How to protect ears and hearing scientifically

Hearing impairment is the most common sensory impairment in the world. According to the World Health Organization's 2020 Global Hearing Report, there are currently more than 430 million people suffering from hearing loss worldwide.

Most of us like to clean our ears whenever we want, and listen to music at a very high volume... These unintentional habits can cause damage to our hearing.

A study by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that elderly people with good hearing live longer than their hearing-impaired peers. The study, which was mainly conducted on people over 70 years old, found that people with hearing loss are 21% to 39% more likely to die in the next few years than normal people.

【1】How do I determine if I have any hearing problems?

1. Hearing loss 2. Tinnitus 3. Ear pain

【2】What bad habits can damage our hearing?

1. Picking ears is a habit that many people have, but little do they know that this seemingly hygienic behavior is actually damaging their hearing. Picking ears with sharp objects can easily cause perforation of the eardrum. Picking ears with unsterilized ear picks or other unclean objects can easily cause inflammation of the external auditory canal, which can lead to hearing loss in severe cases.

2. Frequent temper tantrums, emotional excitement, anger, depression, sadness and other negative emotions may induce sudden deafness.

3. Blowing your nose hard can easily squeeze the mucus containing a large amount of viruses and bacteria out into the posterior nasal opening, where it reaches the Eustachian tube and causes otitis media.

4. Long-term exposure to tobacco smoke or secondhand smoke, and drinking alcohol, because toxins such as nicotine in tobacco can cause contraction and spasm of small blood vessels in the inner ear, causing blood circulation disorders in the inner ear, and chronic alcohol poisoning can directly damage the auditory nerve.

5. The volume of the headphones is too loud. Listening to the volume at too high a level for 1 hour and 15 minutes may cause permanent hearing loss.

6. Skydiving or diving: Sudden changes in air pressure may cause damage to the eardrum, leading to ear pain, tinnitus or hearing loss.

7. Long-term exposure to harmful chemicals, such as some harmful chemicals such as organic solvents, heavy metals, etc., may damage the sensory cells of the inner ear and cause hearing loss.

【3】How to protect our hearing?

1. Stay away from noise and avoid long-term and continuous noise stimulation, such as walkman, machine roar, etc.

2. When wearing headphones frequently, you should follow the "60~60~60" principle: the volume should not exceed 60% of the maximum volume, the continuous listening time should not exceed 60 minutes, and the external sound should not exceed 60 decibels.

3. If you experience tinnitus, stuffy ears, dizziness, or difficulty concentrating, you should be alert and it is recommended that you have a hearing test once a year. For those who are frequently exposed to noise, it is recommended that you have a hearing test twice a year.

4. Zinc supplementation in diet. Zinc deficiency is an important cause of presbycusis. You can eat more zinc-rich foods such as fish, beef, pork liver, chicken, etc. In addition, magnesium deficiency can also easily lead to hearing loss. You may wish to eat more kelp, seaweed, sesame, etc.

5. Pay attention to ear hygiene. Good ear hygiene is particularly important for protecting hearing. For example: prevent water from entering the ears and do not pick your ears frequently.

6. Check your hearing regularly: at least once a year to detect and intervene in hearing problems in a timely manner

7. Pay attention to relaxing our mood and reducing stress. A good attitude is also a good way to protect hearing.

Dear friends, ears are small but they are inextricably linked to our daily lives, filling every note and every corner of our lives. Starting today, let us take action together to better protect our ears and cherish our hearing treasures with scientific methods!

Don’t forget to share this with your friends so that more people can better protect their ears and hearing, and cherish this auditory gift that allows them to perceive the beautiful world.

The picture is from the Internet. If there is any infringement, please contact us to delete it.