Helpful hints to manage earwax and protect hearing

Hearing loss becomes increasingly common as you age, and it's important to see your doctor to rule out dangerous health conditions. We'll show you how lifestyle changes and earwax management can help your hearing.

Although you may not be able to gain back the hearing capacity you've lost, you can take steps to keep what you have.

• Avoid loud noises. If you go to a noisy concert or sporting event, use earplugs. They won't keep you from hearing what’s going on, but they will keep the dangerous decibel levels from damaging your ears.
• Exercise. Researchers from the University of Wisconsin looked at 1,600 people between ages 52 and 97 and found that those who exercised were 32 percent less likely to have impaired hearing than those who didn't. Moreover, those with cardiovascular disease were 54 percent more likely to have hearing loss.
• Give up cigarettes. A study conducted in Japan found that men who smoked were more than twice as likely to have hearing loss as those who didn't.
• Turn off background noise. If you have trouble understanding what people are saying, get rid of distracting background sounds.
• Teach your family and friends how to speak to you. A few simple suggestions can help those who talk to you most communicate more clearly. They don't need to shout, but tell them to speak a little louder and enunciate well. Make sure that they face you squarely and don't have anything in their mouth (such as gum or food).

Though it has a bad reputation, we really should be more appreciative of earwax. It protects your ear canals and eardrums from water and infection, and it traps dirt and dust particles, lubricates the skin in the ear canals, and even helps fight off fungus and various bacteria. However, if there's too much wax, problems can arise. A buildup can block the ear canal and cause temporary hearing loss. Try these strategies to deal with earwax:

• Use a warm, wet washcloth to clean your outer ear whenever you shower or bathe.
• Try using warm olive oil or baby oil if you have ear­­wax accumulation. Place the oil in an eye­dropper and put one or two drops in your ear a couple of times a week.
• Consider hydrogen per­oxide. This will soften earwax and help it make its natural migration out of your ear. Use an eyedropper and place a couple of drops in your ears once a week.
• See a doctor, especially if your earwax has become impacted. A doctor is specially equipped to clear out problem wax with prescription wax softeners, water jets, or special instruments.

While they may not make as much of a difference as a hearing aid, these pointers will definitely help you hear things more clearly. Give them a try and appreciate some of the sounds that you've been missing.