Your ability to hear is valuable – once it’s gone, the likelihood of getting it back in its natural form is slim to nil. But for some reason, hearing loss tends to go neglected and unchecked in the general population. In the US alone, one in eight people over the age of 12 suffer from neglected and irreversible hearing loss.
Protecting your hearing from the start is the best and simplest way to prevent hearing loss, but if you already have hearing loss you can get much of your hearing back with a hearing aid.
Protect your hearing with these five tips:
Earbuds should be avoided
Earbuds have been a mobile device accessory since the early 2000s and are one of the greatest dangers to hearing. Nearly every smartphone available comes with a set of these little devices that fit snugly in your ear and pump sound directly into your ear canal. Listening to music or a movie on your mobile device at full volume for just 15 minutes can result in permanent hearing loss. The better choice would be to get a set 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. No matter what sound devices you use, you should follow the 60/60 rule – keep the volume at 60% maximum and only use the devices for 60 minutes every day.
Reduce the volume
Earbuds don’t generate the only sounds that can harm your hearing. If you regularly listen to the TV or radio at high volumes over sustained periods, your hearing can also be harmed. You’ll also want to steer clear of situations where loud noises are constant, like construction zones, concerts, and firearm ranges. Avoiding these situations may only be possible in a perfect world, particularly if you’re a construction worker or a musician. If that’s the case, then you’ll want to pay attention to the next item on the list.
Hearing protection will be helpful
If you have hobbies or work in a loud setting, it’s crucial that you make use of hearing protection. 85 decibels over a period of 15 minutes is enough to cause hearing loss. To put that in perspective:
- The noise of a construction site can be over 130 decibels and many workers spend 40 or more hours every week there
- The average firearm discharge clocks in at 149 decibels, which is multiplied and amplified over the course of a one hour visit to an indoor gun range
- Most concerts are between 100 and 120 decibels with headliners normally playing for about an hour and 20 minutes
If you engage in any of these activities, you need to get a good set of earmuffs or earplugs.
Take auditory breaks
Sometimes giving your ears a rest is the best thing you can do. If you participated in any of the activities listed above, you really should make certain to take some quiet time to yourself so your ears can rest and recover, even if you were using ear protection. So after you leave a concert, you most likely shouldn’t jump into your car and blast music.
Check your medicine
Your hearing could be substantially impacted by the medication you take. Aspirin, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, and certain heart and cancer medications have all been proven to cause hearing loss. Luckily, medication related hearing loss normally only happens when more than one of these medicines are taken together making it much less common.
Are you coping with hearing loss and want to seek out new treatment? Contact us today to set up a consultation.
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Resources
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/how_does_loud_noise_cause_hearing_loss.html
