Your ears arent just for hearing.
Noise exposure, aging, medications and other health conditions can all contribute to the problem.
Heres what to know about taking care of the two amazing organs on opposite sides of your head.
WHERE TO START
1.
Wear ear plugs or protective earmuffs for longer exposures, Gaffney suggests.
Either plugs or muffs can reduce noise volume by 15 to 30 dB.
Pack plugs on the go
The world is full of loud noise these days.
Movies may blast soundtracks at 74 to 104 dB; concerts and sporting events can be even louder.
Sound levels in trains, buses, subways and airplane cabins can also exceed 75 dB.
Carry ear plugs and wear them when noise levels are high, McCaslin says.
For concerts, he suggests that audience members and musicians try out musicians earplugs.
These reduce sound evenly across all frequencies, so sound quality isnt affected, he says.
Custom-made types can work better and last longer than over-the-counter versions, he says.
In some smartphones, you might also enable warnings when your sound environment hits high volumes, he says.
Set volume controls to half of your devices top volume or less.
And take listening breaks to give your ears a rest, he suggests.
Risk may be higher for older adults.
Less is known about longer-term hearing loss from these drugs.
She may be able to adjust the dose, put you on another drug or monitor your hearing.
Dont attempt to clean further in, though.
This can hurt your ear canal and contribute to an ear-wax blockage.
Need an ear-hair trim?
Your barber or hairdresser can probably also trim ear hair and may do a better job.
They have a better angle and can see exactly what they are doing, he says.
Dont use scissors, which could damage skin in your ear canal.
Ear hair also gets coarser with age, impeding wax flow.
If youre having these symptoms, ask your internist about wax removal.
Stay dry
Swimmers ear, a painful infection of the outer ear, isnt just a childhood problem.
Afterwards, dry ears with a clean towel.
Help trapped water drain by tilting your head to one side, then the other.
