Many of us have heard of the term “swimmer’s ear,” but there are other ear complications you don’t want to experience this summer. For instance, not only does summertime offer an increased amount of swimming, but it can also bring way to an increase in concerts-causing “music-lover’s ear.” You may even overly clean your ears, leading way to “unpressurized ear.” By following some simple precautions and caring for your ears, you can ensure a summer healthy ears.
Protect Your Ears at Your Next Summer Concert or Music Festival
A poll provided by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association indicated that 28% of high-school kids say that they have had to turn up the volume to hear the television. Similarly, another 29% say that they notice they often say “huh” or “what” a lot during their normal conversations. A smaller, but more significant number say that they have experienced tinnitus, or ringing in the ears. Other symptoms of hearing damage from personal entertainment devices and concerts include thinking that other people are speaking in a muffled way. These are symptoms older people typically experience, not children-until now.
Many of us listen to our MP3 players or IPods with ear buds that funnel the sound waves directly into the ear. Long-term exposure to high volume levels can gradually wear out the tiny hair cells of the inner ear that convert sound into nerve signals that go to the brain. Age, disease, infections, drugs, trauma, and genetics can also cause hearing loss. However, hearing loss can also occur with sudden exposure, or very few exposures, to severely loud sounds like an explosion or loud concert.
Follow this simple advice to protect your ears this summer:
*If you are listening to music through earbuds, take a break.
*Look into noise-reducing headphones so that you don’t crank up the volume
*Don’t stand or sit right next to a speaker at a party or concert
*Parents: don’t let your child fall asleep with earbuds in.
Be Careful When Cleaning Your Ears
Earwax may look unsightly, but it is designed to protect your ear. When earwax migrates to the outside, you can clean it off with a washcloth. If you read a package of ear swabs, it says not to insert into the ear. Sticking something into your ear canal to get out wax can push the wax further in and compact it. If your ear is impacted with earwax, visit your ENT who can safely clear it out for you.
Treating Swimmer’s Ear
Swimmer’s ear is caused by any number of common bacteria found in lakes, hot tubs, and pools. In many cases, the infection gets going from a trauma in the ear canal-possibly a nick or scratch. Starting out as itching and possible soreness inside the ear, swimmer’s ear soon can become extremely painful and swollen-especially if you press on the ear opening. A trip to your Nampa ENT will help to clean your ear out. If your ear is swollen shut, your ENT may also put a wick, which is a cellulose sponge that will carry the prescription drops to the infection.
Visit your ENT in Nampa for further diagnosis and treatment of your hearing condition. Remember, it is not normal to hear ringing in your hear or to begin to lose hearing in your ear. With proper diagnosis and treatment you can regain your hearing.