Noise is a ubiquitous presence in our daily lives. Whether it’s gardening equipment, vehicles, or our own headphones, the aural world has intensified. The expanding volume of sound poses a serious risk to your auditory health unless precautions are taken. As October marks National Protect Your Hearing Month, it serves as an ideal period to review how to keep safe this critical 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. Here are eight essential tips to secure your hearing.
1. Become familiar with volume levels and their impact
The most important action for staving off auditory damage is to determine when a sound level becomes excessive. Diverse noises generate different decibel (dB) measurements; spending too much time around loud ones can result in unrecoverable hearing damage. Here’s a quick overview:
- 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.
Taking a preventative approach to noise recognition 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? You can easily measure it using your smartphone. You can download various complimentary sound meter applications to monitor the noise in your vicinity. To get accurate results, measure from the distance you usually are from the sound source.
If you use this technique consistently, you’ll better understand your environment and be equipped to make sound choices to guard your hearing.
3. Keep the volume down on your devices
One of the most frequent causes of gradual hearing damage is enjoying music or podcasts at an amplified level. Despite their practicality, headphones and earbuds often mask certain risks. It’s noteworthy that many headphones can reach 100 dB, a level that can induce hearing loss in only 15 minutes of use.
Current data suggests that more than a billion young individuals face the threat of hearing impairment due to excessive earbud use. To protect your ears, never turn your earbuds above 50% of their maximum volume. Having to increase the volume past this point to hear suggests that you may already have some hearing damage.
4. Avoid using music to drown out background noise
For those who reside in loud areas or work in noisy settings, the urge to use headphones to overpower the ambient sound can be strong. However, turning the volume high enough to overpower the noise outside is unwise for your hearing. 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. Should noise-canceling headphones not be an option, simple earplugs are a viable alternative.
5. When in noisy environments, use earplugs
For anyone regularly attending loud environments—whether at concerts, sporting events, or while operating heavy machinery—earplugs are a must. Since they are small, affordable, and easy to transport, earplugs offer an uncomplicated but powerful method of hearing protection.
Custom-fitted earplugs are offered for those who need them regularly, providing better comfort and protection than generic options. Never fail to use earplugs when you are in a noisy location.
6. Follow safety guidelines at work
When your work necessitates being near loud machinery or equipment, you must diligently follow all safety procedures for hearing protection. While some employers may disregard the danger, those who insist “it’s not that loud” might already have noticeable hearing damage and be unaware of the actual volume. Take necessary steps to protect yourself by observing all guidelines and wearing the designated protective equipment.
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 reduces the intensity of sound reaching your ears, helping to minimize damage. 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.
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, leading to immediate 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
Should you already be dealing with hearing loss, it is crucial that you take action so it doesn’t progress. 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 increases in later years.
Ignoring the early indicators of hearing loss only accelerates its progression. It is common for people to wait an average of 7 years longer than they should before getting professional help. Your ability to conserve the hearing you still have is greatly enhanced the earlier you see a hearing specialist to review options like hearing aids.
Act now for better hearing
National Protect Your Hearing Month is an ideal reminder to prioritize your hearing health. These basic steps are effective and can make a big change, whether your goal is to mitigate existing hearing loss or stop future impairment.
Schedule a hearing test today and take charge of your hearing health before it’s too late.