We are surrounded by noise in our everyday existence. Whether it’s lawnmowers, vehicles, or our own headphones, the aural world has intensified. The growing volume of sound poses a significant threat to your auditory health unless precautions are taken. As October marks National Protect Your Hearing Month, it serves as an opportune period to review how to safeguard this important sense.
8 actionable steps to protect your hearing
It’s a relief that uncomplicated actions can be implemented to defend your ears from the ambient noise you encounter daily. The following are eight major recommendations for maintaining your hearing health.
1. Grasp volume levels and their impact
To begin curbing hearing loss, you must know when noise intensity is dangerously high. Diverse noises generate different decibel (dB) measurements; spending too much time around loud ones can result in permanent hearing damage. Consult this brief table:
- Lawn mowers and heavy traffic fall into the 85–90 dB range, which is safe for up to 2 hours of listening.
- At 100 dB (e.g., motorcycles, construction machinery), hearing damage can begin after only 15 minutes.
- Noises exceeding 110 dB (e.g., explosions, fireworks) can lead to immediate damage in just seconds.
Taking a preventative approach to noise recognition can help you avoid environments that are dangerous to your ears.
2. Measure sound levels yourself
Want to know the actual volume of your surroundings? A smartphone makes checking sound levels easy. There are many free applications that function as sound meters, enabling you to examine surrounding noise levels. To get accurate results, measure from the distance you usually are from the sound source.
Regular use of this app can enhance your understanding of your surroundings, facilitating smarter choices about hearing protection.
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. The ease of headphones and earbuds often comes with hidden risks. It’s noteworthy that numerous headphones can reach 100 dB, a level that can induce hearing loss in only 15 minutes of use.
Because they listen with earbuds at high volumes, more than a billion young people worldwide are currently facing a risk of hearing loss. To be safe, keep your earbud volume below 50% of its full level to protect your hearing. 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
If you live in a noisy neighborhood or frequently work in loud environments, it might be tempting to use headphones to block out the background sound. But cranking up the volume to overpower outside noise is detrimental. Instead, consider using noise-canceling headphones, which allow you to enjoy your music or podcasts at a much lower, less hazardous volume. Should noise-canceling headphones not be an option, simple earplugs are a viable alternative.
5. Always use earplugs in noisy environments
Whether you are at a concert, a sports event, or operating loud machinery, earplugs are crucial for those often exposed to loud environments. They are a highly effective yet simple hearing protection strategy, being compact, inexpensive, and portable.
If you use them often, custom-fitted earplugs can be purchased, offering enhanced protection and a better fit than off-the-shelf versions. You should always use them in any settings that are loud.
6. While at work, follow safety guidelines
If your job requires being around loud equipment or machinery, always follow safety protocols regarding hearing protection. Some workplaces may minimize the risks, but those who claim “it’s not that loud” may already have significant hearing loss and don’t perceive the current noise levels. You should protect your hearing by using the necessary protective gear and abiding by the safety rules.
7. Move further away from loud noise
The most effective means of hearing protection can often be just moving back from the source of the loud sound. The benefit of distance is that it lessens the sound’s intensity before it reaches your ears, thus helping to minimize the risk of harm. 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.
Fireworks offer a good example. 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. In contrast, by positioning yourself 2,000 feet away (approximately five football fields), you can experience the show at a safer level, under 100 dB.
8. Existing hearing loss needs to be addressed promptly
Any existing hearing loss demands prompt action to keep it from escalating. Auditory impairment is not self-reversing; it will progress. Specifically, almost 10% of adults aged 55 to 64 suffer from major hearing loss, with the rates climbing steeply among older demographics.
When initial signs of hearing loss are disregarded, it only causes the condition to progress faster. It is common for people to wait an average of 7 years longer than they should before seeking a consultation. Your ability to protect the hearing you still have is improved the earlier you see a hearing specialist to review options like hearing aids.
Start protecting your hearing now
National Protect Your Hearing Month is an excellent reminder to prioritize your hearing health. These basic steps are useful and can make a big change, whether your goal is to reduce existing hearing loss or stop it from happening.
book a hearing test now and gain control over your hearing health before the opportunity is gone.
