9 tips for protecting and caring for your hearing
TIPS FOR HEALTHY HEARING
Hearing is one of the most important sensory organs and is in use around the clock. Once the delicate hair cells are destroyed, they do not grow back. To maintain hearing (and the associated quality of life), it is important to pay attention to and care for your ears.
It is important to remember that our bodies already take good care of themselves. Excessive cleaning, for example with cotton swabs, should be avoided, as it can lead to irreparable damage in the worst case. This is especially true since cotton swabs usually only push the wax deeper into the ear instead of effectively removing it.
1.
Lukewarm water, soap, and a nourishing cream are all you need for cleaning and care. In summer, a high sun protection factor is recommended, as the ears are particularly sensitive to sunlight.
2.
The ear canal does not require additional cleaning. When people talk about cleaning their ears, they usually mean removing earwax. However, earwax serves as a natural protective shield for our ears and performs several important functions: it keeps the ear canal moist and wards off bacteria. Earwax also protects against foreign bodies such as dust and dirt particles. If you feel that your ear canal is blocked, leave the cleaning to your trusted ENT specialist.
3.
The same applies to objects in children's ears. Objects that become stuck accidentally should only be removed by an ENT specialist to avoid more serious injuries.
4.
Water in the ear canal is unpleasant after bathing or showering. No question about it. By tilting your head and moving it until you feel a slight pulling sensation in your ear, you can ensure that the water drains out of your ear.
5.
Music makes the soul dance, gets the blood pumping, and makes the heart beat faster. But whether you're using amplifiers and speakers or headphones: not so loud! Avoid noise in any form. Pay particular attention to noise pollution affecting your children.
6.
If noise is to be expected, for example during DIY or gardening work, use hearing protection. There is smart hearing protection available that suppresses noise while still allowing warning signals, music, and radio announcements to be heard thanks to special technology.
7.
Sometimes we feel pressure in our ears and our ears feel "blocked." For example, when we travel through a tunnel by train or take off and land in an airplane. The eardrum bulges uncomfortably due to the excess or insufficient pressure in the ear. The Eustachian tube is then responsible for equalizing the pressure in the ear. Chewing gum is a good tip for equalizing the pressure in the ears. However, opening your mouth wide and moving your jaw until you hear a soft crack in your ear or yawning deliberately can often be enough to equalize the pressure. If the feeling of pressure in the ear occurs without external influences, it is usually caused by an infection. In this case, consult an ENT doctor.
8.
Have annual check-ups carried out by an ENT specialist. This is particularly important if you are exposed to high levels of noise, for example due to your occupation.
9.
Your local hearing care professional offers free hearing tests, which should also be performed once a year. These tests enable timely diagnosis and, if necessary, the provision of hearing aids.