Ear Problems That Cause Lack Of Balance
It can be extremely disconcerting to feel unbalanced and dizzy. If you suffer from balance disorders, then its a strong indication that theres something amiss in your ear. Here we look at five common ear problems that are associated with lack of balance and the best ways to combat them.
If youre struggling with balance issues, book an appointment at one of our hearing care centres in Sussex. Our team of fully qualified audiologists will be able to diagnose and treat any ear infection you may be suffering from.
What Are The Benefits
Sleeping with earplugs can significantly improve the quality of your sleep. For many people, earplugs are the only way to block out sounds while they sleep, such as noise from a nearby freeway or a snoring partner.
This is significant because the quality of your sleep matters just as much as the amount you get. Loud sounds can wake you up out of a deep sleep. This has lasting effects, even if you wake up only for a few seconds. It takes time for your body to return to that phase of deep sleep that your body needs after a full day.
According to a
report from 2012 noted that poor sleep is also linked to inflammation and reduced immune function, which both negatively impact your health.
Given the importance of sleep for your overall health, earplugs offer benefits that go far beyond just getting a good nights sleep.
Home Remedies For Clogged Ears Due To Sinus Infections
Here are some additional home remedies that can help alleviate ear problems associated with sinus infections and even wax build-up.
- Yawning helps redistribute the fluid in your ear.
- Take a hot, steamy shower.
- Make a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and warm water and pour it into the ear.
- Chew gum as it can help move wax out of the ear.
- Combine rubbing alcohol and vinegar and use the mixture as ear drops.
- Pinch your nose and blow to pop your ears.
- Drop warm olive oil into your ear once again this breaks up wax.
- Combine rubbing alcohol and apple cider vinegar as ear drops to help treat infection.
- Apply warm compresses to the ears.
- Gargle with warm water and salt.
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How Could Earplugs Cause Damage
With all that, youd think that wearing earplugs would be a no-brainer when it comes to protecting your hearing. But particularly if youre in situations where youre exposed to loud noises all the time , over-the-head earmuffs or noise-reducing headphones are a better option. Earplugs are better-suited to one-off situations like a concert or game than for regular use.
Why? For one, wax. Your ears produce wax to protect themselves, and if youre constantly wearing earplugs, theyre going to produce more of itand youre likely to push it in with the plugs. This can lead to problems like impacted earwax, which can cause tinnitus and other hearing problems.
Ear infections can be another problem for people who use earplugs. If you repeatedly wear the same pairand you dont clean them between usesthey can become breeding grounds for bacteria. Ear infections are, at a minimum, a painful annoyance. But at the worst-case-scenario end of the spectrum, they can also cause hearing loss if left untreated.
How Can You Utilize Earplugs Without Risk
Whether its a restful night sleep or protecting your hearing, theres still a strong positive to wearing earplugs. You just need to be sure youre using the proper kind and utilizing them the right way. The porous material of foam earplugs is a germ haven so its a good thing that they are the least expensive. Silicone or wax earplugs are reusable, but you have to keep them sanitized, use warm water and mild soap to wash them, and dont put them back in your ears until theyre totally dry. Its also a good plan to keep earplugs in a well ventilated container to prevent moisture, or worse, bacteria or mold, from building up.
If you need or want to use earplugs regularly, you might want to get in touch with us about getting custom-made earplugs. They are comfortable because theyre crafted from molds of your ears and theyre reusable. But its essential not to forget, smart earplug hygiene can stop hearing damage.
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How Noisy Is Too Noisy
Prolonged and repeated exposure to loud noise whether at work in a factory or even just listening to loud music can damage your hearing. In fact, listening to any sound at a high volume , for more than five hours a week can damage hearing permanently over time.
Unfortunately damage builds up gradually, and the effects may not be noticed until years later.
Whats The Point Of Utilizing Earplugs
Its a pretty simple argument for wearing earplugs: Properly used, earplugs can reduce your exposure to excessive sound levels and thereby safeguard your hearing. When you leave a loud place, like a football game where the announcer keeps exhorting the crowd to, GET LOUD, whenever the other team kicks off, youve probably noticed that your hearing seems off, and you may also suffer from symptoms of tinnitus. Those little hairs are bent by this type of noise exposure and thats the reason why this occurs. In a couple of days, when the hairs have recovered, it usually goes away.
But if youre subjected to extreme decibels constantly, say you work on a construction crew or at an airfield, the audio attack on those tiny hair cells is unyielding. Instead of bending and then recovering, the cells are damaged permanently. There are about 16,000 of those little cells in each cochlea, but up to 50% of them can be destroyed or at least injured before you would notice the change in a hearing test.
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When Should I Wear Earplugs
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration , certain decibel levels can be dangerous with prolonged exposure. Sounds over 97 dB should be limited to a maximum of 30 minutes, but even low levels of noise can cause hearing damage if it is done for hours without interruption.
