2023 is almost here, and it’s time to celebrate! Loud music, fireworks, and the screams of joy as midnight hits are all staples of ringing in the new year, but if you don’t protect your ears, they’ll be ringing too!
Loud noises we hear not just on New Year’s but throughout the year can actually cause hearing loss. These noises can damage your inner ear's sensory and hair cells, causing noise-induced hearing loss. Decide now to protect your ears and prevent hearing loss in the new year with these seven New Year’s resolutions!
It may be hard to avoid all loud noises, but you can prevent hearing loss by moving as far away from the noise as possible. The farther away you are, the less damage the loud noises will do to your ears. So you can still enjoy the New Year’s fireworks display, but do it from a distance.
If you’re attending an air show, working around heavy machinery, mowing the lawn, or doing something else that you know will involve loud noises, put on some ear protection. You can prevent noise-induced hearing loss simply by wearing some headphones or earplugs.
You can also protect your ears by wearing noise-canceling headphones. You can even use them when you’re not listening to music. Slip the headphones on, turn on the noise-canceling feature, and enjoy a quieter evening.
Noise-canceling headphones also allow you to block out background noises. With regular headphones, you might turn the volume all the way up so you can hear over what’s going on around you, but with noise-canceling headphones, you don’t have to!
Sometimes we don’t realize how loud the volume on our TV, radio, or phone really is. Over time, the blaring music or voices do more harm than good. You can prevent hearing loss and train your ears by turning down the volume!
Our hearing health is actually connected to our heart health. People with diabetes or cardiovascular disease have a higher chance of hearing loss. But you can prevent hearing loss and other complications by keeping up with your exercise routine and maintaining a healthy weight!
Smoking is bad for many reasons, but it can also cause hearing loss. Your ears and throat are close together, and the smoke can cause blockages in your ears. Quitting smoking is hard, but you can talk to your doctor to learn more about getting the help you need to stop smoking.
Even if you haven’t noticed any hearing loss, you could still benefit from a hearing test and checkup from your ear, nose, and throat doctor! Noise-induced hearing loss usually is gradual and painless, so you might have already lost some hearing and not even know it.
Hearing tests only take a few minutes of your time. Check off an easy and quick New Year’s resolution by scheduling a hearing test with the Glatz Group! Our team of hearing experts will find out if you’ve lost any hearing, show you how you can prevent further hearing loss, and provide hearing solutions if you need them!
As we age, hearing loss is very common. It’s primarily seen in people 65 or older, but if you have a job that exposes you to repetitive loud noises for a long time, you may experience hearing loss even earlier.
Hearing loss doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a gradual change you may not notice for a long time. Sometimes your loved ones may notice it when you have to ask them to repeat themselves. Your friends and family may also notice that the TV is really loud, but to you, it’s not.
Keep reading to learn more about the early signs and stages of hearing loss, and when it’s time to see the doctor for hearing loss treatment!
Early signs of hearing loss may be more related to the volume and clarity of what you can hear. Speech and other sounds may be muffled, or you may struggle to hear certain words. You may also notice that you often have to ask everyone to speak a little slower, clearer, and louder.
But remember that your early hearing loss symptoms could differ from those you know. You may lose the ability to hear higher-pitched tones, such as women's and children's voices, or really low tones, like the clicks from a car turn signal.
There are five stages of hearing loss. Depending on your symptoms and hearing test, you may need treatment for your hearing loss. You may also experience hearing loss in only one ear or both ears.
The first stage is when you’re having difficulty hearing quiet sounds like a dripping faucet. Or it could be hard to hear a conversation if there’s a lot of background noise.
In the next stage, you may notice it’s much harder to hear conversations, especially on the phone. Stage 2 is when you may benefit from using hearing aids.
When it’s hard to hear loud noises, even when they happen right next to you, you’ve reached the third stage of hearing loss. It’ll also be harder to have a conversation without hearing aids.
If you have stage four hearing loss, you’ll need a stronger level of hearing aids, and you won’t be able to listen to conversations at all without them.
At this point, you’ll need powerful hearing aids or possibly an implant. And without an implant or hearing aids, you’ll have to depend on sign language, lip reading, or hand motions to communicate.
Treating hearing loss depends on what’s causing it and how severe it is. If your hearing loss is from built-up wax, you’ll simply need to have your ears cleaned. But if that’s not the issue, then your hearing solution may be to wear a hearing aid.
Surgery is another option if you have an abnormality in your eardrum or bones. You may also need tubes placed if your hearing loss is due to repeated ear infections.
A cochlear implant is another way to treat hearing loss. Doctors use cochlear implants for severe cases of hearing loss and after you’ve unsuccessfully tried hearing aids.
Sometimes we’re not entirely sure when it’s time to make an appointment to see a doctor. And especially since hearing loss can be so gradual we don’t even notice it immediately. It’s time to make an appointment if you notice a sudden hearing loss or if your hearing loss is starting to affect your daily activities.
If you’re noticing that it’s time to talk to an ear, nose, and throat doctor about your hearing loss, reach out to the Glatz Group! With our experience in hearing treatments, we can help you figure out what stage of hearing loss you have and what hearing solutions may be best for you. Don’t let muffled sounds hinder your day-to-day — contact Dr. Glatz to improve your hearing today!
