Most of us are aware of the more common causes of hearing loss, such as ageing, exposure to excessive noise, and blasting music through earphones. Yet, there are some more surprising ones, too.
But knowledge is power, and being aware of the habits that can damage your hearing is the first step in protecting your hearing health. We’ll explore eight of them below.
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If you’d like to book a private hearing test, The Hearing Care Partnership offers a free full hearing assessment, followed up with personalised advice tailored to your needs. You can book using the button below.
1. Not getting your ears checked
In the UK, people aged 40 to 74 who don’t have pre-existing conditions should be invited to an NHS Health Check every five years – but that may not be frequent enough to detect the early signs of hearing loss.
As with routine checks of other body parts, like our eyes and teeth, regular hearing checks can alert us to changes in our hearing health, so that issues can be treated as quickly as possible. Untreated hearing loss can result in irreversible damage, putting you at risk of other physical and mental health conditions, too.
For example, research suggests that untreated hearing loss is closely linked to loneliness and social isolation, which in turn is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, depression, anxiety, and dementia. Untreated hearing loss can also increase the risk of falling.
Hearing loss is progressive, so by the time you’ve realised you can’t hear as well as you used to, you’ll probably already benefit from a hearing aid. The most important thing you can do to protect both your ears and your hearing is to get your hearing checked.
2. Using cotton buds
Cleaning your ears with cotton buds may seem more helpful than harmful, but it’s one of the worst things you can do for your ear and hearing health. Cotton buds can push wax further down the ear canal, causing it to become impacted and block the ears like a plug. Impacted earwax can cause hearing loss, infection, dizziness, earache, and vertigo.
Cotton buds can also irritate and damage the delicate skin inside the ear canal, trigger the cough reflex, and, in the worst case, perforate the eardrum.
If you’re concerned about earwax build-up, it’s worth reading this removal guide from the NHS. Some pharmacies also offer an earwax removal service. Head over to the NHS website to find your nearest one.
Hear life in full colour. Book a FREE hearing test!
The Hearing Care Partnership offer FREE full hearing tests to help you stay connected to everyday moments.
With 400+ clinics across the UK, personalised care, discreet hearing aids, support for tinnitus and gentle ear wax removal, book your free test today.
3. Smoking
We all know that smoking is bad for our health; it can lead to cancer, heart disease, lung disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases like emphysema and chronic bronchitis. But most people aren’t aware that smoking can also harm hearing.
Smokers and those exposed regularly to second-hand smoke are at a higher risk of hearing loss or ear health issues for several reasons. Firstly, nicotine and carbon monoxide lower blood oxygen levels and constrict blood vessels across your body, including those in the inner ear. Nicotine can also interfere with neurotransmitters in the auditory nerve, making you more sensitive to loud noises and, therefore, more susceptible to developing noise-induced hearing loss.
Smoke inhalation can also block or irritate the eustachian tubes (the tubes that connect the back of your nose and throat to the middle ear), causing pressure buildup and hearing loss. Plus, research shows that smokers report a higher incidence of tinnitus.
If you smoke and would like to quit, you can find information in our article: 7 tips for quitting smoking.
4. Drinking
Like smoking, drinking alcohol is another habit that we all know can be harmful, but most of us probably aren’t aware of the link between alcohol consumption and hearing loss. While having the occasional drink isn’t usually a problem, several studies suggest that drinking moderate to high levels of alcohol can damage our hearing.
One study found that heavy drinking over a long period damages the central auditory cortex, the part of the brain that interprets sound. High alcohol consumption can lead to shrinkage of this cortex, which increases the time it takes to process sound. This can make it trickier to distinguish words and follow conversations.
For tips on reducing your alcohol consumption, have a read of our articles: How to make healthier drink choices and 10 tips to stay alcohol-free beyond dry January.
5. Motorsports
If you’re a fan of motorsports, you’re probably already aware of just how loud things can get. According to the Hearing Health Foundation, a safe decibel level – one that’s unlikely to cause any hearing damage if we’re exposed to it – is usually under 70 decibels. A normal motorcycle is around 95 decibels, while a Formula 1 race produces 147 decibels of sound, which is significantly higher than what’s considered safe.
