6 Wonderful Ways to Care for Your Hearing This Autumn
Autumn is here. For many people, autumn comes with a sigh of relief. The weather is a bit cooler. The annoying flies are gone. It’s time to wear your favourite jackets and cozy sweater. Everyone is thinking about Easter Holidays. With so many things to do, caring about your hearing health is probably quite low on the list!
However, some activities can affect your ear health and hearing. Here are 6 tips to keep your ears and hearing healthy in autumn.
1. Protect your hearing against garden tools’ noises
Leaf blowers, lawn mowers, chainsaws, hedge trimmer are incredibly loud and can damage your hearing if you are not careful. Some of the loud garden tools can blast out an ear splitting noise of 90 to 110 decibels. Be sure to wear hearing protection when using those tools. Ear protection muffs or earplugs are a good start. These can reduce noise by 20 to 30 decibels to a much safer level. Also, make sure you get plenty of quiet rest after using the tools can rejuvenate your hearing.
2. Enjoy the sound of your favourite sports
Australians are passionate about sports. Regardless to say, hearing makes sports more enjoyable -the cheers of the crowd, the final siren, the sound of ball hitting the cricket bat, referee’s whistle, the engine sound from the F1 cars etc. Therefore, to fully enjoy your favourite sports, it is important to keep your hearing health. If you watching the sports live, remember to wear earplugs. The passionate roar of a crowd can easily reach 110dB.
3. Keep your ears warm
Cooler temperatures mean it’s time to pull out your favourite jackets and scarves. While you are keeping your body warm, remember that your ears have no protective fat tissue and they cool down much quicker. Cooler weather, along with wind chill factor, may cause discomfort for your ears. When you are outside for long periods of time, covering your ears will help keep them warm and healthy.
4. Keep your hearing aids safe from autumn weather
As the autumn weather gets more unpredictable, make sure you are well-prepared when heading out. Your ears will be grateful for the protection, and your hearing aids will be kept safe too. Hearing aids are made of delicate electronic components which are susceptible to damage from outside conditions such as harsh winds and rain. If you fear that your hearing aids are clogged or wet, remove the batteries and give them a good clean with a dry, warm cloth. If possible, get a Dry-Aid Kit for your hearing aids.
5. Be aware of hay fever allergies
Hay fever allergies mainly occur in the spring and autumn. Pollen counts are high in many places, and dust is also flying everywhere. The most common symptoms affecting your hearing are itchy ears, ear fullness, reduced hearing and ear pain. Sometimes, your middle ears could be clogged by mucus too. These can often be treated by allergy medicines, such as antihistamines and decongestants. If the symptoms last longer than expected, please see your doctor for further diagnosis.
6. Seek assistance from your audiologist
The chance of your hearing aids getting clogged or malfunctioning increases due to the autumn weather. It is important to consult with your audiologist – Ivory Hearing when you feel that your hearing aids are not working as optimally as they should. This would help to prevent further or irreversible damages too. We will help find solution so that you can fully enjoy the conversation, laughter and nature sounds that autumn brings.
With just a little extra tender loving care, you can keep your hearing aids in tip-top shape. If you need other assistance with hearing aid care techniques or drying kit and cleaning accessories, please feel free to contact us. We are more than happy to help.