Your sense of hearing is essential in your life and when you lose it, there will be no natural way of getting it back. But somehow, hearing loss tends to go neglected and uncontrolled in the general population. In the US alone, one in eight individuals over the age of 12 suffer from neglected and irreversible hearing loss.

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

Safeguard your hearing with these five tips:

Earbuds should be avoided

Earbuds have been a mobile device accessory since the early 2000s and are one of the biggest dangers to hearing. These little devices sit snugly into the ear canal and pump sound directly into the inner ear and most smartphones included them. Listening to music or a movie on your mobile device at full volume for only 15 minutes can result in irreversible hearing loss. The better option would be to buy a set 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. Adhering to the 60/60 rule, which suggests a maximum volume of 60% for no higher than 60 minutes per day, is another safety measure to safeguard your hearing.

Keep your volume down

Your hearing can be harmed by other things besides earbuds. If you regularly listen to the TV or radio at high volumes over prolonged periods, your hearing can also be damaged. You’ll also want to steer clear of situations where loud sounds are constant, such as construction zones, concerts, and shooting ranges. It may be unrealistic to completely avoid these settings especially if they’re part of your job. The next item on the list will be important if you’re in this situation.

Hearing protection will help

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

• At the majority of concerts the headlining band plays for up to two hours at well above 120 decibels
• Jackhammers at a construction site generate 130 decibels, which could cause significant harm after a 40-hour workweek
• The average gunshot clocks in at 149 decibels, which is multiplied and amplified over the course of a one hour trip to an indoor gun range

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

Take auditory breaks

Sometimes you just need to give your ears a break. If you engaged in any of the activities listed above, you should make sure to take some quiet time to yourself so your ears can rest and recuperate, even if you were using ear protection. That means, you probably shouldn’t get into your car and start blaring loud music right after you come out of a 3-hour concert.

Check your medicine

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

Are you suffering from hearing loss and want to seek out new treatment? Get in touch with us today to schedule a consultation.

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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