We are enveloped by noise in our everyday existence. From power tools and road noise to personal audio devices, the world is louder than ever. The expanding volume of sound poses a serious threat to your auditory health unless you take measures. October is National Protect Your Hearing Month, making it the perfect time to focus on how to preserve this crucial sense.
8 key suggestions to protect your hearing
It’s a relief that basic actions can be implemented to defend your ears from the ambient noise you encounter daily. We present eight crucial pieces of advice to ensure auditory protection.
1. Know noise levels and their impact
The initial action for averting auditory damage is to recognize when a sound level becomes excessive. The volume of various sounds is measured in decibels (dB), and being subjected to them for extended durations can cause irreversible hearing impairment. A fast summary is below:
- 85–90 dB: Lawn mowers, heavy traffic – Safe for up to 2 hours of exposure.
- 100 dB: Motorcycles, construction machinery – Hearing damage can occur in as little as 15 minutes.
- Instant damage is possible after merely a few seconds of exposure to noises over 110 dB, like explosions, gunshots, or fireworks.
By being proactive about how loud your surroundings are, you can successfully stay away from settings that pose a threat to your auditory health.
2. Check sound levels yourself
Are you interested in discovering the true loudness of your environment? You can easily determine it using your smartphone. Several no-cost sound meter apps are available, allowing you to check noise levels around you. The key to getting reliable data is to take the measurement from the distance you normally maintain from the origin of the sound.
Regular use of this app can improve your understanding of your surroundings, facilitating smarter choices about hearing protection.
3. Keep the volume down on your devices
Listening to music or podcasts at excessive volumes is one of the most common ways people damage their hearing over time. Headphones and earbuds, while convenient, frequently carry unrecognized dangers. Many headphones, for instance, are capable of reaching volumes over 100 dB, which means hearing loss can occur in as little as 15 minutes.
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. If you find yourself turning the volume up just to be able to hear, it likely means some degree of hearing loss has already occurred.
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 harmful. A better alternative is to use noise-canceling headphones, as they let you listen to music or podcasts at a significantly lower and safer volume. If you don’t have noise-canceling headphones, earplugs can be an effective alternative.
5. Always utilize earplugs in noisy settings
Whether you are at a concert, a sports event, or operating loud machinery, earplugs are critical for those routinely exposed to loud environments. They are small, affordable, and easy to carry, making them a straightforward but effective tool for hearing protection.
Custom-fitted earplugs are offered for those who need them regularly, providing better comfort and protection than generic options. In any loud setting, don’t forget to use them.
6. Follow 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 substantial hearing loss and thus misjudging the true noise level. You should protect your hearing by wearing the necessary protective gear and sticking to the safety rules.
7. Move further away from loud noise
Sometimes the best way to protect your ears is simply to move away from the noise source. Distance diminishes the intensity of sound impacting your ears, thereby 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.
Fireworks offer a good example. Even if a 150 dB firework explosion appears distant, being close to the launch site means the noise could still be over 120 dB, resulting in immediate damage. You can nonetheless enjoy the display at a safer level, below 100 dB, by being 2,000 feet away (the length of about five football fields).
8. Address existing hearing loss promptly
Any existing hearing loss requires prompt action to keep it from escalating. Auditory impairment is not self-reversing; it will continue to worsen. Statistics reveal that approximately 1 out of 10 adults in the 55-to-64 age group have serious hearing loss, and this percentage jumps in later years.
When initial signs of hearing loss are ignored, it only causes the impairment to progress faster. Usually, individuals delay seeking professional assistance by a full 7 years. Your ability to conserve the hearing you still have is improved the earlier you see a hearing specialist to discuss options like hearing aids.
Take action today
National Protect Your Hearing Month is an ideal reminder to focus on your hearing health. These easy-to-follow actions can have a major impact, regardless of whether you’re seeking to avert future harm or you’ve already experienced some hearing loss.
Don’t delay—book a hearing test now and assume control over your hearing health before the opportunity is gone.