How To Improve Hearing Naturally: 9 Easy Fixes That an Expert Says Really Work
Simple daily habits—from sipping a smoothie to cracking a window—can make a difference fast
Constantly turning up the TV or asking loved ones to repeat themselves? About a third of us will deal with some degree of hearing loss by age 65, according to Harvard researchers—and that number climbs to 50 percent by the time we hit our mid-70s. The good news? Mild hearing loss doesn’t have to affect your quality of life. If you’re wondering how to improve your hearing naturally, these science-backed tips are a great place to start.
How to improve hearing naturally
You already know the basics like wearing hearing protection in noisy environments (like at concerts while mowing the lawn). But there’s so much more you can do to protect your hearing health. Here’s what works:
Woman's World Answers
Schedule a hearing test
“The number one thing people can do to protect their hearing is get a hearing screening, which most people haven’t had since the third grade, and keep monitoring it,” reveals clinical audiologist Dawn Heiman, AuD. She suggests starting at age 40 to get a baseline, which can help you and your doctor better track—and treat—any changes as soon as they arise.
Skip the cottons swabs
According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology, earwax blockage is one of the most common causes of hearing loss, and it’s often caused by our attempts to remove wax with cotton swabs. While alternative remedies like ear candling may feel good, there’s no evidence they’re actually effective, Dr. Heiman notes. “There’s also a chance you could burn yourself,” she adds. “I recommend over-the-counter ear drops if you feel wax building up. They’re usually made with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and mineral oil, and they’re very safe and effective.”
Open a window
Closing your windows to keep your home at a comfortable temperature puts you in close contact with household allergens. This causes the body to release histamine that clogs what’s known as the middle ears, the area of the ears where sound is processed. Instead of the added cost (and potential side effects) of using antihistamines, simply open a window.
Experts at Allergy & Asthma Centers S.C. note that opening your windows, especially after cleaning, allows airborne allergens to escape while ushering in fresh air. Also smart? Switching on an air purifier to whisk away indoor allergens. One option: The Coway Airmega Mighty2 AP-1512N air purifier.
Try hearing assistance earbuds
Hearing loss can make it difficult to listen and understand conversations, including those that occur over the phone. For those with sensorineural hearing loss, where the inner ear or auditory nerves are damaged, the issue is especially acute. A small study in iScience, however, suggests that smartphone-bundled earbuds can serve as hearing assistance devices for adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss.
The researchers found that these earbuds met four of the five criteria for personal sound amplification products. The researchers also found that in quiet environments with no background noise and when noise approached study participants laterally, those using earbuds showed similar improvements in speech recognition performance as those using premium hearing aids.
Hearing aids are now available over the counter and can be purchased without a prescription. If you’re an AirPods user, you may already have built-in support. The AirPods Pro include a feature called Hearing Aid designed to help folks with mild to moderate hearing loss.
Savor sweet potatoes
Whether roasted, mashed or baked into a pie, sweet potatoes may help improve your hearing naturally. They’re packed with vitamin A, which protects the cells in your inner ear from free radical damage that can lead to hearing loss. A study in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging of more than 3,000 adults over 50 found that those with the most vitamin A in their diets had a 47 percent lower risk of hearing loss compared to those with the least.
Listen to music
“We don’t hear with our ears, we hear with our brains—and our brains love music,” says Dr. Heiman. “Research shows trying to learn a musical instrument at any stage of life improves our ability to hear background noise.” Simply listening to your favorite song may stimulate the parts of the brain that help you hear, she adds. “The entire brain lights up when music is playing.”
Enjoy a tuna melt
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found people who consistently ate at least two servings of tuna or other fatty fish per week as part of a healthy diet lowered their risk of hearing loss by 42 percent. And even a single weekly serving of fish had a significant protective effect. The omega-3 fatty acids in seafood boost blood flow to the cochlea, the part of the inner ear involved in hearing.
Sip a smoothie
Your favorite smoothie ingredients—milk, yogurt, bananas and berries—brim with magnesium, a mineral that may help improve your hearing naturally, according to research in the American Journal of Otolaryngology. Magnesium dilates blood vessels, boosting nourishing blood flow to the ear. Tip: For an added magnesium boost, stir Solaray Extra-Strength Magnesium Glycinate Powder into your smoothie.
Focus on folate
Folate, also known as vitamin B9, plays an important role in more than just your overall health. It also helps improve your hearing naturally. In fact, a Brigham and Women’s Hospital study found that people over 60 with higher folate levels were more than 20 percent less likely to develop hearing loss.
Folate helps prevent age-related hearing loss—one of the most common types of hearing loss—by supporting blood flow to the cochlea. Find it in foods like peanuts, beans, eggs and broccoli as well as fortified cereals, pasta and orange juice.
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