Many of us think hearing loss is a natural part of getting older. However, in actual fact, hearing loss can affect people of all ages. Luckily, there are actions we can all take to protect our hearing as much as possible.
For Self Care Week, at The Hearing Care Partnership, we want to talk more about why it’s important to protect your hearing and get tested regularly.
How can you protect your hearing?
Our bodies are incredibly clever, often being able to self-heal. However, there are parts of our body that, once damaged, will not bounce back quite so easily. That’s why it’s so important to look after ourselves, including our hearing. But how can we protect our hearing against what life throws at it?
Turn down the music
Listening to loud music regularly can lead to hearing loss, otherwise known as Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). In fact, around 20% of the UK population suffer from this in some form. At THCP, we offer custom-made earplugs that lower volume without compromising sound clarity.
Stop using cotton buds
They may seem harmless, but cotton buds can be highly problematic, damaging the tiny hairs in your ear canal that are designed to clean your ears themselves. In fact, earwax functions to trap dirt, and has antibacterial properties. If earwax builds up beyond normal levels, we offer a professional ear wax removal service.
Keep your ears dry
Prolonged exposure to moisture, without time to dry naturally, can lead to ear infections, such as ‘swimmers ear’. We offer custom-fit swimming earplugs that block water from entering your ear canal.
And last but not least...
...get a hearing test, it’s FREE!
The earlier a hearing issue is identified, the better the chance you have of addressing the problem and preventing the loss worsening. Despite 11 million people in the UK living with hearing loss, it takes an average of 10 years for hearing loss to be acknowledged and acted upon. Should a hearing loss be discovered in a hearing test, hearing aids can help - although they can’t recover any hearing you’ve lost, they can help you make the most of the hearing you have.
Find out more information about The Hearing Care Partnership here, or contact us for an appointment at your nearest THCP branch.
