Noise is a constant part in our daily lives. From power tools and road noise to personal audio devices, the world is more cacophonous than ever. The expanding volume of sound poses a significant risk to your auditory health unless you take measures. October is National Protect Your Hearing Month, making it the perfect time to concentrate on how to protect this essential sense.
How to preserve your hearing: 8 key methods
Luckily, a few simple measures exist that allow you to insulate your hearing from routine environmental sounds. Here are eight essential tips to safeguard your hearing.
1. Grasp noise levels and their impact
Being aware of how loud is too loud is the first step in avoiding hearing damage. Different sounds produce varying decibel (dB) levels, and long-term exposure can lead to permanent hearing loss. Here’s a quick reference:
- Sounds like heavy traffic or lawn mowers (85–90 dB) can be tolerated safely for a maximum of 2 hours.
- At 100 dB (e.g., motorcycles, construction machinery), hearing damage can begin after only 15 minutes.
- Over 110 dB: Fireworks, gunshots, explosions – Instant damage can happen after just a few seconds.
Taking a proactive approach to noise recognition can help you avoid environments that are dangerous to your ears.
2. Check sound levels yourself
Are you interested in finding out the true loudness of your environment? Your smartphone offers an simple way to measure these levels. You can download various complimentary sound meter applications to monitor the noise in your vicinity. The key to getting reliable data is to take the measurement from the distance you normally maintain from the origin of the sound.
If you use this technique consistently, you’ll better understand your environment and be prepared to make wise choices to guard your hearing.
3. Keep the volume down on your devices
Regularly playing music or podcasts too loudly is a leading contributor to progressive hearing damage. Despite their handiness, headphones and earbuds often conceal 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.
Current data suggests that more than a billion young individuals face the threat of hearing impairment due to loud earbud use. You should never set the volume on your earbuds higher than 50% of the maximum capacity if you want to safeguard your ears. If you need to raise the volume higher to hear, that’s a clear indicator your hearing may already be damaged.
4. Avoid using music to drown out background noise
When situated in a noisy environment or living in a loud neighborhood, you may be tempted to use headphones to cancel the surrounding noise. But cranking up the volume to overpower outside noise is detrimental. Opt instead for noise-canceling headphones; these devices make it possible to listen to your music or podcasts at a much reduced, safer level. If you don’t have noise-canceling headphones, earplugs can be an effective alternative.
5. When in noisy settings, use earplugs
Earplugs are absolutely necessary for individuals often in loud settings, such as concerts, sports events, or while using heavy machinery. They are a very effective yet simple hearing protection strategy, being compact, inexpensive, and portable.
If you use them often, custom-fitted earplugs can be obtained, offering enhanced protection and a better fit than off-the-shelf versions. In any loud setting, don’t be reluctant to use them.
6. While at work, follow safety recommendations
Crucially, if your occupation exposes you to loud machinery or equipment, you must obey the established safety guidelines for auditory protection. Some workplaces may minimize the risks, but those who claim “it’s not that loud” may already have significant hearing loss and don’t realize the current noise levels. Take necessary steps to protect yourself by complying with all guidelines and wearing the right protective equipment.
7. Distance yourself from loud noise
The simplest means of hearing protection can often be just creating distance from the source of the loud sound. Distance diminishes the intensity of sound reaching your ears, thereby 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. 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. In contrast, by seating yourself 2,000 feet away (approximately five football fields), you can experience the show at a safer level, under 100 dB.
8. Address existing hearing loss promptly
If you’ve already experienced hearing loss, it’s critical to act before it worsens. Auditory impairment is not self-reversing; it will progress. Statistics show that approximately 1 out of 10 adults in the 55-to-64 age group have serious hearing loss, and this percentage jumps in later years.
Failing to address the first warning signs of auditory loss will only hasten its advancement. Usually, individuals delay seeking professional assistance by a full 7 years. By consulting a hearing specialist without delay and exploring treatments such as hearing aids, you significantly improve the potential for retaining your existing hearing.
Take action today
Take advantage of National Protect Your Hearing Month as a chance to make hearing health a top concern. Whether you’ve already experienced some hearing loss or want to prevent future damage, these simple steps can make a big difference.
Schedule a hearing test today and take control of your hearing health before it’s too late.