Horrible Habits that Harm Your Hearing

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It is said that silence is golden — but not if it’s a permanent thing. There are certain habits that can wreak havoc to the hearing. So many studies have established the strong link between these habits and hearing loss. Check out what they are and do your best to eliminate some or even all of them to ensure optimum hearing.

Cigarette Smoking

Everyone knows that smoking is bad for the health. Each time you take a drag, you are pumping thousands of poisonous substances into your lungs. Once in your bloodstream, they can easily get to your various tissues and organs.

Smoking is bad for the hearing because it causes the blood vessels to constrict, thus making blood circulation in the affected areas of the body poor. This leads to a less efficient distribution of nutrients and oxygen.

It’s a terrible idea to hamper the supply of oxygen in the cochlea — that part of the inner ear where the organ of Corti is located, a tiny structure which creates nerve impulses in response to sound vibrations. Reduced supply of oxygen in the inner ear can damage the cochlea and cause hearing loss.

Skipping Your Dentist

Having regular trips to your trusted dental clinic is good for your smile and overall oral health. But did you know that paying your dentist a visit may also help ward off hearing loss?

Bacteria in your mouth do not stay in your mouth. They can in fact enter the bloodstream and cause the arteries to get inflamed and clogged. Also, oral bacteria may cause the inflammation of the blood vessels in the ears, leading to diminished supply of nutrients and oxygen in the cochlea.

Drinking Lots of Alcohol

According to experts, moderate alcohol consumption is actually good for the heart and the overall health too. Moderate means a serving a day if you’re a woman, or up to a couple of servings a day if you’re a man.

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It’s no secret that drinking too much alcohol can wreak havoc to your life. It may also lead to hearing loss as too much alcohol in the bloodstream can damage those very fine hair cells in the cochlea. These hair cells are responsible for a bunch of things, including the amplification of sound vibrations that enter the ear.

Here’s one more reason why too much alcohol drinking is bad for the hearing: medical authorities say that chronic drinking is associated with damage to the brain’s auditory cortex.

Having a Sedentary Lifestyle

A sedentary lifestyle is not only terrible for your general health, but it can also cause you to lose your hearing. There are many health problems that may arise from having a sedentary lifestyle, and one of them is diabetes.

Experts say that diabetes can cause hearing loss because high levels of glucose or sugar in the bloodstream for extended periods of time can damage the blood vessels as well as the nerves — including those that are found in your ears. If losing your hearing is not an option, exercise on a regular basis and carefully mind what you put in your mouth each time.

Exposure to Loud Sounds

This is a no-brainer: constantly exposing your ears to loud sounds can cause loss of hearing. It’s very important to keep your ears from loud sounds if you don’t want to suffer from hearing loss anytime soon. Protection with the help of earmuffs or earplugs is highly recommended if your work causes you to be exposed to noise all the time.

It’s also important to limit the time you spend listening to music using your earphones. And each time you do listen to them, try to keep the volume levels down.

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