Hearing loss is a commonly shared problem among both young and old. It can’t be prevented as healthy hearing doesn’t last forever. However, if you aim to improve hearing naturally, there are several ways you can do it on your own with minimal effort.
But before jumping to conclusions, let’s understand the basic knowledge of what hearing loss is. Let’s get the facts straight – not everyone’s hearing loss is the same.
There are several different causes of hearing loss, most often due to:
- Ageing
- Head trauma
- Loud noise exposure
- Viral infection or illness
- Genetics
- Ototoxicity
Based on these causes, this often leads to three types of hearing loss:
- Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when the inner hair cells and nerves are damaged. It mostly happens due to ageing, noise damage or other reasons.
- Conductive hearing loss transpires when something is blocking in the middle or outer ear. It could be an earware build-up, an ear infection, inflammation, injuries, medicines or malformations.
- Mixed hearing loss is a blend of causes from sensorineural and conductive hearing loss.
While the medical field has seen remarkable advances in hearing aid technology, there are natural ways you can do to exercise your ears from getting worse.
Here are seven helpful tips and tricks you can do to improve hearing naturally.
Improve Hearing Naturally With Exercise
Who knew that exercise could improve your hearing? According to a study, it showed that lesser exercise activity is associated with a greater risk of hearing loss.
The same study also revealed that regular exercise could reduce the risk of hearing loss.
By exercising in the form of walking or any other physical activity you enjoy, your blood circulation improves in your ear muscles and bones.
When you exercise, your blood flow brings out nutrients such as antioxidants and protective heat shock proteins that augment your hearing.
Exercising for at least 20 to 30 minutes a day, five times a week can help prevent hearing loss.
Combat Hearing Loss With Fun, Brain Exercises
A study showed that there are links between hearing impaired and medical disorders such as depression and depression.
The study – carried out by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and issued in The Journal of Neuroscience – revealed that hearing loss might lead to grey matter atrophy in the auditory brain areas, which is when brain cells shrink in size, especially in older grownups.
Like the human body, the brain needs a regular workout to remain healthy.
Thus, brain exercises such as strategic games, brain training apps, puzzle solving-games and brain teasers are excellent to keep your brain juices flowing.
Try playing board games, cards, and word puzzles such as scrabble to maintain the brain’s ability to function and hold onto cognitive perceptions.
Practice Focusing on and Locating Sounds to Sharpen Your Hearing
While puzzle games and online brain apps are fun, you can also do a few hearing auditory exercises to sharpen your listening skills.
All you have to do is turn on the TV or radio to a reasonable volume and have a chat with someone in the same room.
Focus on the conversation while cancelling out other sounds. This will help your mind to concentrate better on what’s important and train your listening skills.
You can also exercise your hearing capabilities by following the source of the sound.
All you need is another partner to tiptoe in different parts of the room and make noise. Close your eyes and try to identify the direction of the sound.
Practising different types of sounds can help you to identify and understand them better and improve hearing naturally.
Meditate to Make Your Hearing a Priority
Start your morning with a few minutes of meditation to aid better blood circulation and increase oxygen intake in your body.
Meditation allows you to focus on the sound of your breathing which improves concentration on interpreting sounds in noisy environments and improve hearing naturally.
Give up Smoking
If you’re a smoker, now it’s time to quit smoking. According to Japan Epidemiology Collaboration on Occupational Health study, smokers have higher chances to develop hearing loss than non-smokers.
According to health providers, the carbon monoxide and nicotine from the cigarettes stiffen your blood vessels and cut the oxygen that keeps the cochlea’s hair cell healthy.
Nicotine also affects the auditory nerve’s neurotransmitter that helps process sounds. Good news – kicking the habit forever can improve your ear’s health.
Avoid Loud Music Locations
It goes without saying that you will lose your hearing abilities a bit by bit if you’re exposed to loud noises for a long time.
Exposed to loud noise can lead to tinnitus which is a sound of ringing, roaring or buzzing and further losing hearing abilities in both ears.
So, it’s important to protect your ears from these loud noises. When you find yourself in lively noise areas such as nightclubs, concerts or roadworks, try to move away from the source.
Consider wearing earplugs or take a break from the noise every 15 minutes. It is best to give your ears 18 hours of recovery after exposing them to loud, ear-splitting sounds.
Eat Healthy Foods
Add nutritious foods in your diets, such as proteins like salmon or trout, whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables for excellent ear functions and overall body health.
Consuming foods that have a lot of Vitamin B3, B6, B12 and B9. Vitamin B3, also known as niacin, improves blood circulation throughout the ears and body.
Vitamin B6 is also important for healthy nerve function. Receiving plenty of vitamin B12 and B9, as well as, causes the body to function properly in the brain and nervous system.
It also plays an important role in forming DNA and blood.
Insufficient vitamin B12 has been linked to the age-related auditory difficulty, so it’s important to consume ample vitamins through healthy foods which can help to improve hearing naturally.
Your Hearing Health Comes First
Taking care of your hearing is important for overall health, and untreated hearing loss has shown to affect health, cognition and mental wellness.
No matter what you choose to improve hearing naturally, be sure to see a local specialist, like us, and discuss your options if you have a severe issue on hand.
You can contact us to find ways how The Hearing Solution Group can help improve your hearing and your overall aural experience.
If you’re interested in exploring more about hearing and cognitive fitness, book a hearing test session and find out more!