There’s lots of advice out there related to your hearing health. At Physicians Hearing Care in Tennessee, we’ve decided to put this article together to cut through some of the noise and give you our 10 top tips for preserving your hearing health.
Avoid loud noise levels
There are two factors you need to pay attention to when assessing noise levels. One is the volume and the other is the duration. Either super-loud or sustained levels of moderately-loud noise can cause damage to your hearing over time. Whenever you can, reduce noise levels to levels where you can comfortably speak over the top of them.
Wear ear protection
Of course, changing the noise level isn’t always possible especially if you are at work or a music event. In these cases, wear ear protection to mitigate the consequences of a loud environment. Use either earplugs or, if you want to be extra-safe and don’t need to hear very much, noise-canceling ear defenders.
Look after those ears
Make sure your ears are warm in chilly weather and that you have ample protection if you play contact sports. Even minor ear trauma can, over time, cause serious damage to your hearing.
Know your family history
Some hearing conditions run in families. If you know that someone in yours has a hereditary hearing condition, you can be on the lookout for signs of anything similar in your own life.
Read the signs
If you have already had some deterioration in your hearing ability, you may notice early warning signs such as using the word “what?” a lot more often or not being able to follow the conversation at the table in a noisy restaurant. These are signs that it’s time to book a hearing test.
The earlier the better
It’s tempting to let the knowledge that you need a hearing test keep slipping out of your mind. Life is busy and it can be a difficult thing to face. However, if you don’t address the problem, it can easily get worse as a result. This means you have just moved the inevitable further away and increased the level of hearing support you may eventually need.
Get a hearing test
You’ve already realized that it’s the right thing to do, so you just need to take the plunge and book the test. To help you, we can reassure you that tests are comfortable and easy. You get plenty of support when you visit a PHC branch.
Understand what your results mean
A member of our team will go through the results with you and make sure you understand the implications. Your test will produce something called an audiogram, which is a pictorial representation of your responses to the various stimuli in the test. This functions a bit like a prescription for your hearing solution.
Use your hearing aid
Once you know you need a hearing aid, get one that suits your needs. Choose carefully, because the more comfortable you feel with your hearing aid, the more likely you are to use it to help amplify and preserve your hearing experience.
Talk to your loved ones
When your loved ones know you have hearing difficulties, there are important steps that they can take to support you. Ensuring that your needs are considered at social events means you stay engaged.
Visit us for even more tips
At PHC, we provide hearing assessments alongside a range of hearing aids and custom protection in Tennessee. When you team all of this with our advice and support, it makes a winning combination for your hearing health. Book your visit and see how we can help you preserve your hearing.
