coping with Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL)
Step 1.
- SNHL is a hearing loss is a common disease for the population of the United States, which is about 23% of the population and most of them are over the age of 65 years.
- Excessive noise exposure is a major cause of SNHL (especially high-frequency noise hearing loss), and affects about 15% of Americans aged 20-69 years.
Step 2. Use a hearing aid
This device is a small electronic device that is worn behind the ear. This tool amplifies sound by amplifying sound vibrations that enter the ear. Hearing aids consist of three main parts: reception of sound through microphone, which converts sound into electrical signals and sends them to amplifier, which amplifies sound and is sent to the cochlea speaker small. The sound then moves the ear hairs in the cochlea which sends messages to the hearing center in the brain.
- Now, hearing aids are small and not clearly visible when worn. So, don't hesitate to use this tool.
- Hearing aids can work differently depending on whether they are analog or digital.
Step 3. Receive a cochlear implant
If the hairs in the cochlea are too damaged due to an infection, tumor or head injury, hearing aids will not help you. What you need is an invasive surgery called a cochlear implant to restore your hearing, which is a medical electrical device that sends sound signals to the brain.
Cochlear implants are much more expensive than hearing aids
Step 4. Use hearing assistive technology (HAT)
There are many variations of other technologies based on electronic amplification, electronic energy transmission, radio signals or infrared waves that are designed to amplify sound independently or in synergy with a hearing aid or cochlear implant.
Step 5. Schedule the operating procedure
Surgery may be needed to remove an inner ear infection, remove a tumor or reshape a genetic abnormality to treat hearing loss. Always keep in mind that surgical procedures always carry risks, so you should have enough information before choosing this option.
Part 3 of 6: Combating Conductive Hearing Loss (CHL)
Step 1. Clean the outer ear canal
A common cause of CHL is ear wax or other debris. In small amounts, ear wax protects, lubricates and kills germs in the ear. Most of the ear canal is self-cleaning, but sometimes wax builds up causing hearing loss and fullness, itching or ringing in the ear (tinnitus). Do not use ear cotton to clean the ear canal, you can try putting a few drops of mineral oil or glycerin in the ear.
- Drops of hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide can loosen ear wax. However, there will be a slight stinging and burning sensation for a few minutes.
- Ear irrigation or ear syringing can be done at home with over-the-counter irrigation kits. Use warm saline for best results.
- A procedure called ear candling is not recommended by doctors to clean the ear canal because of the risk of burning and perforation of the eardrum.
Step 2. Clean the eustachian tube
Colds, sinusitis and allergies can clog the eustachian tube (which connects the middle ear to the upper esophagus and inflammation of the ear) with fluids and mucus causing ear pain, popping sensation and hearing loss. A blocked eustachian tube usually heals without treatment, but try to speed up recovery by covering your mouth and nose and blowing slowly as if blowing your nose.
- Yawning or chewing gum can also clean the eustachian tube.
- When the tube opens, you may feel a "popping", which indicates that the air pressure inside and outside the ear is equal.
Step 3. Consider using antibiotics
Antibiotics function to destroy the growth of microorganisms such as pathogenic bacteria that can cause outer and inner ear infections. If your doctor diagnoses you with an ear infection, antibiotics such as amoxicillin will help restore your hearing.
Keep in mind that some antibiotics, such as erythromycin and tetracycline, can cause hearing loss
Part 4 of 6: Exercises to Improve Hearing
Step 1. Improve hearing with practice
If you don't have SNHL or CHL, but want to improve your hearing, do regular cardiovascular exercises as they help with circulation and ear tuning.
Step 2. Sound filtering exercise
Play music at low volume while chatting with friends. Play the second piece of music, then a few moments later play the third while still chatting with friends. This exercise will get your ears used to filtering out the sounds around you.
