Your ability to hear is valuable – once it’s gone, the chance of getting it back in its natural form is slim to nil. But somehow, hearing loss tends to go untreated and unchecked in the general population. In the US alone, one in eight individuals over the age of 12 is dealing with neglected and irreversible hearing loss.
While there are treatments that can help you regain your hearing, like hearing aids, it’s such an easy thing to protect your ears from the start to prevent unnecessary hearing loss.
Safeguard your hearing with these five tips:
Don’t use earbuds
Earbuds are one of the biggest perils to hearing health today since they’ve come packaged with mobile devices going back to the first MP3 devices in the early 2000s. Almost every smartphone available comes with a set of these little devices that sit snugly in your ear and pump sound straight into your ear canal. You can get permanent hearing damage by listening to music or a movie on your mobile device at maximum volume for just 15 minutes. Over the ear style headphones, especially the ones with noise canceling technology, would be a better choice. Adhering to the 60/60 rule, which suggests a maximum volume of 60% for no higher than 60 minutes a day, is another safety measure to protect your hearing.
Keep your volume down
Earbuds don’t produce the only sounds that can harm your hearing. If you regularly listen to the radio or TV at loud volumes over sustained periods, your hearing can also be damaged. Shooting ranges, concerts, construction zone, and other noisy settings should be avoided. Steering clear of these situations may only be possible in a perfect world, particularly if you’re a construction worker or a musician. If that’s the situation, then you’ll want to take note of the next item on the list.
Hearing protection will help
If you have hobbies or work in a noisy setting, it’s essential that you utilize hearing protection. 85 decibels over a period of 15 minutes is enough to cause hearing loss. To put that in perspective:
- The average gunshot clocks in at 149 decibels, which is multiplied and amplified over the course of a one hour visit to an indoor gun range
- At most concerts the headlining band plays for up to two hours at well over 120 decibels
- The noise of a construction site can be above 130 decibels and many workers spend 40 or more hours every week there
If you engage in any of these activities, you need to get a good set of earmuffs or earplugs.
Take auditory breaks
Sometimes giving your ears a break is the smartest thing you can do. If you participated in any of the activities listed above, you really should make certain to take some quiet time for yourself so your ears can rest and recover, even if you were wearing 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 medicine could actually have a substantial effect on your hearing. There are certain medications that have been proven to trigger hearing loss including some heart and cancer medications, aspirin, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory medication. Fortunately, medication associated hearing loss normally only happens when more than one of these medicines are taken together making it far less common.
Are you coping with hearing loss and want to seek out new treatment? Get in touch with us today to schedule a consultation.
