It is important to look after our ears and hearing from an early age. Practise these tips and hear well, for life!
- Avoid frequent or sustained exposure to loud noises – learn to recognize potentially dangerous noise levels whether it is at your home, the workplace, in a concert and other settings. Be mindful of your hearing at live concerts and shows
- Turn down the music – it is simple: too much noise will damage your hearing, even if you are wearing headphones
- Protect your hearing at work – for people working in noisy environment, always wear protective head phones
- Be careful with ototoxic drugs and chemicals – ototoxic drugs and chemicals are those which have the potential to damage your hearing.
- Protect yourself from diseases which can lead to hearing loss – avoid illnesses and diseases which can lead to hearing loss, such measles, mumps, rubella, whooping cough, meningitis and syphilis.
- Avoid head trauma – damage to the middle and inner ear due to head injury or trauma can result in hearing loss. Wear a helmet when riding a bike, wear a seatbelt in the car, be careful when scuba diving and prevent situations with a risk of falling.
- Don’t try to clean out your ears – most people do not need to clean out their earsas any excess wax from the ear is expelled.
- Lead a healthy lifestyle – making certain healthy lifestyle choices can help to protect your hearing and ward off hearing loss for years to come. Exercise, eat well, quit smoking and decrease caffeine and salt intake.
- See your GP or your audiologist if you are worried about your hearing – so you have been to a concert, and the ringing in your ear has not gone away after 24 hours? If you are worried or unsure what to do, see your doctor or make an appointment with your audiologist