If you are going to be exposed to damaging noise levels, there are ways to protect your hearing safely both with and without earplugs. You may use over-the-ear protection while operating machinery, and take a break from the noisy activity and retreat to a quiet environment every 15 minutes to give your ears a rest. If you wear earplugs, you can protect your hearing health by:
- Making sure the earplugs are clean and dry before each use
- Choosing the right size earplugs for your ears and activity
- Inserting and remove earplugs gently with each use
- Storing earplugs in a ventilated case to discourage moisture and bacteria buildup
Of course, you should always make regular appointments with your hearing care specialist to ensure that your hearing is the best it can be. Call us today to schedule a hearing testing appointment at one of our convenient Florida hearing aid centers!
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Will Sleeping With Earplugs Damage My Ears
You can’t expect to get your beauty sleep when you’re kept awake or woken up by loud noises. Whether your neighbors love to party till 3 a.m., your bedmate’s snoring feels like a motorboat is driving over your head, or the chirping birds drive you crazy in the morning, you might feel like you found the perfect solution wearing foam earplugs to bed. Ahh, you can finally get some peace and quiet, but wait. Can wearing earplugs for eight hours straight be damaging to your ears? And what about long-term use?
Earplugs are meant to block out noises, but will not completely prevent you from hearing loud sounds such as a smoke detector or beeping alarm clock. So in that respect, it is safe to wear earplugs to bed. As far as the health of your ear goes, studies show that long-term use of foam earplugs can cause earwax to build up or become impacted. Earplugs block the outward flow of earwax that our bodies naturally produce in order to self-clean the ears. Foam plugs are often pushed in too far, which can also pack the wax deep inside your ear canal, and possibly against the eardrum. You’ll end up with constant ringing of the ears , pain, or hearing loss. What’s more not to gross you out bacteria thrive on warm, moist, foam earplugs, and since they can’t be thoroughly cleaned, people often end up with ear infections.
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Is It Conceivable To Damage Your Hearing By Wearing Earplugs
With all that, youd think that using earplugs would be a no-brainer in terms of protecting your ears. But particularly if youre in scenarios where youre subjected to loud noises on a regular basis , over-the-head earmuffs or noise-reducing headphones are a smarter choice. Earplugs are better applicable to one-off scenarios such as a concert or sporting event than for regular use.
Why? The first problem is, earwax. Your ears create wax to protect themselves, and if wearing earplugs is something you do frequently, they will make more of it, and youre likely to push it in with the plugs. This can cause problems like impacted earwax, which can trigger tinnitus and other hearing issues.
Ear infections can also result from too much use of earplugs. They can become bacteria breeding grounds if you wear the same pair but fail to properly clean and disinfect them. Ear infections are, at the very least, an uncomfortable inconvenience. If left untreated, in the worst situations, they can trigger an ear infection.
Ears Ringing From A Gunshot
Here’s why: A gunshot produces a loud burst of sound, causing a concussive energy that rattles the eardrum, the little bones in the inner ear and the cochlea, a fluid-filled, snail-shaped organ with thousands of tiny hair-like structures that convert sounds from the outside world into electrical impulses the brain can understand.
You may notice your ears feel stopped up when youre done shooting and you cant hear as well as you could before you began. Thats called a temporary threshold shift, Terry explained. The more you subject your ears to noises like gunshots, the more likely that temporary change is going to become permanent.
A single blast can cause lasting hearing loss and tinnitus. Once the damage is done, theres no taking it back.
While most noise-induced hearing loss results from continuous exposure to loud sounds, even a single gunshot blast can cause permanent damage. Terry said everyone within earshot of gunfire should make it a habit to wear hearing protection.
A single blast can cause lasting hearing loss and tinnitus, she said. Once the damage is done, theres no taking it back.
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How Can You Safely Utilize Earplugs
Whether its a good night sleep or protecting your ears, theres still a big upside to using earplugs. You just have to be sure youre using the correct kind and using them in the proper way. The porous material of foam earplugs is a germ haven so its a helpful thing that they are the least costly. Silicone or wax earplugs are reusable, but you need to keep them sanitized, use warm water and mild soap to cleanse them, and you shouldnt put them back in your ears until theyre thoroughly dry. Its also a good plan to store earplugs in a ventilated container to prevent moisture, or worse, mold or bacteria, from accumulating.
If you need or want to wear earplugs regularly, you may want to talk to us about having custom-made earplugs. These are crafted from unique molds of your ears, they can be reused and because theyre fitted to your ears, their comfortable. Again though, to protect against any possible hearing problems, its essential to put into practice good earplug hygiene!
Is It Possible That Your Hearing Could Be Harmed By Earplugs
When it comes to protecting your hearing, youd think it would be obvious to utilize earplugs. But primarily if youre in situations where youre subjected to loud noises all the time , over-the-head earmuffs or noise-reducing headphones are a better choice. Earplugs are better applicable to one-off scenarios such as a sporting event or concert than for regular use.