Step 3. Practice finding the source of the sound
Close your eyes and ask a friend to walk somewhere far away from you. Have your friend make sounds for 2 seconds with a bell or trumpet, then you point in the direction where the sound is likely to come from. Tell your friends to change location and distance every time
Step 4. Practice recognizing the types of sounds
Close your eyes and listen to the various suras around you. Guess the voices one by one, far and near. The more practice, the more sounds that can be recognized.
Step 5. Try downloading an app designed to improve hearing
Here are some examples: CLIX (practice recognizing the differences between words.). Forbrain (practice to recognize the corresponding sounds in sound), and Category Carousel (practice associating sound with images).
Part 5 of 6: Changing Your Diet
Step 1. Eat nutritious food for good health and normal ear function
Here are some examples: cold-water fish, (herring, salmon, trout), nuts, seeds, and whole grains as well as vegetables and fruits.
- Antioxidants that prevent aging contain vitamins A, C and E. Antioxidants neutralize oxygen radicals that accumulate and damage the body.
- Vitamin B3 (niacin) improves blood circulation to the ears (and the rest of the body) by slightly dilating blood vessels, while vitamin B6 (pyridoxamine) is needed for healthy nerve function.
- Deficiency of vitamin B12 and folate (vitamin B9) can be associated with hearing dysfunction due to age, so prevent it with food sources and supplements.
Step 2. Avoid foods that can damage hearing
In addition to eating nutritious foods, avoiding certain foods can improve your hearing.
- Saturated animal fat is closely related to high blood cholesterol levels, which can increase the risk of clogged arteries. Both your ears need smooth blood circulation to function properly.
- Consuming a lot of salt can increase fluid retention in the ear.
Step 3. Avoid heavy metals like mercury, arsenic, and cadmium
Heavy metals can poison nerves (especially the tiny nerves in the inner ear), and then destroy them. The human body is not able to get rid of heavy metals by itself, so over time it will accumulate and become deadly.
Foods that tend to be high in heavy metals include shark, swordfish, tilapia, and king mackerel
Part 6 of 6: Preventing Hearing Loss
Step 1. Prevent hearing loss by preventing exposure to loud noises
While SNHL is irreversible, you can prevent it from getting worse. For example, avoid loud, continuous noises, and wear earplugs if loud noises are unavoidable.
- Don't go to rock concerts or sporting events such as auto racing.
- Turn down the volume when listening to music.
Step 2. Protect your ears from sharp objects
Never put a sharp object in the ear! Pencils, pens, knives or other sharp objects can damage the eardrum, resulting in permanent deafness.
Damage to the eardrum may be followed by pain, dizziness and ringing in the ears
Step 3. Study the effect of the medication on your hearing
While some medications are curative and are needed regularly, they can have side effects such as dizziness that can affect your hearing.
- Salicylates such as aspirin have been shown to interfere with the electrical current to the inner ear.
- Medicines for high blood pressure and cancer carry a risk of hearing loss.
- Some chemotherapy drugs can cause permanent hearing loss. Examples: cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, bleomycin, and nitrogen mustard.
- Excessive doses of aspirin can cause temporary hearing loss.
- Antimalarial drugs such as quinine and chloroquine can cause sensorineural hearing loss.
Step 4. Treat other ailments so they don't have an impact on your hearing
Don't let the flu, hay fever, sinus infection or allergies become so severe that it affects both ears and causes hearing loss. Keep your immune system strong so it can fight infection naturally.
- Get plenty of sleep, drink mineral water, keep stress levels in check and eat nutritious foods that strengthen your immune system.
- Serious health conditions, such as diabetes, can cause hearing loss. Try to control your disease and treat it as soon as possible if the ear hurts. This may be a symptom of a condition called necrotizing external otitis, which can lead to deafness and even death.
Tips
- If your hearing is weak, speak in a softer tone as your voice is likely to be louder than what you hear.
- Quit smoking. Active smokers tend to be more susceptible to hearing loss.
- Ringing in the ear is also known as tinnitus. Ringing is a sign of damage to the inner ear and can progress to hearing loss.
