There are a number of things you shouldn’t be doing or putting in your ear.
Ear health is incredibly important, and unfortunately there’s a ton of misinformation out there on how you should probably care for them. Ears, like well-functioning metro systems, only bother you when you’ve started to experience serious difficulties. However, that’s no reason to neglect proper ear ear care. Here are five things you should never, ever do to your ears.
Insert Cotton Swabs Into Your Ears
Some people mistakenly believe cotton swabs are designed specifically to be shoved into your ear canals, but that is entirely wrong. Earwax is a necessary part of keeping your ears functioning properly, and cleaning them out aggressively is not a good idea. A cotton swab could cause you to push wax further into the ear and create an impaction, which could seriously hurt your hearing and balance.
Crank Up Headphone Volume
Cranking up the volume in your headphones too loud can damage the tiny hair cells needed to convert sound waves into electrical signals that our brain can process. If the person sitting next to you can hear your music, it’s likely that it’s too loud and could be damaging your hearing.
Ear Candling
Many people have been misled into believing that ear candling is an effective way to remove earwax, but there is a great deal of scientific evidence that it does nothing whatsoever to reduce earwax. The problem with ear candling is that the residue inside the candle has nothing to do with what’s inside your ear, and you could accidentally get candle wax into your ear and cause an eardrum perforation.
Noisy Environments Without Ear Plugs
Exposure to noise pollution at incredibly high decibel levels can cause hearing loss. If you’re attending a concert or your favorite EDM night, earplugs will save you big time in the long run. There’s no street cred in ditching the plugs, especially if it comes at great expense later down the road.
Pierce Ears at Home
Poking a disinfected needle through the flesh of your ear isn’t a good idea. You could cause an infection, and without proper training you could accidentally hit nerves and veins. This is not something you want to leave to an amateur.
Hear Better with Clarity Audiology & Hearing Solutions
Need help with your hearing? Clarity Hearing can help. Clarity Audiology & Hearing Solutions is an independently-owned and operated clinic that focuses on quality of care and personalized, friendly service. Our Doctors of Audiology are highly trained with advanced degrees and take the time to provide the personalized care and attention that you need and deserve. We provide advanced hearing aid options that personally calibrated with cutting-edge digital technology to fit your hearing loss, your unique ear anatomy, and your individual listening needs.
Come in for a walk-in appointment on Tuesdays & Fridays from 10:00am to 11:30am, or contact us to schedule an appointment by calling 410-698-6594 or visiting our contact page. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and LinkedIn for more blog posts, news, and updates! 1