8 Tips for National Protect Your Hearing Month

HEARING TIPS

National Protect your hearing month.

Acoustic interference is an perpetual aspect of modern life. Whether it’s lawnmowers, heavy traffic, or our own headphones, the auditory world has intensified. Without proper care, this higher level of noise can cause damage to your sense of hearing. With National Protect Your Hearing Month taking place in October, now is the prime time to consider keeping safe your hearing.

How to safeguard your hearing: 8 key methods

Luckily, some effortless measures exist that allow you to insulate your hearing from routine environmental sounds. The following are eight primary recommendations for maintaining your hearing health.

1. Become familiar with volume levels and their impact

To begin curbing hearing loss, you must develop an awareness of when noise intensity is too loud to tolerate. The volume of various sounds is measured in decibels (dB), and being exposed to them for too long can cause irreversible hearing impairment. Here’s a quick overview:

  • Lawn mowers and heavy traffic fall into the 85–90 dB range, which is safe for up to 2 hours of listening.
  • Exposure to 100 dB sounds, such as those from construction equipment or motorcycles, risks hearing damage in only 15 minutes.
  • Instant damage is possible after merely a few seconds of exposure to noises over 110 dB, like explosions, gunshots, or fireworks.

A anticipatory mindset regarding noise levels enables you to prevent environments that are detrimental for your hearing.

2. Check sound levels yourself

Are you interested in discovering the true loudness of your environment? A smartphone makes measuring sound levels effortless. You can download a range of complimentary sound meter applications to monitor the noise in your vicinity. For the most precise results, ensure you measure the sound from your usual distance to the source.

Using this feature regularly can help you better understand your environment and make informed decisions about protecting your hearing.

3. Don’t crank up the volume on your devices

A significant way people negatively affect their hearing over time is by using their devices at elevated volume settings. The ease of headphones and earbuds often comes with hidden risks. Many headphones, for instance, are capable of reaching volumes over 100 dB, which means hearing loss can occur in as little as 15 minutes.

Because they listen with earbuds at high volumes, more than a billion young people worldwide are currently facing a risk of hearing loss. To protect your ears, never turn your earbuds above 50% of their maximum volume. If you need to raise the volume higher to hear, that’s a signal your hearing may already be damaged.

4. Avoid using music to drown out background noise

When working in a noisy environment or residing in a loud neighborhood, you may be tempted to use headphones to cancel the surrounding noise. But cranking up the volume to overpower outside noise is harmful. The preferred solution is noise-canceling headphones, which permit listening to media at a greatly reduced and safer volume. Should noise-canceling headphones not be an option, simple earplugs are a viable alternative.

5. Always utilize earplugs in loud environments

Whether you are at a concert, a sports event, or operating loud machinery, earplugs are crucial for those routinely exposed to loud environments. They are small, affordable, and easy to carry, making them a straightforward but effective tool for hearing protection.

Custom-fitted earplugs are available for those who need them regularly, providing better comfort and protection than generic options. You should certainly use them in any settings that are loud.

6. While at work, follow safety guidelines

Crucially, if your occupation exposes you to loud machinery or equipment, you must obey the established safety guidelines for auditory protection. While some employers may underestimate the danger, those who insist “it’s not that loud” might already have serious hearing damage and be unaware of the actual volume. You should protect your hearing by wearing the necessary protective gear and sticking to the safety rules.

7. Distance yourself from loud noise

Often, the best strategy for safeguarding your ears is merely to step away from the noise. Distance diminishes the intensity of sound reaching your ears, helping to minimize damage. To illustrate, moving 20 feet back from a 110 dB sound source can lower the level to about 100 dB, which is safe for 15 minutes of exposure.

The example of fireworks demonstrates this well. While a firework explosion registers at 150 dB, if you are close to where it launches, the sound can still surpass 120 dB, which can cause instant harm. You can still enjoy the display at a safer level, below 100 dB, by being 2,000 feet away (the length of about five football fields).

8. Address existing hearing loss promptly

Should you already be dealing with hearing loss, it is imperative that you take action so it doesn’t progress. Auditory impairment is not self-reversing; it will continue to worsen. Nearly 1 in 10 adults between the ages of 55 and 64 has noticeable hearing loss, and those numbers rise sharply in older age.

Ignoring the early symptoms of hearing loss only accelerates its progression. Usually, individuals delay seeking professional assistance by a full 7 years. The sooner you consult with a hearing specialist and consider hearing aids or other treatments, the better your chances of saving your remaining hearing.

Take action today

Use National Protect Your Hearing Month as the ideal reminder to make hearing health a top concern. Whether you’ve already experienced some hearing loss or want to prevent future damage, these straightforward steps can make a big difference.

To avoid future regret, set up a hearing test immediately and manage your auditory health.

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.

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