Noise is a ever-present factor in our daily lives. Our environment—from traffic and lawnmowers to music via earbuds—is increasingly loud. Without adequate care, this higher level of noise can result in damage to your ears. October is National Protect Your Hearing Month, making it the perfect time to focus on how to preserve this essential sense.
8 tips to protect your hearing
Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to guard your hearing from the daily noise around you. Here are eight key tips to preserve your hearing.
1. Understand noise levels and their impact
The initial action for averting auditory damage is to determine when a sound level becomes excessive. Varying noises generate different decibel (dB) measurements; spending too much time around loud ones can result in unrecoverable hearing damage. Consult this brief table:
- Lawn mowers and heavy traffic fall into the 85–90 dB range, which is safe for up to 2 hours of listening.
- At 100 dB (e.g., motorcycles, construction machinery), hearing damage can begin after only 15 minutes.
- Noises exceeding 110 dB (e.g., explosions, fireworks) can lead to immediate damage in just seconds.
A anticipatory mindset regarding noise levels enables you to keep away from environments that are unsafe for your hearing.
2. Determine sound levels yourself
Want to know the actual volume of your surroundings? Your smartphone offers an easy way to measure it. There are many free applications that function as sound meters, allowing you to assess surrounding noise levels. To get accurate results, measure from the distance you usually are from the sound source.
If you use this technique consistently, you’ll gain a clearer insight into your environment and be prepared to make sound choices to guard your hearing.
3. Don’t crank up the volume on your devices
One of the most frequent causes of gradual hearing damage is enjoying music or podcasts at an amplified level. Despite their handiness, headphones and earbuds often mask certain risks. It’s important that numerous headphones can reach 100 dB, a level that can induce hearing loss in only 15 minutes of use.
Because they listen with earbuds at high volumes, more than a billion young people worldwide are currently facing a risk of hearing loss. To be safe, keep your earbud volume below 50% of its full potential to protect your hearing. If you find yourself turning the volume up beyond this limit, it likely means some degree of hearing loss has already occurred.
4. Never try to use music to drown out loud 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 dangerous 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 serve as a viable alternative.
5. When in loud environments, use earplugs
Earplugs are absolutely necessary for individuals often in loud settings, such as concerts, sports events, or while using heavy machinery. They are small, affordable, and easy to carry, making them a simple but effective tool for hearing protection.
If you use them often, custom-fitted earplugs can be obtained, offering improved protection and a better fit than off-the-shelf versions. You should always use them in any settings that are loud.
6. Adhere to safety recommendations at work
When your work involves being near loud machinery or equipment, you must strictly follow all safety procedures for hearing protection. While some employers may underestimate the danger, those who insist “it’s not that loud” might already have serious hearing damage and be unaware of the actual volume. You should protect your hearing by wearing the necessary protective gear and sticking to the safety rules.
7. Distance yourself from loud noise
The most effective means of hearing protection can often be just moving back from the source of the loud sound. The advantage of distance is that it decreases the sound’s intensity before it reaches your ears, thus serving to minimize the risk of harm. 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.
The example of fireworks is instructive. While a firework explosion registers at 150 dB, if you are close to where it launches, the sound can still surpass 120 dB, which can cause instant harm. You can still 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
If you’ve already developed hearing loss, it’s critical to act before it worsens. Hearing loss doesn’t go away on its own; it progresses. Nearly 1 in 10 adults between the ages of 55 and 64 has significant hearing loss, and those numbers rise sharply in older age.
Ignoring the early symptoms 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. The sooner you consult with a hearing specialist and look into hearing aids or other treatments, the better your chances of saving your remaining hearing.
Act now for better hearing
National Protect Your Hearing Month is an ideal reminder to prioritize your hearing health. These basic steps are useful and can make a big change, whether your goal is to reduce existing hearing loss or stop it from happening.
Schedule a hearing test today and take charge of your hearing health before it’s too late.
