Hearing Loss Prevention Tips
Here is a riddle for you. What is painless, odorless, tasteless, invisible and toxic? For those of you who don’t know, the answer is ..... a noise induced hearing loss of course! When we expose our ears to loud sounds, it takes a toll on the little hair cells in our inner ear. Once these hair cells are damaged, our hearing sensitivity is compromised. These hair cells don’t grow back!! You have a permanent, irreversible hearing loss. Many of you may be saying to yourself…..but I’m not around that much noise. I don’t work in an industry, I don’t shoot guns or hunt anymore. My ears are safe. Well, this may not be a correct assumption.
- 10 million Americans have already suffered irreversible hearing damage from noise.
- 30 million are exposed to dangerous noise levels each day.
- The effects of noise on hearing are often underestimated because the damage takes place so gradually.
As a general rule, noise is probably damaging to your hearing if the noise makes it necessary to shout to be heard over the background noise or to hear someone three feet away. You have pain in your ears after leaving a noisy area. You have ringing or buzzing (tinnitus) in your ears immediately after exposure to noise or if you notice a decrease in your hearing and have trouble understanding the speech of others.
It is important to remember: Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) is preventable! The following tips may help save your hearing. Share them with your family and friends so they too will be aware of the dangers of NIHL:
- Limit exposure time to noisy activities
- At home, turn down the volume on the TV, radio, and stereo
- Reduce the number of noisy appliances running at the same time
- Buy quieter products (compare noise level dB ratings)
- Wear earplugs or muffs when using loud equipment (lawn mowers, leaf blowers, power saws, woodworking tools…) Do not wear your hearing aids!
- Avoid medications that can be dangerous (ototoxic) to your ears. Ask your physician or pharmacist about possible effects on your hearing.
In contrast to popular belief, there is no truth to the notion that a person is able to “toughen up” their ears by frequent exposure to loud noise. In reality, the more exposure to noise, the more hearing loss you will most likely have. Be alert to hazardous noise. One third of hearing loss is preventable with proper hearing protection and education. Protect the hearing that you have now!