Acoustic interference is an unavoidable feature of modern life. From lawnmowers and traffic to personal audio devices, the world is more cacophonous than ever. Such loud conditions can compromise your hearing if you fail to be cautious. With National Protect Your Hearing Month taking place in October, now is the best time to consider preserving your hearing.
8 tips to protect your hearing
Fortunately, there are straightforward steps you can take to protect your ears from the daily noise around you. The following are eight primary recommendations for protecting your hearing health.
1. Grasp volume levels and their impact
Being aware of how loud is too loud is the first step in preventing hearing damage. Different sounds produce varying decibel (dB) levels, and extended exposure can lead to permanent hearing loss. Consult this brief summary:
- Lawn mowers and heavy traffic fall into the 85–90 dB range, which is safe for up to 2 hours of exposure.
- Exposure to 100 dB sounds, such as those from construction equipment or motorcycles, risks hearing damage in only 15 minutes.
- Noises exceeding 110 dB (e.g., explosions, fireworks) can lead to immediate damage in just seconds.
A anticipatory mindset regarding noise levels enables you to prevent environments that are unsafe for your hearing.
2. Determine sound levels yourself
Curious about how loud your environment really is? You can easily gauge it using your smartphone. You can download a range of complimentary sound meter applications to evaluate the noise in your vicinity. The key to getting exact data is to take the measurement from the distance you normally maintain from the origin of the sound.
Regular use of this monitoring tool can improve your understanding of your surroundings, facilitating smarter choices about hearing protection.
3. Don’t crank up the volume on your devices
One of the most frequent causes of gradual hearing damage is enjoying music or podcasts at volumes that are too high. Headphones and earbuds, while convenient, frequently carry understated dangers. It’s noteworthy that many headphones can reach 100 dB, a level that can induce hearing loss in only 15 minutes of use.
Today, over a billion young people are at risk of hearing loss from using earbuds at high volumes. You should never set the volume on your earbuds higher than 50% of the maximum capacity if you want to preserve your ears. Having to increase the volume past this point to hear indicates that you may already have some hearing damage.
4. Never try to use music to drown out loud noise
For those who live in loud areas or work in noisy settings, the urge to use headphones to overpower the ambient sound can be strong. It is actually harmful to increase the volume excessively just to override outside noise. The preferred solution is noise-canceling headphones, which permit listening to media at a greatly reduced and safer volume. In the absence of noise-canceling headphones, using earplugs is an effective substitute.
5. When in noisy settings, use earplugs
Earplugs are absolutely necessary for individuals often in loud settings, such as concerts, sports events, or while using heavy machinery. Since they are small, affordable, and easy to transport, earplugs offer an uncomplicated but powerful method of hearing protection.
If you use them often, custom-fitted earplugs can be purchased, offering enhanced protection and a better fit than off-the-shelf versions. Never think twice about use earplugs when you are in a noisy location.
6. Adhere to safety guidelines at work
critically, if your occupation exposes you to loud machinery or equipment, you must ensure you follow the established safety guidelines for auditory protection. Be cautious because some jobs may discount the risks; individuals claiming “it’s not that loud” could be suffering from major hearing loss and thus misjudging the true noise level. Protect yourself by following guidelines and wearing appropriate protective equipment.
7. Move further away from loud noise
Sometimes the best way to protect your ears is simply to increase the space from the noise source. Distance reduces the intensity of sound impacting your ears, helping to minimize damage. As an illustration, a noise source at 110 dB will be reduced to roughly 100 dB if you stand 20 feet away—a level that allows for up to 15 minutes of safe exposure.
Consider fireworks as a perfect illustration. 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. By sitting 2,000 feet away (roughly five football fields), you can enjoy the show at a safer level below 100 dB.
8. Existing hearing loss needs to be addressed promptly
Any existing hearing loss requires prompt action to keep it from advancing. This kind of impairment will not disappear; it only gets worse. Nearly 1 in 10 adults between the ages of 55 and 64 has significant hearing loss, and those numbers increase dramatically in older age.
Failing to address the first warning signs of auditory loss will only quicken its advancement. On average, people wait 7 years too long to consult a specialist. The sooner you consult with a hearing specialist and consider hearing aids or other treatments, the better your chances of saving your remaining hearing.
Act now for better hearing
Use National Protect Your Hearing Month as the ideal reminder to make hearing health a main concern. These simple actions can have a major impact, regardless of whether you’re seeking to prevent future harm or you’ve already suffered some hearing loss.
book a hearing test now and gain control over your hearing health before the opportunity is gone.