5 Bad Habits that may Damage the Health of Your Hearing

If you are trying to think of other reasons to put a stop to your bad habits, here are five habits that affect your hearing health:

1. Drinking excessively - Health experts warn that alcohol could prevent your brain’s performance of understanding sounds, particularly sounds with low frequencies. Alcohol produces a bad environment for the inner ear, which can damage hair cells located in the cochlea. Nerve damage can also occur in the brain’s central auditory cortex, causing it to decrease in size among those who engage in excessive drinking. ​
2. Smoking - Nicotine is known to limit the amount of blood flow that goes to your ears, which may damage fragile ear cells. More frequent smokers have a greater possibility of hearing loss. Young individuals who were exposed to second-hand smoke were twice as likely to have low-frequency hearing loss, as opposed to those with no exposure.
3. Vaping - Nicotine in e-cigarettes also affect hair cells in the ear. Additionally, “e-juices”, or the flavored liquids, consist of hundreds of chemicals that have unknown impacts to users’ health. At least one chemical, known as propylene glycol, is related to abrupt hearing loss.
4. Lack of Dental Care - You may be wondering how your teeth and hearing health relate to one another. Having healthy gums and teeth are important. It keeps out bacteria, which could lead to infections and inflammation. If oral bacteria gets into the bloodstream, it may cause swelling and restrict arteries. This leads to weak blood circulation, which is harmful to both your hearing health and your general health.
5. Neglecting Hearing Loss - The majority of those who have some range of hearing loss wait for years to do something about it. This is due to the stigma of wearing hearing aids. But many modern hearing devices are discreet, and nearly invisible. There are serious lasting health repercussions - if your brain cannot hear the same noises that it has in the past, you have a greater risk of cognitive decline, and dementia.

Start taking care of your hearing health by avoiding or breaking these bad habits.

If you, or a loved one, are experiencing hearing loss, contact us at Pure Sound Hearing Aids for a free hearing test and consultation.

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