Our ear is a highly sensitive sensory organ. It helps us communicate acoustically with our fellow humans and warns us of dangerous situations. We should protect our hearing from damaging environmental influences and also delay age related hearing loss as much as possible. Severe and quick changes in air pressure, such as those occurring in airplanes, cable cars, or elevators in skyscrapers directly stress the ear and often cause pain. Swimming or bathing, particularly in chlorinated water, can cause skin irritation in the ear canal. If one is prone to ear inflammations, then the ear should be protected from water entering the auditory canal even while showering. Noise and loud music are especially strenuous on the ear. The damaging effect often goes unnoticed at that particular time, but is irreversible and may lead to premature hearing loss. While strict legal regulations on noise levels exist in the work areas, we often overlook this type of ear care at home. ghostwriter österreich