[National Ear Care Day] Love your ears scientifically and protect your ears to achieve active health!

National Hearing Day: According to statistics, there are 27.8 million hearing disabled people in China, with more than 300,000 new hearing disabled people added every year, making it the country with the most hearing disabled people in the world.

Hearing loss can be caused by genetics, complications at birth, certain infectious diseases, chronic ear infections, exposure to high levels of noise, use of ototoxic drugs, and aging. Unsafe ear usage habits put more than a billion young people around the world at risk of permanent hearing loss. At the same time, the rate of hearing loss increases with age, and more than 25% of people over the age of 60 are affected by disabling hearing loss.

1.WHO hearing loss classification standards:

2. How to self-check whether your hearing is damaged:

(1) You can hear the sound but not clearly.

(2) You cannot hear the phone or doorbell unless you are very close.

(3) You feel a sound in your head, such as buzzing or ringing (tinnitus).

(4) Difficulty hearing sounds in a noisy environment.

(5) Only when you face the speaker can you understand clearly.

3. What are the factors that affect hearing loss?

(1) Age factor:

As we age, the cells in the cochlea slowly wear away. Once this relay station for sound wave signals is damaged, it will lead to hearing loss.

(2) Noise:

Long-term exposure to noise, such as occupational noise, routine sounds from workshops, carpentry, etc.; or short-term noise, such as gunshots, etc., may induce internal damage to the ears.

(3) Mental and psychological factors:

Excessive mental stress, stress, and mood swings may induce deafness.

(4) Some diseases that may affect hearing:

Heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes can interfere with the blood supply to the ear, putting hearing function at potential risk.

4. How to avoid hearing damage:

(1) Avoid excessive noise:

How loud is noise? If you shout loud enough to be heard above the noise around you, the noise is enough to damage your hearing. For example, the sounds of motorcycles, music players, and power tools like saws and drills are all loud enough to harm your hearing over time.

(2) Limit exposure to loud sounds:

Sometimes when you cant avoid loud sounds, its best to limit the time you spend there. Noise-induced hearing loss is caused by the loudness of sounds combined with prolonged listening.

(3) Remove earwax correctly:

Waxy build-up in your ears can make sounds muffled. But dont clean with cotton swabs. The cotton swab will push the earwax deeper into your ear canal. Instead, use a home irrigation device to soften the wax and gently wash the ears. If earwax has become compacted in your ears, your doctor may need to remove it.

(4) Risks of hearing examination and treatment:

About 200 drugs are potentially ototoxic, or damage hearing. These include some antibiotics and certain anti-cancer drugs, among others. Even high doses of aspirin can damage your ears. Take prescribed medication and consult your doctor to make sure it does not threaten your hearing. If you must take a drug that may be ototoxic, make sure your doctor checks your hearing and balances your treatment.