It’s likely that you’ve already detected that you don’t hear as well as you once did. Hearing loss frequently develops as a result of decisions you make without recognizing they’re impacting your hearing.

Many kinds of hearing impairment are preventable with several basic lifestyle changes. What follows are 6 secrets that will help you maintain your hearing.

1. Manage Your Blood Pressure

Persistently high blood pressure is not okay. A study found that individuals with higher than-average blood pressure are 52% more likely to develop hearing loss, not to mention other health problems.

Take steps to reduce your blood pressure and avoid hearing damage. Consult a doctor right away and never dismiss your high blood pressure. Following your doctor’s advice, managing stress, eating a healthy diet, and getting regular exercise are all parts of blood pressure management.

2. Quit Smoking

There are plenty of good reasons to quit smoking, here’s another: Hearing loss is 15% more likely to impact smokers. What’s even more surprising is that there’s a 28% higher chance of someone experiencing hearing problems if they are frequently exposed to second-hand smoke. The harmful repercussions of second-hand smoke are not only harmful, they also linger in the air for long periods.

Consider safeguarding your hearing, if you smoke, by quitting. Take measures to minimize your exposure to second-hand smoke if you hang out with a smoker.

3. Manage Your Diabetes

Diabetes or pre-diabetes affects one in four adults. Unless they make some serious lifestyle changes, someone who is pre-diabetic will very likely develop diabetes within 5 years.

Blood vessels that are injured by high blood sugar don’t efficiently carry nutrients. Compared to someone who doesn’t have diabetes, a diabetic person has more than twice the chance of developing hearing loss.

If you suffer from diabetes, safeguard your hearing by taking the appropriate steps to control it. If you are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, safeguard your hearing by making lifestyle changes to avoid it.

4. Lose Some Weight

This isn’t about body image or feeling great about yourself. It’s about your health. Hearing loss and other health problems increase as your Body Mass Index (BMI) increases. The chance of developing hearing loss goes up by 17% for a mildly obese woman with a BMI of 30 to 34. A moderately obese person has a 25% risk of hearing loss if they have a BMI of 40.

Work to get rid of some of that extra weight. Something as simple as walking for 30 minutes every day can lower your chance of hearing loss and prolong your life.

5. OTC Medications Shouldn’t be Overused

Hearing impairment can be the result of some over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The more often these medications are used over a long period of time, the higher the risk.

Medicines such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin are known to trigger hearing loss. Take these medicines in moderation and only with your doctor’s guidance if you need to take them more frequently.

Studies demonstrate that you’ll probably be fine if you’re using these medications occasionally in the recommended doses. The danger of hearing loss increases up to 40% for men, however, when these drugs are taken on a daily basis.

Your doctor’s orders should always be followed. Your doctor may be able to recommend some lifestyle changes that will decrease your dependence on these medicines if you are taking them every day.

6. Eat More Broccoli

Broccoli is loaded with iron in addition to important nutrients like vitamins C and K. Iron is integral to a healthy heart and strong blood circulation. Iron helps your blood transport oxygen and nutrients to cells to keep them healthy and nourished.

If you’re a vegetarian or eat very little meat, it’s critical that you consume enough plant-based iron. You’re more likely to be iron deficient because the iron found in plants is less bioavailable than the iron found in meat.

Pennsylvania State University researchers studied over 300,000 individuals. The researchers determined participants with anemia (extreme iron deficiency) were two times as likely to develop sensorineural hearing loss as those without the disorder. Sensorineural hearing loss is the scientific term for irreversible hearing loss associated with aging.

Sound is received and transmitted to the brain by tiny little hairs in the inner ear which vibrate with the volume and frequency of that sound. If poor circulation or an iron deficiency causes these delicate hairs to die they will never grow back.

Don’t wait to get a hearing exam because you’re never too young. Reduce hearing loss by using these simple secrets in your everyday life.