We are constantly exposed to noise in our everyday existence. Whether it’s gardening equipment, vehicles, or our own headphones, the auditory world has intensified. This rise in noise can have a negative effect on your hearing if you’re not careful. With National Protect Your Hearing Month taking place in October, now is the most suitable time to consider preserving your hearing.
8 tips to protect your hearing
Luckily, some simple measures exist that allow you to insulate your hearing from routine environmental sounds. We present eight vital guidelines to ensure auditory protection.
1. Become familiar with noise 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 long-term exposure can lead to permanent hearing loss. Here’s a quick reference:
- 85–90 dB: Lawn mowers, heavy traffic – 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.
- Instant damage is possible after merely a few seconds of exposure to noises over 110 dB, like explosions, gunshots, or fireworks.
Taking a preventative approach to noise awareness can help you avoid environments that are hazardous to your ears.
2. Determine sound levels yourself
Want to know the actual volume of your surroundings? A smartphone makes measuring sound levels easy. Several no-cost sound meter apps are available, allowing you to test noise levels around you. To get accurate results, measure from the distance you usually are from the sound source.
If you use this technique consistently, you’ll gain a clearer insight into your environment and be prepared to make wise choices to guard your hearing.
3. Don’t crank up the volume on your devices
Regularly playing music or podcasts too loudly is a leading contributor to progressive hearing damage. Headphones and earbuds, while convenient, frequently carry understated dangers. It’s important that numerous 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. To protect your ears, never turn your earbuds above 50% of their maximum volume. The need to increase the volume past this point to hear indicates that you may already have some hearing damage.
4. Avoid using music to drown out background noise
When situated 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 damaging. A better alternative is to use noise-canceling headphones, as they let you listen to music or podcasts at a far lower and safer volume. In the absence of noise-canceling headphones, using earplugs is an efficient substitute.
5. When in loud settings, use earplugs
Earplugs are essential for individuals regularly 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 easy but powerful means of hearing protection.
If you use them often, custom-fitted earplugs can be purchased, offering improved protection and a better fit than off-the-shelf versions. In any loud setting, don’t be reluctant to use them.
6. While at work, follow safety guidelines
critically, if your occupation exposes you to loud machinery or equipment, you must obey the established safety guidelines for auditory protection. Be wary 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. You should protect your hearing by wearing the necessary protective gear and abiding by the safety rules.
7. Move further away from loud noise
Frequently, the best strategy for safeguarding your ears is merely to step away from the noise. The advantage of distance is that it decreases the sound’s intensity before it reaches your ears, thus serving to minimize the risk of harm. 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.
Consider fireworks as a perfect illustration. A firework exploding at 150 dB may seem far away, but if you’re near the launch site, the noise can still exceed 120 dB, causing instant damage. By sitting 2,000 feet away (about 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. Auditory impairment is not self-reversing; it will continue to worsen. 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 indications of auditory loss will only quicken its advancement. On average, people wait 7 years too long to consult a specialist. Your ability to protect the hearing you still have is greatly enhanced the earlier you see a hearing specialist to review options like hearing aids.
Take action today
The observance of National Protect Your Hearing Month serves as an great time to place a high value on your auditory well-being. These fundamental steps are useful and can make a big change, whether your goal is to reduce existing hearing loss or stop future impairment.
Schedule a hearing test today and take charge of your hearing health before it’s too late.