Baby It’s Cold Outside: Protecting Your Ears During Cold Weather

Before you shovel snow from your driveway or to take the dog for a walk around the block, you put on a winter coat, gloves and maybe a hat. Or perhaps you work outside on a daily basis and a good pair of boots ensures your feet are warm and dry. 

But what about your ears?

While the Triangle and Raleigh area don’t see the record-breaking snowfalls that other states do, whenever there’s a cold snap, it’s vital to remember that protecting your ears is crucial. 

Failure to do so could result in hearing loss or ear damage.

At Raleigh Capitol Ear, Nose, Throat & Allergy, we understand how much your environment can affect your ENT health. From allergies that cause clogged ears to swimmer’s ear after a day at the pool — we’re here to help. 

Our team provides personalized care plans designed not only to treat your condition but also to educate you on ways to prevent future issues and reduce their impact. We encourage you to schedule an appointment with us for more information.

Next, let’s review some of the most common ear injuries caused by the cold. We’ll also provide some insight into how to protect your ears and avoid more involved complications. 

How to Protect Your Ears And Avoid These Cold Weather Injuries

Cover Your Ears to Prevent Frostbite

This is one of the more obvious perils of leaving your ears uncovered. While frostbite can occur on any part of your body, extremities such as fingers, toes, nose and ears are particularly vulnerable to frostbite. 

When a part of the body freezes, it destroys the tissue, which can cause extensive damage. In extreme cases, the injured area will need to be removed in order to prevent even more serious complications.

How to Avoid Frostbite

Thankfully, frostbite can be easily avoided by taking a few simple precautions:

• Wear warm clothes
• Minimize the amount of time you’re outside
• Wear a hat that covers your ears (or quality earmuffs).
• Use headwear made of wool or windproof materials

Symptoms of frostbite include:

• Hard or waxy-looking skin
• Skin that has a red, white, gray or bluish tint
• Blistering

If you have any of these symptoms, it’s important to get medical help as soon as possible.

Protect Your Ear During Cold Weather Sports to Prevent “Surfer’s Ear”

Exostosis- a.k.a “surfer’s ear” should not be confused with “swimmer’s ear,” which strikes many water-lovers every summer. Exostoses are small, bony overgrowths that occur in the ear canal, creating problems that can include hearing loss.

While research is ongoing into why and how exostoses form, frequent exposure to cold water is one of the main risk factors, and surfers are at an even higher risk (hence the name). 

In one study, those who surfed regularly for 20 years had a 50% chance of developing complications related to exostoses. 

This condition is also more common in those who participate in winter sports such as downhill skiing or whitewater kayaking—essentially anything that chronically exposes the ear to cold air and water. 

How to Avoid Surfer’s Ear

Be sure that you’re wearing adequate protection for your ears if you participate in these sports. If you will be regularly participating in work or sports that will chronically expose you to cold wind, you may want to consider lightweight and wind-resistant balaclavas. 

Ask us about customized ear plugs or the best ways to keep your ears safe. Even better, consider putting these activities on hold until warmer weather.

Limit Your Time Outside to Avoid Chilblains

Certainly, everyone’s heard of frostbite, but what about chilblains? These occur when the skin is repeatedly exposed to temperatures from freezing to 60 degrees. It typically appears on the cheeks, ears, fingers and toes.

Symptoms include:

• Itching
• Redness
• Blistering
• Inflammation
• Possible ulceration

If you find you have chilblains on your outer ear, don’t scratch it. Instead, slowly warm the skin and use corticosteroid creams to relieve itching and swelling. Typically, the condition improves in a couple of weeks. 

How to Avoid Chilblains

The best way to prevent chilblains from working is to limit your time in the cold and make sure you cover any exposed skin. If you do get chilblains, it’s crucial to keep the skin dry. 

At Raleigh Capitol Ear, Nose, Throat & Allergy, We Can Help You Maintain Your ENT Health Regardless of the Weather

We want to do more than merely help you protect your ears—we want to treat any ear, nose or throat problems you may have. Do you have chronic ear infections? Perhaps you’re having difficulty hearing in crowded rooms. Or maybe your spouse complains that you snore and you’re afraid you’ve developed sleep apnea.

