Can Hearing Be Improved?

Reviewed by Dr. Porter on February 1, 2020

If you’ve suffered from hearing loss, you know just how significant of an impact this can have on your everyday quality of life. Hearing loss can be caused by frequent exposure to loud noises, by trauma or simply by aging. Whatever the case may be, if you’ve dealt with any degree of hearing loss, you’re probably wondering what steps you can take to preserve and protect your hearing, and even potentially improve it, beyond just using hearing aids in Pierce County, WA.

Here’s a quick overview of some of the ways you can protect the hearing you have left:

• Take walks in quiet areas: Every now and then, get yourself out of the house and into a park or the woods or some other quiet area. What will happen is that going through these areas and focusing on the individual sounds and noises around you will train your ears to once again search for those sounds you wouldn’t normally hear. You can’t really do this in an environment with constant background noise—choosing a quieter environment helps you focus in on specific sounds a little better. Think of it as exercising your ears.
• Get exercise: Research shows people who are physically active and make it a point to keep themselves in good shape are more likely to have better hearing than people who do not get enough physical exercise. During exercise, your body pulls in more oxygen that, among other things, improves blood flow to the ears, which can help your hearing.
• Consider your diet: There are certain types of foods you can eat that will help to fortify your hearing. Foods that have high levels of magnesium, for example, are likely to help with your hearing abilities. Avocadoes are just one example—they contain high levels of magnesium, and also healthy fats that strengthen some important bodily functions like hearing.
• Quit smoking: If you’re a smoker, quit! Smoking will only worsen your hearing loss. There aren’t any positive health aspects of smoking to begin with, but one of the little-known effects smoking can have is that it can contribute to age-related hearing loss. You might start developing hearing loss even earlier in your life than you otherwise would have if you’re a smoker.
• Cut down on caffeine and salt: While many of us love our salty snacks and caffeinated beverages, these unfortunately can cut off blood flow to the ears, which can result in the body retaining fluids. The swelling that occurs as a result can damage some of your ear function and affect your hearing over time. You can try switching to decaf coffee, and taking steps to cut out some of the sodium in your diet. Or, if you’ve been drinking multiple cups of caffeinated coffee every day, try going down to just one caffeinated cup per day.

For more information about the steps you can take to improve and protect your hearing beyond just using hearing aids in Pierce County, WA, we encourage you to contact Harbor Audiology & Hearing Services Inc. today.

Categorised in: Hearing Aids