A new year is approaching, and for many of us that means time to make a New Year’s resolution. According to Ipsos, it’s estimated that 38% of Americans plan to make a resolution. Of these, approximately 50% are committed to being more active. 51% want to eat healthier.
It’s clear that when it comes to New Year Resolutions, many of us have health and wellness on the mind. It’s not hard to understand why. The holiday season is synonymous with an increase in social engagements, and often overindulgence in food and drink.
Although many of us start with the best intentions, sticking to a New Year’s resolution is trickier. If you’ve committed to better health and well-being this year, have you considered committing to better hearing health? We’ve put together 4 hearing health resolutions that are easy to stick to, and can help protect your hearing in 2020.
4 Hearing Health Resolutions for the New Year
Your hearing health may not be something that you immediately think of when making a New Year’s resolution. However, protecting your hearing health has wider implications on your overall health and wellbeing. Here are our top 4 hearing health resolutions for 2020.
- Wear Hearing Protection
Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) is estimated to impact up to 24 percent of adults in the U.S., according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). NIHL is a preventable hearing loss that can be avoided by taking some steps to help protect your hearing. Noises that are 85 decibels and above can cause hearing damage.
If you are regularly exposed to loud noise – say for example you work in a noisy environment, we recommend investing in some quality hearing protection. Custom fit earplugs can protect your ears. If you’d like to learn more about how noise can affect your health, please click here.
- Get Active
Physical fitness has many benefits. Improved endurance and weight loss are the most commonly associated benefits. What you may not realize is that getting active can also have a positive impact on your hearing health. Physical activity can help improve your cardiovascular health, and research is showing that improved cardiovascular health can lead to better hearing sensitivity.
The reason behind this improvement is down to the delicate structures that make up your ear. Improved blood flow keeps the auditory system within your cochlea, known to be a “high energy demanding organ” according to Shinichi Someya, Ph.D., supplied with oxygen-rich blood. Just one more reason to get out there and get your heart rate up!
- Use Noise Cancelling Headphones
We’ve already touched upon NIHL coming from loud environments. However, you can also put yourself at risk of NIHL by listening to music or audiobooks through your headphones. Experts suggest keeping your listening volume to 60 – 85 decibels to minimize any risks to your hearing.
This can be tricky if you’re somewhere with a lot of background noise – a situation that often causes us to ramp up the volume. Using noise-cancelling headphones can help to reduce the effects of background noise, with the added benefit of protecting your hearing!
- Book a Hearing Assessment
Along with the previous resolutions, one of the most important resolutions you can make for your hearing health is booking a hearing assessment. Many people may suspect that their hearing has changed, but are reluctant to seek help. In fact, it’s estimated that up to 28.8 million adults in the United States could benefit from using hearing aids, according to the NIDCD.
The effects of untreated hearing loss have been linked to a number of health conditions. Booking a hearing assessment is probably the easiest hearing health resolution you can make. If you would like to speak to a hearing specialist, contact the team at Regional Hearing and Balance Center. Please call us on 208-497-3596, or click here to request an appointment online.
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