15 Tips to Improve Your Hearing and Prevent Hearing Loss

Do you struggle to hear the television? Are you frequently asking others to repeat themselves? If so, you're not alone: More than 1.5 billion people around the world — 20% of the global population — have some degree of hearing loss.¹ Our sense of hearing is delicate and complex, and it plays an essential role in our mental well-being.²

Read on to learn about the different types of hearing loss, the effects of hearing loss on your overall health and how you can help prevent it from happening in the first place.

Types of Hearing Loss

There are three basic types of hearing loss:³

• Conductive hearing loss occurs when sounds can't make it through the outer and middle ear to reach the inner ear.
• Sensorineural hearing loss happens with inner ear damage or problems with the nerves leading from the inner ear to the brain. It's the most common type of hearing loss.
• Mixed hearing loss is a combination of conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss.

How to Protect Your Hearing and Prevent Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can have a significant impact on your health and well-being.² Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help stop it from happening to you.⁴

Check out the tips below to protect your ears and keep your hearing sharp.

1. Avoid loud noises

Excessive noise is a common cause of hearing loss, but it's also preventable. Turn down the volume on your devices and wear earplugs when you have to be in a loud environment. Be especially careful around sounds above 80 decibels (e.g., at concerts, nightclubs or sporting events), which can damage your hearing.¹

2. Keep your ears dry

Excess moisture can lead to ear infections, which can cause hearing problems.⁵ After swimming or bathing, tilt your head to the side while tugging your earlobe to remove water from the ear canal.⁶

3. Don't smoke

Need another health-related reason to quit cigarettes? Smoking can increase your chances of hearing loss. That's because nicotine can interfere with the neurotransmitters that carry messages from your auditory nerve to your brain. But if you quit smoking, you can prevent future damage to your hearing and improve your health.¹

4. Understand the side effects of your medications

Some medicines can lead to permanent hearing loss, so discuss any possible side effects with your doctor before starting a new medication. That includes antibiotics like gentamycin, diuretics like furosemide and antimalarials like quinine.¹

5. Be aware of excessive ear wax

Ear wax protects the inside of your ear by trapping dirt and hampering the growth of bacteria. While ear wax is a natural and essential part of your body's defenses, a wax buildup can lead to hearing loss.

If you think you have an ear wax blockage, schedule an appointment with your doctor. Don't try to dig it out yourself since you could push the wax farther into your ear and damage your ear canal and eardrum.⁷

6. Avoid cotton swabs and other small objects

Never place any objects inside your ear canal, including cotton swabs. Doing so could damage your eardrum, which can cause hearing loss.⁷

7. Take vitamins and supplements

A healthy diet rich in vitamins and minerals is important for your overall health, including your hearing. In fact, several vitamins and minerals have been shown to improve ear function and hearing:⁸

• Folic acid encourages blood circulation to the ears and may boost energy production in the cells necessary for hearing.
• Magnesium may promote healthy nerve function in the ears and help stop damage to artery linings.
• Zinc supports the immune system, which can help prevent ear infections. It also protects the hair cells in the ear.

8. Protect your ears from the cold

Your outer ears have minimal fat for insulation, so your blood vessels must constrict blood flow to stay warm in cold weather. This affects the health of your ears, leaving you susceptible to ear infections and frostbite. To prevent this, keep your ears covered with earmuffs, a scarf or a hood when it's cold outside.⁶

9. Get some exercise

Exercise increases blood flow to the ears, which helps the tiny hair cells in the inner ear stay healthy. These hair cells translate sound into electrical impulses for the brain — and since the cells don't regenerate, your hearing suffers permanently when they get damaged or die.⁸ By doing something as simple as walking, gardening or even housework, you can help improve your hearing health.⁹

10. Focus on and locate sounds

Try this exercise to hone your hearing: Play two different sounds or songs from speakers placed in two different areas of a room. Close your eyes and ask someone to move in the noisy room while reading a sentence aloud. Repeat the sentence back to them and try to locate where they are.¹⁰

11. Meditate

Meditation can be a great way to lower stress and improve your hearing.⁸ After all, meditation involves deep breathing, which can increase the flow of blood and oxygen throughout your body.¹⁰ By incorporating meditation into your day, you can hone your ability to perceive and process sounds, including speech.⁸

12. Practice yoga

Yoga is another healthy way to improve your hearing and relieve symptoms of tinnitus. Practicing yoga can increase circulation in the ears and the brain, which helps remove toxins and improve nerve functioning. The best poses for circulation and hearing health include the cobra, lotus, tree and triangle poses.¹⁰

13. See your doctor regularly

Chronic conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes can increase the possibility of hearing loss. Regular checkups with your doctor are an important way to maintain your hearing health and catch potential problems early.¹¹

14. Schedule a hearing test

One way to improve your hearing health is to visit a hearing specialist. A routine hearing test provides your doctor with a baseline to which your hearing can be compared as you age, allowing changes to be detected and treatment options to be prescribed.¹²

15. Consider wearing hearing aids

If your doctor prescribes hearing aids to treat your hearing loss, be sure to wear them as recommended.¹ Hearing aid use can improve brain processing over time as it adjusts to renewed auditory stimulation.¹³ By wearing hearing aids, you can boost your listening ability and overall quality of life.¹

Effects of Untreated Hearing Loss

Untreated hearing loss can have a surprising impact on your overall health. Not only can hearing loss cause you to socially isolate — leading to depression and loneliness— it can also lead to physical symptoms such as muscle tension, headaches and high blood pressure.

If you think you or a loved one may have hearing loss, visit a doctor for a hearing test to evaluate the problem before it worsens or leads to other complications.

Financing Ear Care With the CareCredit Credit Card

The CareCredit credit card can help you pay for hearing care, including regular hearing tests, screenings and more.* Use our Acceptance Locator to find a hearing specialist near you that accepts CareCredit. Continue to invest in your wellness journey by downloading the CareCredit Mobile App to manage your account, find a provider on the go and easily access the Well U blog for more great articles, podcasts and videos.

In addition to hearing care, you can also use your CareCredit credit card for dentistry, cosmetic, pet care, vision, health systems, dermatology, pharmacy purchases, spa treatments and so much more within the CareCredit network. How will you invest in your health and wellness next?

Author Bio

Robyn Tellefsen is a freelance writer and editor with more than 20 years of experience covering health and wellness, finance and more. Her work has appeared on sites such as LoopNet, Beachside Rehab, First Horizon Bank, SoFi, A Place for Mom, American Express, Chase and more.