Eyes And Ears And Mouth And Nose: And How To Look After Them
When we get older, our sense tends to wear out a little, and what may have been one of our strong points, might not be the case anymore.
This can be very frustrating, especially when you start having to restrict what you do in your daily life, whether that be because you’re embarrassed, or maybe even to prevent yourself from causing an injury.
Fortunately, there are some things that you can do to avoid losing your senses, or at least prevent them from getting worse.
Sight
Other than health issues, you can start losing your eyesight as you age. This is because the lens of your eyes can start to lose flexibility, and the more rigid it gets, the harder it is to see things up close.
Protect your eyesight
-Avoid things that can strain your eyes, like staring at your computer screen for a long amount of time, or trying to see things from afar.
-If you’re reading a book, give yourself a couple of minutes break by looking away or closing your eyes.
-If you plan on going out in the sun, protect your eyes with sunglasses. In some severe cases, the sun can even cause temporary vision loss, so it’s important not to have the UV rays glaring down at you.
-If you are supposed to wear prescription glasses to see with – wear them all the time! If you don’t like wearing them because of how they look, invest in some new ones that compliment you well. Make sure they’re clean and kept safe when not in use.
-Get the right nutrition for your eyes. This means vitamin C, vitamin E, and all the omega three fatty acids. You can get this by eating things like fish, citrus fruits, and nuts.
-Don’t smoke. This is pretty self-explanatory and is important for the whole body, not just your eyes.
-Get your health checked regularly. If you’re diabetic, you are at a higher risk of having problems with your retina. The treatment for retinal disorders can be simple if caught quickly, usually with some laser eye surgery.
– Have your eyes tested once a year, or whenever you feel there has been a significant change in your vision.
Hearing
Losing your hearing is never a good feeling. It can make you feel really self-conscious, and you may refrain yourself from going out, because you don’t want to be stuck in a conversation and worry about asking people to repeat themselves again and again.
Protect Your Ears
-If you start to notice problems hearing or if you start to suffer from any pain, make sure you go to a medical professional.
-Limit yourself to the noise that you hear. There’s nothing wrong with listening to loud music – but not every second of the day of it booming down your ears, as this can destroy the small hair cells in your ear, and when they’re gone, they can’t be replaced.
-If you do end up losing your hearing, it may be time to consider getting a hearing device. There are many different types so speak to a professional and see what they suggest for you.
-Tell your friends and family about your hearing loss. The more that people know, the less you will have to ask them to repeat themselves. They will be more aware to face you when they speak, talk slower and maybe even use hand gestures too.
-Minimise, or completely cut out the background noise, this will help you to concentrate on the primary sound and not be distracted by anything else.
Taste and smell
Who doesn’t want to be able to enjoy great food and beverages? It will stop you from eating out and treating yourself, because you won’t be able to enjoy these things anymore.
Protect your taste and smell
-Experiment with new flavors. Although your taste buds and smell may not be as strong, by introducing new things, they might awaken something that you wasn’t aware of before.
-Because you are losing taste, you might start adding more salt to everything, but too much salt is bad for you. So find other ways to season your food instead like with herbs and spices.
-Limit the alcohol you drink with your meals. Alcohol can take away from the flavor of your food completely, and then you won’t be enjoying what you eat, but the alcohol you’re drinking.
-Drink more water – your body benefits so much from this. You should be drinking at least ten glasses throughout the day.
