Hearing loss is the third most prevalent condition in America, affecting around 36 million people in the country. While congenital loss of hearing is present at birth or develops during infancy, many of the acquired cases of hearing damage actually can be averted.
When it comes to hearing loss, you can implement simple yet effective ways of warding it off. Some of the most basic practices include vaccinating your children against infectious diseases that can damage their hearing, such as meningitis, measles, and rubella.
Sometimes even simple earwax may result in loss of hearing, which is easily remedied by getting your ears cleaned professionally. If your hearing loss occurs after starting a new medication, talk to your doctor about the potential side effects of your medication and about changing your medication since certain ototoxic medications are known to cause hearing loss.
Smoking and alcohol consumption also increase your chances of developing hearing loss, so limiting your intake of these harmful substances can also help your hearing. We also subject ourselves to a lot of noise at home and in the workplace, which can result in noise-induced hearing loss. To prevent this from happening, limit your exposure to harmfully loud noises (those exceeding 85dB are considered unsafe for your hearing). In addition, always use hearing protection before exposing yourself to excessively loud noises, such as those during concerts, sporting events, or even at work.
Another effective way of boosting your hearing and preventing hearing loss is improving your daily diet. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently published an article that reported that consuming more than two servings of fish each week can actually help lower your chances of developing hearing damage by 20%.
We often do not think of fish as something as appetizing as a good steak or chicken breast, but the benefits of eating fish are many. Fish contains several nutrients necessary for healthy hearing, such as zinc and magnesium. The study mentioned above examined 65,215 women over a period of 18 years. The results indicated that those women who ate more fish had reported lower rates of having hearing loss compared to those women who ate little or no fish. This suggests that adding fish to your daily meals may be a good idea.
Fish is not only healthier in terms of containing healthy fats, but also boosts your hearing by increasing the supply of oxygenated blood to your ears. This helps keep your ears healthy and wards off hearing loss. If you were looking for changing up your diet, this may be the perfect opportunity and reason to do so. Eat more fish a week and keep your ears healthy for all your years to come.