By Connie Colbert
AVV Director of Health Services
We don’t always think about taking care of our ears, but proper ear care can prevent common ear problems.
Caring for your ears includes cleaning, preventing, and treating infections, taking steps to avoid unnecessary noise, and watching out for possible hearing loss.
Connie Colbert
Did you know there is a right way to clean your ears? Here are a few tips on ear hygiene:
- Take extra care when cleaning your ears. Don’t clean your ears with anything smaller than a washcloth on your finger. Do not use cotton swabs, bobby pins, keys, or sharp, pointed objects to clean your ears. These objects can injure the ear canal or the eardrum. When the ear canal becomes scratched, it often leads to swelling and an infection called otitis externa. This can cause extreme pain and damage to the eardrum.
- You can also get infections in the ear canal. Moisture in the ear canal can encourage bacterial growth. One of the most common infections is the swimmer’s ear. The best protection against these infections is to keep your ears dry. Dry your ears with a towel after showering or swimming.
- Ear wax is the ear’s way of cleaning itself. If you have a build-up of wax blocking your hearing, see a doctor to have it removed. Do not try to remove it yourself.
- To cleanse your outer ear, simply use water, a gentle soap, and a washcloth. You can also use a cotton swab to stroke the curves of your upper ear – just don’t insert it into your ear canal. Use the washcloth to wipe over and behind your ear.
- If you experience itching or pain in your ears, see a doctor so they can examine your ear with an otoscope and determine the cause of the pain or itching. Often times it can be a sign of an infection, allergy, or even an injury.
- If you have pierced ears, regularly clean your earrings and earlobes with rubbing alcohol.
If you fly during this holiday season, you will often swallow and yawn as the plane crashes to even out the pressure in your ears. If you have an upper respiratory problem like a cold or sinus infection, take a decongestant a few hours before landing and / or use a decongestant spray just before you descend and when you land.
Because of the way our bodies are connected, certain illnesses – such as an upper respiratory tract infection – can make ear infections or hearing loss more likely.
In addition, side effects from medication can affect your ears. But when should you see a doctor?
- Some diseases and conditions can affect your hearing.
- Drainage from the ear is not normal and usually indicates an infection.
- Some medications can affect hearing. Only take medication as directed and see your doctor if you develop hearing problems, balance problems, or ringing in your ears. Something as common as aspirin or ibuprofen can contribute to hearing loss.
How to protect your hearing from noise:
- Loud noises can damage the tiny bones in your ear and lead to hearing loss. This noise-related hearing loss can be instantaneous. Or it can occur over time.
- Ear experts recommend that it takes about 16 hours of rest for your ears to recover from a single noisy night.
- To protect your hearing, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting the time and volume you spend listening to through headphones. According to the WHO, you should not use them for more than an hour a day and the volume should not be more than 60%. The WHO also suggests using noise-canceling headphones. These can help you resist the urge to make the music louder.
Warning signs of hearing loss:
- You have difficulty hearing conversation, especially when there is background noise.
- You often ask others to repeat what they have said.
- They don’t always understand what others are saying and respond inappropriately.
- You are having difficulty making a call.
- You agree, nod your head, or smile during conversation when you are not sure what has been said. Or you make an effort to hear or keep up conversations.
- The volume of the television or radio must be louder than others in the room prefer.
- The feeling that people are muttering or having marbles in their mouths when they are speaking.
- You find it difficult to hear surrounding noises such as birds chirping.
- Withdrawing from conversations and social situations because it is too difficult to hear.
- Lip reading so you can try to follow what people are saying.
- Hearing noises in the ears or in the head called tinnitus that are not caused by an external sound source.
When to be examined for hearing loss:
- Most school-age children have hearing screening at school every year.
- Adults who don’t have hearing loss or other ear problems can walk longer.
- The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association recommends having adults screened at least every 10 years until they are 50 years old. After that, you should have your hearing checked every 3-5 years.
- If you suspect you may have hearing loss, you should see a doctor.
