The Benefits Of Exercise And Physical Activity For Those With Hearing Loss

Taking care of your physical health is always smart, but what can it do for your hearing health? The idea that there is a link between your hearing and the amount of exercise you do might seem strange, but regular physical activity can actually help you to care for your hearing health. Your cardiovascular health can be linked to the health of your hearing, making it even more important to exercise as you get older and if you experience any hearing loss.

But how exactly are hearing health and exercise related and how can exercise help people with hearing loss?

The Link Between Hearing Health and Cardiovascular Health

It sounds surprising, but your cardiovascular health and your hearing health are connected. Cardiovascular health is particularly important to help protect your hearing as you get older. A study conducted by Miami University showed that people over 50 who have moderate to high cardiovascular fitness levels had better hearing sensitivity compared to people in their 30s. A person over 50 who doesn’t have a genetic predisposition to hearing loss is five times more likely to have healthy hearing if they do cardio exercise for 20-30 minutes five times per week.

Cardiovascular health is important to hearing health because regular cardio exercise helps to provide blood flow to the auditory systems. The cochlea receives the oxygen and nutrients that it needs, helping to keep it healthy and functioning at all times. As well as cardiovascular exercise, you can help to keep your cardiovascular system healthy with activities such as stretching and strength training.

The Benefits of Exercise for Your Hearing

There are several benefits of exercise both for people who want to preserve their hearing health and for people who already have some level of hearing loss. As you can see from the information above, the link between cardiovascular health and hearing health means that regular exercise helps to keep your hearing healthy.

Additionally, exercising regularly is a good way to help prevent metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a pre-diabetic condition that is linked with weight gain and has also been associated with hearing loss. Regular physical activity helps you to manage your weight and general health to help prevent metabolic syndrome. Obstructive sleep apnea is another condition linked to obesity, which is also associated with Meniere’s disease. Maintaining a healthy weight can help to prevent and treat sleep apnea too.

For those who have hearing loss, there can be benefits to exercising regularly too. In children who have balance and motor problems associated with their hearing loss, it has been shown that fine motor exercises can help to improve their skills. Any exercise is good exercise if you want to protect your hearing health and address certain symptoms of hearing loss. While cardiovascular exercise can be particularly helpful, you can also do any exercise that involves strength training, stretching and more. When you increase your blood flow and do activities that help you to manage your weight, it’s good for your hearing too.

Precautions to Take When Exercising

Doing more exercise is good for your hearing health, but there are also ways you could damage your hearing while exercising if you’re not careful. Fortunately, it’s easy to take some precautions when you’re working out so that your hearing is protected. Firstly, be careful about loud music or other loud noises. Many people like to listen to music to help them stay motivated while exercising. But if the music is too loud, you could damage your hearing. Be cautious when using headphones or earphones, ensuring the volume on your device is turned down to a comfortable level. You might want to consider wearing earplugs if you are joining in with an exercise class with loud music or something similar.

If you choose to go swimming, protect your ears by keeping them dry. When moisture gets into your ears, it can encourage bacteria to grow. Dry your ears immediately after swimming to help them stay healthy. Be particularly careful if you choose to engage in any contact sports or activities with a risk of head injuries. These could lead to hearing problems if you sustain an injury, so it’s important to take the right steps to protect yourself. Talk with your audiologist about protecting your hearing health.

Learn more about hearing loss and hearing aids Memphis Audiology. You can call us at 901-70-2916 to speak to a friendly member of our team about anything you want to know. We can offer advice about how to care for your hearing health.