Your ability to hear is valuable – once you lose it, the likelihood of getting it back in its natural form is not likely. But somehow, hearing loss frequently goes untreated and uncontrolled in the general population. As a matter of fact, permanent hearing loss impacts one in every eight individuals (nearly 30 million people) 12 and older in the United States alone.
Protecting your hearing from the beginning is the best and simplest way to prevent hearing loss, but if you currently have hearing loss you can recover much of your hearing with a hearing aid.
Safeguard your hearing with these five tips:
Don’t use earbuds
Earbuds have been a mobile device accessory since the early 2000s and are one of the biggest dangers to hearing. Nearly every smartphone available comes with a pair of these little devices that sit snugly in your ear and pump sound directly into your ear canal. You can get irreversible hearing damage by listening to music or a movie on your mobile device at maximum volume for only 15 minutes. The better choice would be to get a pair of earmuff-style headphones that go over your ears, which is made even better if you can find a pair that has noise-canceling technology. Sticking to the 60/60 rule, which suggests a maximum volume of 60% for no more than 60 minutes per day, is another safety measure to safeguard your hearing.
Lower the volume
Earbuds don’t generate the only sounds that can harm your hearing. If you routinely listen to the TV or radio at high volumes over prolonged periods, your hearing can also be harmed. Shooting ranges, concerts, construction zone, and other noisy settings should be avoided. It may be impractical to completely avoid these settings especially if they’re part of your job. If that’s the case, then you’ll want to take note of the next item on the list.
Hearing protection will help
If you have hobbies or work in a noisy setting, it’s essential that you make use of hearing protection. Hearing loss can happen in just 15 minutes at 85 decibels. To put that in perspective:
- The average firearm discharge clocks in at 149 decibels, which is multiplied and amplified over the course of a one hour trip to an indoor gun range
- Most concerts are between 100 and 120 decibels with headliners normally playing for about an hour and 20 minutes
- The noise of a construction site can be above 130 decibels and many workers spend 40 or more hours every week there
The takeaway here is that you should invest in some type of hearing protection such as earmuffs or earplugs if you engage in any of these activities.
Take auditory breaks
There are times you just need to give your ears a break. Even if you wear hearing protection, if you are subjected to loud sounds like these for extended periods, you should take some quiet breaks to give your ears some time to rest. That means, you probably shouldn’t get into your car and begin blaring loud music right after you come out of a 3-hour concert.
Check your medicine
Your hearing may be significantly affected by the medication you use. Aspirin, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, and some heart and cancer medicines have all been proven to trigger hearing loss. Fortunately, medication related hearing loss normally only happens when more than one of these medications are taken together making it much less common.
Looking to get treatment for your hearing loss? Get in touch with us today to schedule a consultation.
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Resources
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/how_does_loud_noise_cause_hearing_loss.html
https://armeddefense.org/hearing-protection
https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/tf3092