Exposure to such levels of noise presents a risk of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and can cause tinnitus symptoms, which usually present as hissing, buzzing, ringing, humming, or whooshing sounds in your ear.
You don’t have to be driving a motorised vehicle to be at risk of hearing loss, either. Simply spectating a motorsport can lead to permanent hearing damage. So if you attend these events, it’s important to wear hearing protection like earplugs or earmuffs and, if possible, put distance between yourself and the noise. Take time away from loud noises after, too, to allow your ears to recover.
6. Watersports
Many of us have experienced the irritating feeling of having water stuck in our ears after swimming, but hitting the water can lead to more serious problems.
Swimmer’s ear is a bacterial infection caused by moisture left in the ear, exposure to contaminated water, or bacteria entering a break in the skin. And while it’s often mild to begin with, if left untreated, it can cause other problems like hearing loss (usually temporary), recurring ear infections, and bone and cartilage damage.
However, swimming isn’t the only watersport that affects hearing. Surfer’s ear is caused by prolonged exposure to cold water or wind and, as the name suggests, most commonly affects surfers – but windsurfers, kayakers, and open-water swimmers can also be at risk.
Surfer’s ear can lead to small, abnormal bony growths. These are harmless but can cause issues if they obstruct the ear and stop sound from travelling down the ear canal normally. Or, if a person produces a lot of earwax, these bony growths can make it difficult to keep the ears clear of wax.
Thankfully, you can easily prevent swimmer’s ear and surfer’s ear by wearing specific earplugs.
7. Turning the volume up
Many of us listen to portable audio devices like smartphones every day, whether at the gym, while walking, or even at work or home. But prolonged exposure to loud music can lead to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), so try to use the 60/60 rule: listen at no more than 60% volume, for no more than 60 minutes at a time.
Needing to turn your TV or devices up louder and louder to hear can also be a common indicator that your hearing isn’t as sharp as it once might’ve been. In this case, it’s important to get your hearing checked.
Hear life in full colour. Book a FREE hearing test!
The Hearing Care Partnership offer FREE full hearing tests to help you stay connected to everyday moments.
With 400+ clinics across the UK, personalised care, discreet hearing aids, support for tinnitus and gentle ear wax removal, book your free test today.
8. Going to busy bars and restaurants
While it’ll surprise few people that going to rock concerts can damage your hearing, other, less obvious venues can also take a toll. If you’re someone who likes going to busy, buzzing establishments – like popular restaurants, bars, and cafes – it’s worth taking a moment to consider just how noisy these are.
Busy pubs and bars can easily reach over 80 decibels, which can damage hearing if you’re exposed to it, unprotected, over long periods. It can also lead to what’s been called ‘pub deafness’, the phenomenon of having trouble hearing conversations in noisy environments.
While you don’t need to sacrifice your social life to protect your hearing, there are other ways you can avoid doing any damage. For example, why not visit your favourite venues at quieter times of the day or choose a smaller establishment with fewer people? If you do find yourself in a busy, noisy venue, simply stepping out every hour or so for a five or 10-minute break can make all the difference.
It can also help to choose venues with plenty of soft furnishings, such as carpets, curtains, and cushions, as these absorb sound and can, therefore, reduce echoes or harsh sounds in a room.
Final thoughts…
The first step to preventing hearing loss is to be aware of the causes and understand how to protect yourself. Caring for your hearing involves more than simply avoiding obvious sources of loud noise. It also means becoming mindful of everyday habits that have a subtle yet significant effect on your hearing.
From avoiding the use of cotton buds to wearing earplugs while swimming, there are many ways to protect your hearing – and several of them will provide other health benefits, too.
But the most important thing you can do to protect your hearing is to get your hearing checked.
For further reading, head over to our health section. Or you might like to read our article: 9 ways to improve your hearing.
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If you’d like to book a private hearing test, The Hearing Care Partnership offers a free full hearing assessment, followed up with personalised advice tailored to your needs. You can book using the button below.
Did you find any of these habits that can damage hearing health particularly surprising? We’d be interested to hear from you in the comments below.
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Hear life in full colour. Book a FREE hearing test!
The Hearing Care Partnership offer FREE full hearing tests to help you stay connected to everyday moments.
With 400+ clinics across the UK, personalised care, discreet hearing aids, support for tinnitus and gentle ear wax removal, book your free test today.
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