New Year’s resolutions are all about priorities. Although we know in the abstract that we should be pursuing a healthy lifestyle, it’s hard to make these healthy habits a priority in our daily lives. The conveniences of other ways of living can make it seem like a better approach, and sometimes we just want to indulge in the comforts of our vices. With a new year upon us, why not take the opportunity to renew that prioritization of healthy living? The classic measures of nutrition, exercise, rest, and hydration are a good way to start. Did you know that these features of a healthy lifestyle dovetail with your hearing health, as well?
Our habits make a huge difference in wellness, and an abrupt change on the first day of the year is unlikely to make a lasting difference. Instead, forming gradual new habits is a better approach. You are more likely to stick with a slow-and-steady strategy for healthy living than a cold-turkey commitment. Let’s consider how you can prioritize your health in the new year in a way that will last. You might be surprised how hearing health dovetails into each of the other dimensions of health, as well.
Healthy Living Habits
When you think about a healthy lifestyle, one of the top priorities is to eat right. Two of the healthiest diets have been shown to have a strong relationship with preventing hearing loss, as well. The Mediterranean Diet emphasizes whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and unsaturated fats. The diet limits consumption of red meat, sugars, and saturated fats that have a bad effect on the heart. The diet even permits drinking red wine in moderation, due to its antioxidant effects.
Another diet called DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension) is quite similar to the Mediterranean Diet. The main difference is that DASH encourages participants to limit the consumption of oils, including the olive oil that is included in the Mediterranean Diet, and red wine is prohibited. Health is an interconnected system, and these diets promote better heart and blood vessel strength as well as better hearing at the same time!
Exercise is the other main component of healthy living. When you think of prioritizing exercise, do you picture a session at the gym or jogging around a track? These are great ways to exercise, but they can also be difficult to sustain. One of the most sustainable approaches to exercise is to incorporate physical activity into your daily life. When you have the option to take the stairs, you can add that little burst of activity into your life. You can even make a conscious decision to park at the far end of the parking lot at the grocery store to get in a few more steps. Of course, taking a little walk after lunch or dinner is a great way to get low-impact physical activity. Promoting better heart health through exercise is also good for your hearing. The ears rely on oxygenated blood from the heart and blood vessels to be able to do the sensitive work of hearing. When the tiny hairlike organelles of the inner ear called stereocilia become bent, broken, or otherwise damaged, they no longer detect sound. A lack of oxygen can lead to this kind of damage, and a weak cardiovascular system can deprive the ears of what they need to do the work of hearing. In this manner, exercise is a great way to promote better hearing health.
Other healthy habits such as getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, and cultivating a calm mind are all conducive to better communication, as well. When you have untreated hearing loss, your communication ability can be seriously limited. This new year, why not prioritize your holistic health and wellness through some of these reasonable goals? One simple step you can take toward your hearing health is to get a hearing test. When you take the test, you will have a thorough diagnosis of your hearing ability, pointing us toward the right hearing aids for you when the time is right. This simple step is a great way to prioritize not only your hearing but the complex, interwoven web of health throughout your being.