Tinnitus: Preventing Hearing Damage

 

Picture displays inner ear hair cells.

Tinnitus

Have you ever heard of Tinnitus? Tinnitus is defined as a ringing, whistling, chirping, hissing, humming, roaring, and constant buzzing or even shrieking in the ears. High-pitched sounds indicate hearing loss is in the high-frequency range and low-pitched sounds indicate the opposite. You are often the only one who can hear these differently pitched noises. This experience is most often brought on by damaged hair cells from loud noises or ototoxic drugs. When damaged, hair cells are prevented from sending signals to the brain, which triggers abnormal neuron activity and results in the illusion of sound, or tinnitus.

Tinnitus can be short lived or it can be long lasting (more than 6 months). In the United States alone, an estimated 50-60million people suffer from this condition. It is highly prevalent among people over the age of 55 and is strongly correlated with hearing loss. However, after individuals experience this hearing loss, it rarely leads to deafness.

 Pulsatile tinnitus is the medical phenomenon in which the heartbeat can be ‘heard’ by individuals. This is usually noticed in the evening, as more blood reaches your head when you lay down. In this case you may be able to hear turbulent blood flowing through the arteries. If you experience new pulsatile tinnitus, you should talk with your healthcare provider to rule out any underlying, but rare causes like tumors or blood vessel damage.

What you can do to prevent tinnitus:

• Improve your diet, physical activity, sleep, and stress level.
• Get treated for depression, anxiety, insomnia, and pain with medications and/or psychotherapy.
• Reduce your exposure to loud noises at work and home.
• Use earplugs or earmuff-like devices to protect your hair cells.
• Avoid loud music; if you are 3 feet away from someone and can’t hear what they say, that means you are damaging your hair cells.
• This includes when you are wearing headphones. You should still be able to hear others speaking around you.

Fun Fact: When noise level increases from 90db to 100db the volume seems twice as loud!

Remember, once hair cells are damaged they’re gone. They cannot be repaired, so treat your ears like the precious organs they are!

Watch this video to learn more about sound: 

Resources:

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/21/42/46/214246a49364474c62ed62df60e6e28d.jpg

http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Womens_Health_Watch/2011/September/tinnitus-ringing-in-the-ears-and-what-to-do-about-it

Back Pain and Posture

 

Did you know that having bad posture can lead to back pain? Large muscles in our back and  other postural muscles help us keep our bodies upright. However, bad posture over an extended period of time can lead to back pain. It will take a conscious effort to correct.  

Some factors that may affect your posture are: stress, obesity, pregnancy, weak postural muscle, or having abnormally tight muscles. Additionally, high heeled shoes, a poor work environment, and decreased flexibility can affect your posture. Any of these factors can contribute to excessive strain on postural muscles or cause them to relax, which makes you prone to injury or back pain. It is critical to maintain a good posture wherever you are. This involves having adequate flexibility, normal joint motion in the spine, and balanced postural muscles on both sides of the spine.

           Good posture involves having adequate muscle flexibility and strength, normal joint motion in the spine, and balanced postural muscles on both sides of the spine. These are important tips to remember when working at a desk job or studying for long periods of time.

 

While sitting, you can do the following to ensure your posture is

at its best:

·         Keep your feet on the ground or on a footrest if you can’t reach the floor.

·         DO NOT cross your legs. Your ankles should be in front of your knees.

·         Keep a small space in between the back of your knees and the front of your seat.

·         Have your knees at or below the level of your hips.

·         Make sure the chair you are sitting in has a good backrest to ensure adequate back support.

·         Relax your shoulders and keep your forearms parallel to the ground.

·         Avoid sitting in the same position for a long time.

·         Get up every hour and walk around for a few minutes.

Standing involves posture as well. Here are some tips to keep you standing straight:

·         Be aware of your body alignment, you want to be mostly on the balls of your feet , not on your toes.

·            Keep your knees slightly bent (women tend to hyperextend their knees).

·            Place your feet shoulder-width apart .

·            Relax your arms and let them hang beside your body.

·            Stand straight and tall with your shoulders pulled backward.

·            Tuck your stomach in slightly.

·            Your earlobes should be in line with your shoulders. (don’t push your head forward, backwards, or sideways)

·            When standing for long periods of time, shift your weight from one foot to

          the other.

Posture also matters while laying down.

·            Don’t sleep on your stomach.

·            Sleeping on your side or back is helpful for back pain.

·            If you sleep on your side, use a pillow between your legs.

·            If you sleep on your back, place a pillow underneath your knees.

·            Make sure your mattress if right for you. Some find it more comfortable

          to sleep on a firmer mattress while others prefer a soft mattress.

·            Sleep with a pillow that allows for good neck alignment.

               Remember, if you’ve had poor posture for a long time, it will take an equal

amount of time to correct your joints. This is due to your joints adapting to your poor

posture. Constant awareness of your posture, and working to correct it, will significantly

improve your posture and overall health. Your health care provider can recommend

exercises to strengthen your core postural muscles.

Sources: https://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=1452