7 Things Ear Doctors Never, Ever Do

It’s easy to take your hearing and ear health for granted. But the reality is that many seemingly harmless behaviors can do irreversible damage.

To make matters more complicated, the negative impact of these actions may take years to manifest. Fortunately, there are ways to keep your ears healthy as you age.

HuffPost asked doctors who specialize in this area to share the things they never do in the interest of their ear health. Read on for the behaviors they avoid.

They don’t leave the house without earplugs.

“I never leave the house without a pair of ear plugs in my purse,” Dr. Maura Cosetti, director of the Ear Institute of New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, told HuffPost. “While it may be easier to remember ear protection when going to something like an indoor concert, there are many situations in which we are unexpectedly exposed to loud, and potentially damaging, noise.”

She emphasized that noise-induced hearing loss is very common and cannot be reversed. That’s why prevention is key to maintaining hearing health and longevity.

“Whether it is attending a concert or a sporting event, operating heavy machinery, or shooting a firearm, I would always recommend the use of hearing protection,” said Dr. Kenny Lin, an ENT-otolaryngologist at Houston Methodist Hospital. “Protecting our ears against loud noise exposures is the most important modifiable factor to protect our hearing against noise-induced hearing loss. I keep concert earplugs in the glove compartment of my car so that they are readily accessible when I find myself at an event that may be uncomfortably loud.”

They don’t fly while congested without taking precautions.

“I would never fly if I had a stuffy nose without using a decongestant or