Like eyesight, hearing is the basis for nearly everything we do. We need it to understand conversations, pay attention to our surroundings, and enjoy our favorite music and activities. Unfortunately, we don’t always pay the same attention to protecting our hearing; one in five people have some form of hearing loss.
Usually, age-related hearing problems creep up in our sixties and seventies, but statistics reveal that hearing loss begins in our 40s. In this article, we’ll show you five critical steps you can take to maintain your hearing as long as possible.
What causes hearing loss, exactly?
Before diving into different ways to protect your hearing, it helps to understand what leads to early hearing loss. According to the Mayo Clinic, age and loud noise are the two most common causes of hearing loss. Loud noises and aging wear down the tiny hairs in the inner ear (called cilia) that convert sound waves into electrical signals and send them to the brain.
When these hairs and their surrounding nerve cells are damaged, they stop transmitting those electrical signals, resulting in hearing loss. Common sources of loud noise include:
- Construction sites
- Power tools and lawn equipment
- Factory or industrial machinery and equipment
- Airplanes, helicopters, and jet engines
- Firearms
- Musical concerts or events
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), sounds louder than 85 decibels (dB) can cause permanent hearing damage. Professionals working in construction, industrial manufacturing, real estate development, aviation, music, and military sectors are at the highest risk of hearing damage since they are exposed to loud noises more often than others.
5 Ways to Prevent Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is irreversible; damaged hair cells don’t grow back and there isn’t a medical or surgical treatment for damaged hearing. Let’s take a look at five critical ways you can protect your hearing before it’s too late.
1. Get a baseline hearing test.
Hearing tests are simple, noninvasive tests that can provide you with information on your current hearing health. They’re quick and easy to take, and readily accessible for most Americans, but a recent survey of 2,000 adults revealed that 65% have never had one in their lives. Hearing tests typically include:
- A series of beeps and tones at different pitches, volumes, and frequencies
- Questions about your current level of hearing
- A discussion with the doctor about the results of the test
- An audiogram (a chart that records your hearing performance)
Not only will early testing inform you of any potential hearing problems before they get worse, but it will also give your doctor a baseline to track changes in your hearing as you develop age-related health issues later in life. At your next doctor’s visit, you can ask them to include a hearing test. Or, you can find a hearing clinic at HearCanada.com.
2. Wear protective hearing gear in high-risk areas.
Whether you work in a noisy environment or are exposed to loud sounds on a regular basis, it’s important to protect your ears at all times. Earplugs are inconspicuous and provide effective noise protection when you’re in areas with sounds above 85 dB. Think “ear plugs” when preparing for exposure to any noisy environment, such as:
- Concerts, shows, and festivals
- Auto racing
- Sporting events
- Airports, train stations, and bus stations
- Construction sites
- Industrial facilities
- Lawn mowing or leaf blowing
- Using power tools for home improvement projects
When preparing for a music festival, for example, it couldn’t hurt to throw a pair of inexpensive ear plugs into your backpack.
3. Monitor and limit recreational noise exposure.
Medical research has shown that the vast majority of people have unprotected exposure to loud sounds in their everyday lives, which includes some of our favorite activities (rock concerts, sports games). You don’t need to stop going to these places altogether, but attending them on a weekly basis can cause excessive damage to your hearing, especially as you get older. While some of these activities are irreplaceable to a certain degree, here are a few ideas:
- Choose seats further away from the speakers or stage
- Stay for shorter durations of time
- Use higher-quality earplugs if you have to stay longer
- Take breaks in a quieter place during intermissions
It’s worth noting that your risk of hearing loss from excessive recreational noise is still considerable, even as a young person. Unsafe listening practices may put over a billion adolescents and young adults at risk of significant hearing loss, according to a recent meta-analysis published in BMJ Global Health.
In the 33-study review, researchers studied the impact of loud sound exposure on people aged 12 to 34 years old, which makes up around 2.8 billion individuals worldwide. They specifically focused on the effects of high-volume audio from personal listening devices such as headphones or stereos and exposure to loud music in entertainment venues like bars, clubs, and concert arenas.
After crunching the numbers, they found that young people who fall in the age group of 12 to 34 have a 23.81% chance of experiencing hearing loss due to personal listening devices, and a 48.2% chance due to entertainment venues. These statistics were then applied to the estimated population of this demographic, which equates to up to 1.35 billion young adults and children at tremendous risk.
4. Use custom molds for your earphones.
Earbuds are our go-to device for listening to music, podcasts, and movies during the workday or on long commutes, but they can be particularly dangerous when used for extended periods of time at unsafe volumes. Smartphones now have the ability to measure and record your maximum sound levels and notify you when it’s too loud for your ears. Still, it’s still important to be aware of how loud you’re listening and limit exposure as much as possible.
The best way to do this is to invest in custom molds for your earphones. Most of us turn up our headphones because we think they aren’t loud enough, and custom molds are designed based on the size and shape of your unique ear canal. Their design works to block out any ambient noise and provide a more comfortable fit.
Endnote
The long-term effects of hearing loss can be devastating. Protecting your hearing is an essential part of staying healthy and safe in noisy environments. The most important first step is to get a hearing test, which will put you on the right path to hearing health. Beyond that, using the steps outlined in this article can help you reduce your risk of damage from everyday noise.