Don't Overlook Your Ear Health
Our ears play a crucial role in how we experience our surroundings and communicate with those around us. They are responsible for hearing and our sense of balance. When your ears aren't functioning properly, you can experience an array of symptoms, including hearing loss, cognitive decline, balance issues, delayed speech processing and tinnitus or itchy ears (due to inflammation or fungus). So yes, ear health is incredibly important! Let’s take a look at what we can do to keep our ears healthy…
What Happens if You Don't Clean Your Ears?
Your ears don’t necessarily need cleaning, but if too much earwax builds up and starts to cause symptoms or it keeps your doctor from doing a proper ear exam, you might have something called cerumen impaction. This means earwax has completely filled your ear canal and it can happen in one or both ears. This may cause a feeling of pressure in the ear and diminished hearing. Even worse, clumps of earwax pushed down near the eardrum can lead to painful ear infections (which can trigger dizziness, nausea, and vomiting). We truly do tend to underestimate the importance of ear health in our daily lives. But not to worry, here are a few easy ways to keep your ears healthy!
Use Earplugs Around Loud Noises
Inside your ear, there are lots of tiny fibers that help you hear. Over time, loud noise can damage these fibers, and once they're damaged, they can't ever be fixed. That's why it's so important to start protecting your ears now (especially while you're young).
Turn Down the Volume
We all love to listen to our favorite song on blast but loud noise can damage the parts of your inner ear that detect sound and send signals to the brain. Temporary hearing loss can happen when you are around loud noises. High levels of noise and sound are currently the leading causes of hearing loss globally, especially for young people.
Give Your Ears Time to Recover
Give your ears time to recover after they've been exposed to loud noise. According to Action on Hearing Loss, you need at least 16 hours of rest for your ears to recover after spending around 2 hours in 100dB sound, for example in a club. Reducing this recovery time increases the risk of permanent deafness.
Stop Using Cotton Swabs to Clean Your Ears
Using cotton swabs can push the wax deeper into your ear canal. Using a cotton swab is like a plunger - it pushes earwax deeper and deeper in. One problem is that if you push the wax deeper inside, there's no way for the wax to get swept out of the ear. Also, cotton swabs can cause punctured ear drums and hearing loss.
Instead, opt for ear candles. Like these Natural Beeswax (propolis) Ear Candles from The Olio Store.
Ear candles are hollow cone candles made of wax-covered fabric. The pointed end is placed in your ear while the other end is lit. The warm “suction” is believed to remove earwax, improve hearing, and treat conditions like sinus infections and colds.
Propolis has been added to the blend of beeswax in the ear candle to soothe and protect. Once the candle is lit, propolis vapours delicately fill the ear canal. It is a painless, harmless and a totally relaxing experience. Click here to shop these Ear Candles now!
Keep Your Ears Dry
Your ear canals are dark and warm; they can easily become infected with bacteria or fungi. If you swim or even shower more often during summer, water can get into your ears. This removes the protective ear wax in your ear allowing bacteria and fungi to grow. Pool, shower or bath water often has pathogens in them such as bacteria and chemicals. Symptoms of iInfection of the ear include pain and itching. Recovering from ear infections can take up to six weeks – in some cases longer! Therefore, it is important to avoid water getting into your ears.
Get Up & Move
Physical exercise isn't just good for your heart health, it's good for your ear health. Daily walks or jogs can do wonders for your blood circulation, which can dramatically improve auditory function. Anything that gets your heart rate up for a short period can be highly beneficial.
Manage Stress Levels
When your body responds to stress, the overproduction of adrenaline reduces blood flow to the ears, affecting hearing. The fragile hair cells in the inner ear rely on a constant flow of blood to receive the right amount of oxygen and other nutrients. Try to holistically manage your stress levels through breathing exercises, physical exercise, get better quality sleep and eat well. A more hands on approach to releasing stress directly from the ear is to place the ear cartilage between the thumb and forefinger, gently hold the ear and pull it outward away from your head, letting the ear slide through your fingers until it is released. Take care to reach all the way to the spot behind the ear where the ear attaches to the side of your head before gently pulling away.
Never underestimate how good you feel when you prioritise your ear health. From improved relationships to feeling more energised. Stay sharp and look after your prongs.