Parents capture heart-warming moment baby boy hears for the first time.
Many people are hesitant to get their hearing tested.
Common excuses:
1. “I can hear fine – as long as you look right at me or speak up.”
2. “Too many people mumble, and isn’t it hard from everyone to hear in background noise?”
3. “I have ‘selective hearing.’”
4. “If a hearing exam were important, my family physician would have recommended it.”
5. “I don’t want my boss to know my hearing is going.”
Because hearing depends on small blood vessels and nerves in the inner ear, researchers theorize that high blood glucose levels over time in diabetics can damage these blood vessels and nerves causing diminished ability to hear.
13 studies found that diabetics were 2.15 times more likely to have hearing loss even in their early years.
1. Annual Hearing Exam by an Audiologist. You do it for your eyes. Now do it for your ears.
2. Use hearing aids, if recommended. Hearing aid technology has advanced radically in recent years. Hearing loss is not reversible; however, today’s hearing aids - virtually invisible - can dramatically enhance your ability to hear and engage with others. Hearing aids today can stream sound directly from your smartphone and other Bluetooth devices.
3. Keep your blood sugar under control. Blood sugar levels can affect your hearing health.
4. Use ear protection. Using ear protection is one of the best - and simplest - things you can do to preserve your hearing. Carry disposable earplugs with you. Limit your use of headphones and ear buds.
Your heart and hearing may have more in common than you realize. A person’s hearing health and cardiovascular health frequently correspond. A healthy cardiovascular system—a person’s heart, arteries, and veins—has a positive effect on hearing. Conversely, inadequate blood flow and trauma to the blood vessels of the inner ear can contribute to hearing loss.
David R. Friedland, MD, PhD, Professor and Vice-Chair of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee says, “The inner ear is so sensitive to blood flow that it is possible that abnormalities in the cardiovascular system could be noted here earlier than in other less sensitive parts of the body.”
4 heart-healthy reasons to get a hearing test:
1. Research points to heart-hearing health link.
2. The ear may be a window to the heart.
3. The same lifestyle behaviors that affect the heart impact hearing.
4. Addressing hearing loss improves quality of life, helps reduce stress.
The best part of the Christmas season is connecting with family and friends. Don’t let unaddressed hearing loss get in the way. Check out our Hearing Loss Questionnaire on the link below for yourself or with a family member.
http://www.digitalhearing4u.com/DoINeedaHearingAid.aspx