Learn how to keep both your heart and your hearing health in check.
Human bodies are incredibly complex, which means there are numerous different aspects of health. You can break down overall health into categories like hearing health, brain health, heart health, immune health, and more.
While all of these dimensions of health are different, they’re also closely connected too! In honor of American Heart Month, we’re shining a light on the incredible connection between heart health and hearing health.
Let’s look at these aspects of the connection between heart health and hearing health!
The impact of blood flow
The connection between heart health and hearing health boils down to one primary thing: blood flow.
To make a long story short, your heart is responsible for pumping blood throughout your body using veins, arteries, and capillaries to make sure it gets where it needs to go. Two of those destinations, of course, are your ears!
Each ear contains a network of arteries that deliver blood there and help them function — which includes hearing. The inside of your ears are incredibly sensitive and rely on the oxygen that’s in blood to translate sounds into electrical impulses your brain can understand.
Because of their close connection, your heart health can directly impact your hearing health. Heart health issues like heart attacks, strokes, and blockages can decrease blood flow to your ears, hurting their function in the process. But there are ways you can look after both your heart and your hearing health!
How to care for your heart and hearing
Now that you know about the connection between heart health and hearing health, it’s time to take action to preserve them both!
If you have a history of heart health issues in your family or your own life, your first step should be to talk about your concerns with your doctor. They can recommend lifestyle changes or medications that can reduce your risk of heart-related issues, and protect your hearing in the process.
Preventing plaque from building up inside your arteries is one of the keys to keeping your heart healthy, and this all revolves around cholesterol. LDL cholesterol and triglycerides are the main culprits, and these can both be controlled with lifestyle changes. There’s also a genetic form of LDL cholesterol called Lp(a), so you should monitor that if you know high cholesterol runs in your family.
Nutrition is the first major way to control cholesterol levels and keep your heart working its best. It’s recommended to limit saturated fat and animal products while focusing on healthy whole foods like veggies, fruits, beans, nuts, grains, seeds, and more. Check out these heart-healthy foods! If you smoke, quitting can also help your cholesterol.
Staying active is another main piece of the puzzle. Check out these cardio exercises that keep your heart active and your blood pumping where it needs to go!
If you’d like to learn more about heart health and how you can protect it, check out this helpful heart health tips blog!
