Did you that by age 60 nearly two in three of us – that’s 64 percent, would hear much better with hearing aids?

But there is good news. There are listening exercises you can do to slow the effects of hearing loss and greatly improve your hearing capacity.

Being ear fit is so important because once hearing pathways start to get sluggish, they continue to do so unless you proactively strengthen them. found that sound deprivation leads to irreparable hearing loss. That’s why I frequently advise people to treat their hearing loss as soon as possible, rather than waiting for it to get worse.

When used in combination with Ear Fit exercises, hearing aids will improve your chance of reactivating tired sound pathways by assisting with acoustic stimulation.

And, the earlier you act on hearing loss the less likely you are to suffer some of its more devastating impacts – like isolation, depression, relationship breakdown and even dementia.

Here are just some of the ear fit exercises you can do to help keep your hearing in prime condition. Incorporate them into your every day routine, or do them as often as you have time. (You can supplement them with a hearing protection diet rich in Omega 3 and vitamin A – like Salmon and sweet potato).

Music Training

Improve your brain’s ability to organise and make sense of speech sounds, with music training. Sites like thetamusic.com offer a great range of ear training games. You can also use music to help focus your hearing in background noise.

Simply turn on the radio or your CD player and have a friend talk to you from a reasonable distance, at a normal volume. Work on filtering out the music. Add more sound sources as you skill improves.

Listening Lifts

Find a comfortable place to sit without interruption, and close your eyes. Focus on the sounds around you. What can you hear? Try to identify the sound furthest away from you. Hold that sound in your focus for a moment, then listen for a closer sound. Can you identify all the sounds you hear?

Memory Stretches

The aim of this exercise is to hone your listening ability. Start by having a friend relay three numbers to you. Repeat them back, in reverse order. When you can do three, do four. Increase intensity as you go.

Next, ask your friend to read to you three sentences. Recall the first and last word of each passage. Again, increase difficulty as you go!