Looking after your ear health is so important, especially as you get older, but many of us don’t really think about it. In many cases, hearing problems cannot be avoided and they are just a natural part of getting older. However, many hearing issues are caused by simple mistakes that people make, and it’s important that you avoid doing the same if you want to look after your hearing. These are some of the biggest mistakes that people make with their hearing health. 

Before we start, it’s important to understand that you need to take hearing health very seriously at any age. There are plenty of assistive listening devices that can support your hearing health, especially when it is degrading. But, the best thing you can do to protect your hearing is to take any sign of decline or subtle change in hearing abilities seriously from the start. This means you are more likely to receive the support you need early and, therefore, prevent further issues.  

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Thinking That Hearing Loss Only Affects Older People

Although your risk of hearing issues does increase as you get older, hearing loss can affect people of all ages. Unfortunately, many people assume that it’s not a problem for them until they are older, so they don’t need to take steps to prevent hearing loss, which increases the chance of them developing issues. While there is a strong link between age-related issues like dementia and hearing loss, the fact is that dementia can start with hearing difficulties. According to one study, people with mild hearing loss are two times as likely to develop dementia, and while there is a wide range of care for dementia patients, those who believe hearing is just an “old” thing may want to check it now. Once the damage is done, you cannot usually reverse hearing loss, so it’s vital that you start taking preventative measures now before it’s too late. 

Putting Things In Your Ears 

If you have a habit of using cotton buds to clean your ears out, you could be doing a lot of damage. People often make the mistake of thinking that ear wax is a bad thing and needs to be cleaned out, but it’s actually there to protect your ears from infection. If you are constantly poking around in your ears, you can do damage and increase your risk of issues like hearing loss or tinnitus. If you think that you may have too much wax in your ears and it is causing a blockage, speak to a hearing specialist and have it dealt with properly instead of trying to clear it out yourself because you will only do more damage. 

Using Ear Candles

You might decide that you want to clean the wax out of your ear using an ear candle, but that’s a bad idea. They claim to heat wax and draw it out through the center of a candle, but there is no evidence to suggest that they actually work. They can, however, damage your ears in a lot of different ways. You risk burning your ears and putting a candle in your ear can lead to a damaged eardrum. If you think that you have a blockage, always get a professional to look at it. 

Listening To Loud Music With Headphones 

Headphones are responsible for a lot of hearing issues in later life because people listen to music too loud and for too long. Over time, this can do a lot of damage to your inner ear and lead to hearing loss issues. Unfortunately, there is no way to reverse the damage once it has already been done, so you need to be careful when listening to music. Most devices will prompt you when the volume is too loud and it’s important that you follow that guidance. Don’t listen for too long without taking a break either. 

If you are making any of these common mistakes, you could be increasing your risk of hearing loss in later life.