Dr. Asha Agarwal

Here are 6 signs to watch out for that could indicate 'You need to get your Ears tested':

1. Your TV is blaring: Do you often find people around you shouting above the TV sound complaining that it's too loud? When you find it hard to hear the TV at the average volume and find yourself turning up the sound, this could signify a hearing loss. Doctors are seeing a growing number of patients visiting them after prolonged exposure to loud music and sounds.

2. You find it hard to hear phone conversations: Do you find yourself asking the person on the other end of the phone line to 'repeat' themselves, or find yourself pressing the phone instrument right into your ear? If you are trying so hard to hear, you might find yourself missing out on bits of the conversation as focussing to clearly hear the conversation is exhausting work. Getting a hearing test might be a good option if this sounds like you.

3. You have trouble hearing in noisy environments: When you are out dining with friends or family at a busy restaurant or accompanying a friend shopping in a busy street, all that background noise makes it difficult to hear what the people are saying. People with hearing loss often have problems masking out background noise.

4. Family members telling 'you're going deaf': Trust the views of the people closest to you, they never lie about your health. Family members often are the first to sense signs of hearing loss as they find themselves repeating things to you or calling out louder to get your 'attention'.

5. Leaning closer: You find yourself leaning closer to people to follow the conversation or staring at their lips trying to lip-read what's being said.

6. Avoiding social interactions: You find yourself staying away from social occasions, family gatherings or avoid being the first to start conversations. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an ENT specialist.

Your hearing is one of the most important function your body carries out and sometimes you realize that you are losing your sense of hearing, when it is too late to get it back. There are two main reasons for this. One of the reason is age and the other is when the inner ear's hair cells break down and do not pick up sound well.

Here are 7 ways to safeguard your hearing:

1. Try to avoid loud places: It is not advisable to go to places where you have to shout to be heard, such as in a street, a concert or a construction site.
2. Buy low noise rating equipment: The equipments in your house will make sound that you hear the most. Try to avoid these equipments by buying appliances with a low noise rating.
3. Wear hearing protection at loud places: However, it is true that it is not always possible to avoid loud noises. This is when you need to get hearing protection. Earplugs and earmuffs are two of the best ways to make sure that even when you are in a loud place, your hearing does not get affected. Earplugs and earmuffs generally reduce sound by 15 to 30 decibels, which may be crucial to make sure that later in your life, you do not lose your hearing.
4. Avoid smoke: Smoking raises your chance of hearing loss. Second hand smoke does the same thing. Therefore, try to avoid, both smoking and secondhand smoking. 
5. Remove earwax properly: Earwax cannot be removed properly using a cotton swab. Instead, you should use an irrigation kit. Remember this as otherwise; the earwax could muffle your hearing.
6. Avoid medications which reduce hearing: Certain medications increase hearing loss. Therefore, double check with your doctor to make sure your medicines will not make you lose your hearing.
7. Get your hearing tested: Finally, get your hearing tested as identifying the problem early on can help stop worsen the situation. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an ent-specialist.