Acoustic interference is an unavoidable feature of modern life. Whether it’s gardening equipment, vehicles, or our own headphones, the aural world has intensified. This increase in noise can have a harmful effect on your hearing if you’re not careful. The observance of National Protect Your Hearing Month in October provides the best opportunity to prioritize the conservation of this key sense.
8 actionable steps to protect your hearing
It’s a relief that uncomplicated actions can be implemented to shield your ears from the ambient noise you encounter daily. We present eight vital pieces of advice to ensure auditory protection.
1. Become familiar with noise levels and their impact
To begin preventing hearing loss, you must develop an awareness of when noise intensity is dangerously high. Different sounds produce varying decibel (dB) levels, and long-term exposure can lead to permanent hearing loss. Here’s a quick overview:
- 85–90 dB: Lawn mowers, heavy traffic – Safe for up to 2 hours of exposure.
- Exposure to 100 dB sounds, such as those from construction equipment or motorcycles, risks hearing damage in only 15 minutes.
- Instant damage is possible after merely a few seconds of exposure to noises over 110 dB, like explosions, gunshots, or fireworks.
A anticipatory mindset regarding noise levels allows you to keep away from environments that are detrimental for your hearing.
2. Measure sound levels yourself
Curious about how loud your environment really is? You can easily determine it using your smartphone. There are many free applications that function as sound meters, enabling you to examine surrounding noise levels. To get accurate results, measure from the distance you usually are from the sound source.
Regular use of this monitoring tool can enhance your understanding of your surroundings, facilitating smarter choices about hearing protection.
3. Keep the volume down on your devices
Regularly playing music or podcasts too loudly is a leading contributor to cumulative hearing damage. Despite their practicality, 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.
Current data suggests that more than a billion young individuals face the threat of hearing impairment due to excessive 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. It is in fact harmful to increase the volume excessively just to override external noise. 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. If you don’t have noise-canceling headphones, earplugs can be an effective alternative.
5. When in noisy settings, use earplugs
Earplugs are essential for individuals often in loud settings, such as concerts, sports events, or while using heavy machinery. Since they are small, affordable, and easy to transport, earplugs offer an uncomplicated but powerful means of hearing protection.
If you use them often, custom-fitted earplugs can be purchased, offering enhanced protection and a better fit than off-the-shelf versions. You should certainly use them in any settings that are loud.
6. While at work, follow safety guidelines
Crucially, if your occupation exposes you to loud machinery or equipment, you must obey the established safety guidelines for auditory protection. Some workplaces may downplay the risks, but those who claim “it’s not that loud” may already have significant hearing loss and don’t perceive the current noise levels. Protect yourself by adhering to guidelines and wearing appropriate protective equipment.
7. Move further away from loud noise
Frequently, the best strategy for safeguarding your ears is merely to step away from the noise. Distance lowers the intensity of sound impacting 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.
The example of fireworks is instructive. A firework exploding at 150 dB may seem far away, but if you’re near the launch site, the noise can still exceed 120 dB, causing instant damage. 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 noticed hearing loss, it’s vital to act before it worsens. This kind of impairment will not resolve itself; it only gets worse. 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 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 seeking a consultation. Your ability to protect the hearing you still have is greatly enhanced the earlier you see a hearing specialist to review options like hearing aids.
Start protecting your hearing now
The observance of National Protect Your Hearing Month is an great time to place a high value on your auditory well-being. These fundamental steps are useful and can make a big change, whether your goal is to reduce existing hearing loss or stop future impairment.
Don’t delay—book a hearing test now and gain control over your hearing health before the opportunity is gone.