No matter what problems you may have, we are ready to assist you by providing world-class treatment in an environment that features both state-of-the-art technology and compassionate care. Contact us to schedule an appointment. 

How Loud is Too Loud? Seven Ways to Protect Your Hearing

Listening to your favorite band during a gym workout can inspire you through those last five minutes, but it may be doing irreversible damage to your hearing. One in 5 Americans experience hearing loss, but a staggering 80 percent do nothing about it.

Hearing loss can lead to other problems such as:

• Tinnitus
• Social isolation
• Sleep disturbances
• An increased risk of falling 

Being exposed to loud noises can extensively damage your hearing. But how loud is too loud? We’ve compiled some useful information to take the mystery out of sound measurement.

What Are Decibels (dB)?

Sound intensity is measured in decibels, which is a logarithmic measurement of sound pressure level. Many experts recommend hearing protection at or above 80 dB.

Following are some common noises and their decibel levels:

• Quietest sound heard by a person with normal hearing —– 0 dB
• Normal conversational speech —– 60 dB
• Lawn mower or loud toys —– 95 dB
• Power tools, chainsaw or motorcycle —– 100 dB
• Listening to an iPod at full volume —– 105 dB
• Rock concert at Cary amphitheater —– 110 dB
• Ambulance siren —– 120 dB
• Jet engine at the Raleigh / Durham airport —– 140 dB
• Fireworks or a gunshot —– 140 to 160 dB

How Do Loud Noises Damage Your Hearing?

Hearing is a fascinating and complex process. All parts must seamlessly work together to enable you to hear clearly. The process goes like this: 

1. Sound waves travel through the ear canal to the eardrum. 
2. The eardrum vibrates, moving bones in your middle ear. 
3. These bones transmit the waves to the fluid-filled cochlea, which is part of the inner ear. 
4. The cochlea contains tiny hair cells. 
5. These hairs change the wave into nerve signals, which are then transferred to the brain along the auditory nerve.
   

Exposure to loud noise can damage these tiny hair cells.

This affects the signal clarity, making it difficult for the brain to interpret sound.  If you are frequently exposed to loud sounds on the job or recreationally, you should have your hearing tested annually by an audiologist. See our audiologists.

How To Protect Your Hearing

The key to protecting your hearing is one part common sense and one part preparation. As leading ENTs in Raleigh, we have seen firsthand the damage caused by consistent exposure to loud noises. We encourage you to take steps to protect your hearing—it is something that is often taken for granted until a problem develops. 

We’d like to offer our extensive tips, including:

1. If you work at a loud place, such as a construction area or factory, be sure you follow labor regulations and use hearing protective devices.
2. Try to choose quiet leisure activities instead of loud ones—particularly if you work in a loud environment.
3. Use customized ear plugs, particularly when you know you’ll be exposed to noise for a long time, such as at a rock concert. The most effective ear plugs are available through our certified audiologists in Raleigh
4. Wear hearing protective devices when operating noisy machines such as:
   • Lawnmowers
   • Blowers
   • Saws
   • Vacuums 
   • Nail guns, 
   • Motorcycles
5. Keep televisions, radios and MP3 players at a reasonable volume.
6. Be aware of how long you are exposed to loud noises. Try to reduce this time if possible.
7. Be aware of how many loud noises your children are exposed to—listening to loud music can permanently damage hearing.

Hearing is a precious gift. If you don’t take care of it, you can lose it. The good news is that there are several options for those who have hearing loss. Speak with your audiologist about the type of hearing aid that’s right for you.

At Raleigh Capitol Ear, Nose, Throat & Allergy, We Want You to Have Healthy Ears and Hearing

We live in a challenging world. We’re bombarded with noise from all angles and even a brisk grip of cold weather can leave our ears vulnerable. 

That’s why we offer the complete slate of comprehensive services from physicians who are nationally recognized experts in their field. For decades, we’ve been the provider of choice for so many in the Triangle area. We invite you to experience this compassionate, state-of-the-art care firsthand. Simply contact us for an appointment.