How to Keep Your Ears in Tip-Top Shape

Like most people, you want to keep in tip-top shape, so you look and feel your best. You may walk briskly to exercise your heart, do sit ups or crunches to combat belly fat and keep your skin moisturized to avoid chapping and wrinkles. But did you ever think that you need to keep your ears in shape?

Keep your ears in shape

You only get two ears. It just makes sense to take care of them. They are vital to your sense of hearing. Protecting your ears and hearing involves monitoring your weight, as hearing loss and obesity are linked. The higher your body mass index (ratio of body weight to height) the higher your risk of hearing loss. As such, the exercise you do for your heart and joints can help your ears as well.

One of the most important things you can do to keep your ears in shape for optimum hearing is to protect them against noise damage. Exposure to loud noise and prolonged noise exposure damages the fine hair cells that are critical to hearing.

Avoid infection

Take care of your ears and they will take care of you. The best way to avoid ear infections is to keep your ears clean and dry. Never use cotton swabs to clean your ears.  This can potentially push bacteria further in your ear canal. In addition, you can impact wax and cause another set of problems.

Earwax is produced by your body as a way to keep your ears clean. Earwax actually forms from the inner part of the ear and then moves outward. If you have a problem with impacted earwax or your ears produce excessive amounts of wax, see the otolaryngologist, or ENT right away. The ENT can perform a lavage procedure to safely remove this wax without damaging your ear or hearing.

Keep your ears dry. Don’t submerse your head in the bathtub. That dirty water is full of the germs you just washed off your body. The last thing you want to do is get germ filled water in your ears. In the shower, keep water out of your ears as well.

If you swim, invest in a set of earplugs. They are well worth the price to help avoid an ear infection.

Let the ENT help

The ENT can help you keep your ears in good working condition. If you have itching or pain in your ears, see the ENT for relief. Treat upper respiratory problems as soon as they arise. These infections can cause secondary ear infections. If you are having a problem with chronic sinus problems, see the ENT for treatment to resolve the sinus infection and protect your ears as well.