We keep ourselves cautious about our health and body functioning. But many of us are unaware of or overlook the importance of ear health. Similar to other parts of the body, ear must also be given proper attention. It is important to know how to take care of ears. To understand our ear better, we need to know about it. Here are few helpful tips and health information about ears and how to take care of it.
The truth about Earwax
First of all, you have to break the myth about earwax. Earwax is the yellow waxy substance inside your ear canal. This earwax is not a bad gross thing. It has lot to do with ear hygiene. Earwax has number of important roles in protecting the skin of the ear canal; assisting in lubrication; self-cleaning of ear canal; and also provides protection against foreign objects, insects, water and other microorganisms.
How to clean your ears
You have to know that your ears have self-cleaning capacity. That is, you need not clean your ear canal. Using cotton swabs or ear candles can cause damage to your ear drum as well as lead to conductive hearing loss. However, if you have excessive wax buildup, the best thing to do is to consult a healthcare professional. You can either lubricate your ears using wax softening agents like mineral oil, baby oil or prescribed eardrops.
What can affect your hearing?
- Since your ears are sensitive, make sure to not experience sounds more than 85 decibels. Use protective earplug when exposed to loud noises.
- Frequent use of pain relievers can lead to permanent or temporary hearing loss. Such medications can poison your ears in the long run.
- Regular smoking habit will have its toll on hearing. It will increase the risk of hearing loss. Chemicals in cigarettes affect the ear functioning. It is estimated that smokers are 15% more likely to experience hearing loss.
A Word for Care
- There are certain things that you should NEVER do to your ear.
- Don’t stick anything in your ear smaller than your elbow. Inserting Q-tips or any sharp objects into your ear will cause your earwax to go further deep into the ear canal. This might lead to trauma to the canal wall or damage the eardrum. So always let the natural ear process perform the cleaning. Just use a tissue to wipe off the wax around the outer ear after shower.
- When water gets trapped after swimming or other water activities, it might lead to ear infections. So consider using swim plugs to avoid it.
- Do not use eardrops without medical prescription.