Your sense of hearing is crucial in your life and when it’s gone, there will be no natural way of getting it back. But somehow, hearing loss frequently goes untreated and unchecked in the general population. In fact, permanent hearing loss affects one out of eight people (about 30 million people) over the age of 12 in the United States alone.

Protecting your hearing from the beginning is the best and simplest way to prevent hearing loss, but if you currently have hearing loss you can recover much of your hearing with a hearing aid.

Here are five easy ways that you can safeguard your hearing:

Earbuds should be avoided

Earbuds have been packaged with mobile devices since the early 2000s and are one of the greatest dangers to hearing. Nearly every smartphone on the market comes with a set of these little devices that fit snugly in your ear and pump sound directly into your ear canal. Listening to a movie or music on your mobile device at maximum volume for only 15 minutes can result in permanent hearing loss. The better choice would be to get a pair of earmuff-style headphones that go over your ears, which is made even more effective if you can find a set that has noise-canceling technology. No matter what 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.

Keep your volume down

Your hearing can be damaged by other things besides earbuds. If you routinely listen to the TV or radio at loud volumes over sustained periods, your hearing can also be harmed. You’ll also want to avoid situations where loud noises are constant, like construction zones, concerts, and firearm ranges. Avoiding these scenarios may only happen in a perfect world, particularly if you’re a construction worker or a musician. The next item on the list will be significant if you’re in this situation.

Utilize hearing protection

If you have hobbies or work in a noisy setting, it’s essential that you utilize hearing protection. Hearing loss can happen in just 15 minutes at 85 decibels. Compare that to the following:

• The average firearm discharge clocks in at 149 decibels, which is multiplied and amplified over the course of a one hour trip to an indoor shooting range
• The noise of a construction site can be over 130 decibels and many workers spend 40 or more hours a week there
• At most concerts the headlining band plays for up to two hours at well over 120 decibels

If you engage in any of these activities, you need to invest in a good set of earmuffs or earplugs.

Take auditory breaks

There are times you simply need to give your ears a rest. Even if you use ear protection, if you are subjected to loud noises like these for extended periods, you should take some quiet breaks to give your ears some time to recover. So after you leave a concert, you most likely shouldn’t jump into your car and blast music.

Check your medicine

Your hearing may be significantly affected by the medication you take. There are certain medicines that have been proven to trigger hearing loss including some heart and cancer medications, aspirin, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory medication. Fortunately, medication related hearing loss usually only happens when more than one of these medications are taken together making it far less common.

Looking to find treatment for your hearing loss? Schedule an appointment with us for a hearing exam.

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Resources

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/how_does_loud_noise_cause_hearing_loss.html
https://armeddefense.org/hearing-protection
https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/tf3092