Why? For one, earwax. Your ears generate wax to defend themselves, and if wearing earplugs is something you do regularly, more earwax will be produced, and you probably will jam it in with the plugs. Tinnitus and other issues can be the outcome from impacted earwax.
Ear infections can also result from overuse of earplugs. If you repeatedly wear the same pair, and you dont clean them between uses, they can become breeding grounds for bacteria. Ear infections are, at a minimum, a painful irritation. If left untreated, in the worst instances, they can cause an ear infection.
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How Does Blaring Earphone Damage Your Ears
Earphones produce sound waves that reach our ears, making the eardrum vibrate. This vibration spreads to the inner ear via the small bones and reaches the cochlea which is a chamber in the inner ear which is filled with a fluid and consists of thousands of small hairs. When this vibration reaches the cochlea, the fluid vibrates making the hairs also move. The louder the sound, the stronger the vibrations and the more the hairs move.
The continuous and long-term exposure to loud music makes the hair cells to eventually lose their sensitivity to vibration. Sometimes the loud music also results in the cells bending or folding over which leads to the sensation of temporary hearing loss. The hair cells may or may not recover from these extreme vibrations. However, even when they recover, they mostly cannot function normally which can cause permanent hearing loss or deafness and is almost impossible to be recovered from.
Can Ear Plugs Help Tinnitus
Some types of ear plugs can help to ease tinnitus symptoms.
If you have tinnitus, its important that youre taking extra care to protect your hearing. So, if your tinnitus occurs due to triggers from loud noises , noise-cancelling ear plugs may help to alleviate your symptoms, while offering some added protection against damage.
Specialised musicians ear plugs can also be used by people with tinnitus who want to protect their hearing, without completely blocking out external sound. High-fidelity ear plugs have an acoustic filter interchangeable for different sound environments to fine-tune sound frequency. These custom-made ear plugs can help to prevent the trigger or tinnitus symptoms by reducing sound levels without distorting it.
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Some Of The Harmful Ways In Which Earphones Can Affect Our Ears Are:
- NIHL
- Pain in the ears
- Effect on the brain
NIHL: It is not only about the volume that you expose your ears to through those earphones but also the duration that can lead to noise-induced hearing loss .
Tinnitus: The damaged hair cells in cochlea can result in a ringing, buzzing, or roaring noise in the ear or the head. This consequential electrical noise is called tinnitus.
Hyperacusis: More than 50% of the people who suffer from tinnitus are prone to develop high sensitivity to normal environmental sounds too. This condition is referred to as Hyperacusis.
Hearing Loss: As mentioned above, loud music or long exposure tends to make the hair cells bend down too much and severely, the extent of which can lead to temporary or permanent hearing loss.
Dizziness: Many times, the increased pressure in the ear canal due to loud noise can also result in dizziness.
Ear infections: Since the earphones are directly placed into the ear canal, they block the passage of air which enhances the chances of infections in the ear. The regular and long-term use of earphones also increases the growth of bacteria. These bacteria stay on the earphones and on more usage infect the ear. When the earphones are shared, the same bacteria from one persons ear transfer to the other person, exposing the person also to serious ear infections.
One can save the ear from any severe damage through the earphones by being aware of the consequences and by making small habitual changes.
Why Utilize Earplugs In The First Place
The argument for earplugs is fairly simple: Properly used, earplugs can reduce your exposure to excessive sound levels and thereby protect your hearing. Perhaps youve noticed that your hearing sounds different after you leave a loud venue, for instance, a football game with a noisy crowd, and you might also have symptoms of tinnitus. This happens because those super-loud noises can actually bend the small hair cells inside your inner ear. In a couple of days, when the hairs have recovered, it often goes back to normal.
But in certain circumstances, there is a constant assault on those tiny hairs, especially if you work in a noisy industry like the music business or around jet planes. As opposed to recovering after bending, the cells are permanently damaged. Youve got just about 16,000 of those tiny cells in each cochlea, but up to 50% of them can be injured or ruined before your hearing has changed enough for the deficiency to appear in a hearing assessment.
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Why Utilize Earplugs At All
Its a fairly simple argument for using earplugs: When used properly, earplugs can limit your exposure to extreme sound levels and thereby safeguard your ears. Perhaps youve noticed that your hearing seems different after you leave a loud venue, say, a football game with a loud crowd, and you may also experience symptoms of tinnitus. This occurs because those super-loud sounds can actually bend the small hair cells in your inner ear. In a day or two, when the hairs have recovered, it often goes back to normal.
But in many situations, there is a constant assault on those tiny hairs, particularly if you work in a high volume trade such as construction or around jet planes. Rather than bending and then recovering, the cells are damaged permanently. Inside each cochlea, you have around 16,000 of these tiny hair cells, but up to 50% of them can be harmed or ruined before your hearing has altered enough for the problem to appear in a hearing exam.