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5 activities that can help you improve your hearing

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Hearing loss can be hereditary or it can be caused by environmental factors.
Hearing loss can be hereditary or it can be caused by environmental factors.

Loss of hearing can have dramatic effects on the quality of your life.

If you think that you might be experiencing hearing loss, the first thing you need to do is to make an appointment with your doctor.

The doctor will be able to make an accurate diagnosis and inform you how severe your condition is. 

In the meantime, here are five activities that you can partake in to help improve your hearing:

Daily exercise

Whether it is running, jumping, skipping or swimming, daily movement and exercise improves blood circulation to the inner ear, more specifically to the cochlea. The cochlea is the part of your ear responsible for converting sound vibrations into nerve impulses. Healthy blood flow also prevents the loss of neurotransmitters, the messengers in your brain responsible for transporting these signals. A study that followed 68 000 nurses around for about 20 years found that two hours of exercise a week is enough to lower the risk of hearing loss.

Yoga

Much like other kinds of exercise, the ebb and flow of yoga helps improve the blood circulation in the ears. Various poses and positions are dedicated to protecting and improving hearing. These poses include the tree, lotus, triangle and camel poses. Yoga has also been known to ease the suffering of tinnitus patients. Researchers have found that with continuous yoga practice, stress and the symptoms of tinnitus can be reduced.

Playing games

Keeping your brain fit and healthy may reduce your risk of hearing loss. Playing games that test your audio skills, like those found online or on apps, have been found to improve hearing. Researchers tested a group of elderly people where half of the group were given memory stimulating games and the other half games focused on following streams of conversation. It was found that those who followed the conversations were able to improve their hearing capabilities.

Sound location

This activity is easy and you can do it just about anywhere. Whether you’re in line at the store or lying in bed, try to pick up the various sounds and buzzes around you. Try and distinguish what is making those sounds. See if you can filter out noises for a moment and then bring them back into focus. This audio activity can help you with conversations in noisy environments. It helps to filter out the background noise while you focus on the conversation.

Meditation

Meditation has been around for thousands of years and has been praised for having countless health benefits. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that improving your hearing is one of them. Sitting still and quieting your mind helps to regulate your blood pressure and flow. Mediation also helps reduce stress in your everyday life. Stress can wreak havoc on your system, and your neurotransmitters are often in the line of fire.

Image credit: iStock

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