Your ears perform the highly skilled task of helping you to hear well. Protecting your ears against damaging factors, such as exposure to loud noise, can help to limit any deterioration later on in life.

Monitor any changes
If you feel your hearing is not as good as it was and you are starting to miss conversation, it is always best to get a hearing test. This will not only diagnose any hearing loss, but it will also allow you to monitor and keep track of any changes or deteriorations. A check up for your ears is just as important as a trip to the dentist or opticians.

Never put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear!
This relates to ear wax and what to do when you have a build up. You should never use cotton buds, no matter how tempting, to remove ear wax. All this will do is push the wax further into the canal causing a blockage, and you can cause damage to your ear canal. Instead, you should seek a professional to remove the ear wax. We offer a Micro-suction ear wax removal service which safely removes ear wax using a fine low pressure suction device.

Protect your ears from noise
We live in a world where the volume is always on high. Sustained exposure to loud noise can be damaging to your ears. Wearing protection against high levels of noise can be extremely beneficial and help to prevent damage later in life. A few common activities which require ear protection are:

• Music concerts
• Shooting
• Motorcycling
• Working on building sites

Limit how long you use headphones
Try to remember the 60/60 rule when using headphones to help prevent noise related hearing loss. Never have your volume louder than 60% and try to take a break from listening through headphones every 60 minutes.

Keep your ears dry
Excess moisture can cause bacteria to enter the ear canal and create an infection. For swimmers, swim plugs can help to keep the ears dry and prevent infection. Just make sure they create a good seal and do not let water enter.
To clean your ears, use soap around the outside and behind the ear then be sure to pat dry with a towel afterwards.

Keep active
Cardio exercises such as running, cycling or fast walking gets the blood pumping around every part of your body including your ears. This helps to keep the internal parts of the ears healthy and working well for longer.