How to Protect Your Hearing This Summer

The summer is a time of year to enjoy being outdoors, not worrying about hearing loss. Unfortunately, throughout the summer, there are plenty of threats against your hearing that you need to be mindful of.

The thing with hearing loss is that it doesn’t just affect seniors. Anyone of any age can begin to experience some degree of hearing loss. Furthermore, hearing loss is irreversible, so once the damage is done, there isn’t much you can do to gain back your hearing.

These tips are useful for the whole family to reduce your risk of hearing loss this summer.

Tips to Prevent Hearing Loss This Summer

• Keep your ears dry when swimming. You can achieve this by wearing a swimming cap or earplugs. If you don’t choose to use these devices, ensure you’re properly drying your ears when you’re done swimming.
• Refrain from sticking objects in your ears like cotton swabs or fingers.
• Avoid picking at your ears to remove earwax, as you could end up causing more damage. If earwax build-up is affecting your hearing, speak to your doctor about safely removing it.
• Prevent moisture from getting into hearing aids, as this can cause them to not work effectively. This means keeping your hearing aids in a dry area and possibly investing in a hearing aid humidifier.
• Wear earplugs when attending loud sporting events or concerts. Even a cheap pair of earplugs can reduce noise exposure by 33 decibels.
• If you’re over the age of 60, go for a hearing test.
• Similar to watching concerts or sporting events, wear earplugs when watching fireworks or ensure you’re a safe distance away.
• Avoid sitting near speakers at gatherings.

By protecting your ears against the common hearing threats of summer, you can ensure you reduce your risk of hearing loss during this time of year.

Related:

• Temporary hearing loss (temporary threshold shift): Causes and treatments
• Improve your hearing naturally with these 5 tips
• How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep during the Summer