\Most of the time, hearing loss iscaused by either prolonged exposure to excess noise (noise induced hearingloss), or natural aging (presbycusis), or a combination of both. While thesetwo causes are certainly the most common, there are some other surprisingfactors that could be contributing to hearing loss in your own life.
Understanding these surprisinglinks and contributing factors can help you to better care for your hearinghealth and that of your family. Learn about some of the lesser known risk factorsto hearing loss below.
Certain Medications
While medications help to keep ushealthy and heal us from ailments, they also come with their fair share ofside-effects. For some medications, one of these side-effects could be hearingloss. Medications that are known to potentially cause hearing loss are calledototoxic. One may be surprised to learn their go-to med may be ototoxic!
- Ototoxic Over the Counter Meds - OTC painkillers such as Tylenol, ibuprofen, andaspirin have all been linked to an increased risk of hearing loss or tinnituswith prolonged use - especially for women.
- Ototoxic Prescription Drugs - Aminoglycoside antibioticswere one of the first antibiotics ever developed, and are known to causehearing loss. These antibiotics are now rarely prescribed, and are reserved foronly the most severe infections. Other drugs such as those used in conjunctionwith chemotherapy and those used to prevent malaria have also been tied tohearing loss.
Simple Earwax
Sometimes, hearing loss is the resultof a simple blockage - most commonly a buildup of excess earwax. While gross,earwax is actually extremely important to the health of our ears. It protectsagainst physical and bacterial organisms from entering our ears, however, toomuch of it can cause hearing loss. Cleaning your ears at home with cotton swabsis actually quite dangerous, and can push the wax further into your ear canal.If you would like to clean your ears at home, you can try to soften the ear waxwith a few drops of baby oil and rinse with a few drops of warm water the nextday. The safest way to clean your ears, however, is to schedule an appointmentwith a hearing healthcare professional who can remove the wax safely andeffectively.
Health Conditions or Infections
Ear infections, common colds, andrespiratory infections have all been known to cause hearing loss. If aninfection is the culprit, hearing loss will most likely come on suddenly andabruptly. This type of hearing loss is usually reversible if treated quickly,however, if left untreated, it can become permanent.
Other health conditions are alsorisk factors for hearing loss. In fact, hearing loss is twice as likely amongstadults with diabetes than those without it. Proper blood flow to all the littlevessels in our ears is essential to our hearing.
“Harmless” Daily Activities
Blow-drying your hair each morningor mowing the lawn each weekend can seem like harmless parts of daily life,however, this is not true when it comes to your hearing. Blow dryers blast airand noise directly into your ear canals which can easily cause damage, andmowing the lawn is a noisy activity that is rarely accompanied by hearingprotection. It is important to take your ears into consideration whencompleting your daily activities. Wear hearing protection whenever possible andavoid allowing any air or foreign objects to enter your ears.
Unhealthy Lifestyles
A recent study out of Japan hasfound that people who smoke cigarettes are 1.5 times as likely as nonsmokers todevelop hearing loss. Lessening unhealthy habits such as tobacco and alcoholuse can help to protect our hearing health. Regular exercise and eating ahealthy and balanced diet have also been shown to decrease risk of hearing lossas well as a myriad of other health conditions. As if we all needed anotherreason to eat healthier and exercise more!
Get a Hearing Test Today atAtlanta Hearing Doctor
If you have noticed some changes to your hearing or think you may be experiencing some of the early signs of hearing loss, it is important to schedule a hearing assessment as soon as possible. Reach out to our friendly team today – we look forward to hearing from you.
