Acoustic interference is an unavoidable element of modern life. From power tools and road noise to personal audio devices, the world is louder than ever. Such loud conditions can negatively impact your hearing if you fail to be cautious. October is National Protect Your Hearing Month, making it the perfect time to emphasize how to protect this essential sense.
8 key suggestions to protect your hearing
Fortunately, there are straightforward steps you can take to protect your ears from the everyday noise around you. The following are eight core recommendations for maintaining your hearing health.
1. Become familiar with noise levels and their impact
To begin preventing hearing loss, you must know when noise intensity is too loud to tolerate. Varying noises generate different decibel (dB) measurements; spending too much time around loud ones can result in permanent hearing damage. Here’s a quick guide:
- 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.
- 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 steer clear of environments that are hazardous to your ears.
2. Check sound levels yourself
Want to know the actual volume of your surroundings? Your smartphone offers an convenient way to measure these levels. There are many free applications that function as sound meters, enabling you to assess surrounding noise levels. To get accurate results, measure from the distance you usually are from the sound source.
Regular use of this app can improve your understanding of your surroundings, leading to smarter choices about hearing protection.
3. Don’t crank up the volume on your devices
Regularly playing music or podcasts too loudly is a leading contributor to progressive hearing damage. Headphones and earbuds, while convenient, frequently carry understated dangers. For example, many headphones can surpass 100 dB, resulting in hearing loss in just 15 minutes.
Because they listen with earbuds at high volumes, more than a billion young people worldwide are currently facing a risk of hearing loss. To protect your ears, never turn your earbuds above 50% of their maximum volume. 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 live in loud areas or work in noisy settings, the urge to use headphones to overpower the ambient sound can be strong. But cranking up the volume to overpower outside noise is detrimental. A better alternative is to use noise-canceling headphones, as they let you listen to music or podcasts at a significantly lower and safer volume. In the absence of noise-canceling headphones, using earplugs is an good substitute.
5. When in noisy environments, use earplugs
For anyone frequently exposed loud environments—whether at concerts, sporting events, or while operating heavy machinery—earplugs are a must. They are a highly effective yet simple hearing protection strategy, being compact, inexpensive, and portable.
Individuals who use earplugs often can obtain custom-fitted ones, which give superior protection and comfort compared to standard types. Never fail to use earplugs when you are in a noisy location.
6. Follow safety guidelines at work
When your work necessitates being near loud machinery or equipment, you must diligently follow all safety procedures for hearing 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 observing all guidelines and wearing the designated protective equipment.
7. Move further away from loud noise
Sometimes the best way to protect your ears is simply to increase the space from the noise source. Distance diminishes the intensity of sound impacting 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.
Consider fireworks as a perfect illustration. Even if a 150 dB firework explosion appears distant, being close to the launch site means the noise could still be over 120 dB, leading to immediate damage. You can nonetheless enjoy the display at a safer level, below 100 dB, by being 2,000 feet away (the length of about five football fields).
8. Existing hearing loss needs to be addressed promptly
It’s key to take steps as soon as possible if you have some degree of hearing loss to prevent further decline. Auditory impairment is not self-reversing; it will continue to worsen. Particularly, almost 10% of adults aged 55 to 64 suffer from substantial hearing loss, with the rates rising considerably among older demographics.
Failing to address the first warning signs of auditory loss will only quicken its advancement. Usually, individuals delay seeking professional assistance by a full 7 years. The sooner you consult with a hearing specialist and explore hearing aids or other treatments, the better your chances of saving your remaining hearing.
Start protecting your hearing now
National Protect Your Hearing Month is an ideal reminder to prioritize your hearing health. Whether you’ve already experienced some hearing loss or want to avoid future damage, these simple steps can make a big difference.
Don’t delay—book a hearing test now and assume control over your hearing health before the opportunity is gone.
