Noise is a ubiquitous factor in our daily lives. Our surroundings—from traffic and lawnmowers to music via earbuds—is increasingly loud. Such loud conditions can negatively impact your hearing if awareness is lacking. As October marks National Protect Your Hearing Month, it serves as an ideal period to review how to safeguard this important sense.
How to safeguard your hearing: 8 key methods
Fortunately, there are easy steps you can take to guard your hearing from the daily noise around you. The following are eight core recommendations for maintaining your hearing health.
1. Become familiar with noise levels and their affect
To begin curbing hearing loss, you must develop an awareness of when noise intensity is too loud to tolerate. The volume of various sounds is measured in decibels (dB), and being subjected to them for too long can cause lasting hearing impairment. Here’s a quick overview:
- 85–90 dB: Lawn mowers, heavy traffic – Safe for up to 2 hours of exposure.
- At 100 dB (e.g., motorcycles, construction machinery), hearing damage can begin after only 15 minutes.
- Instant damage is possible after merely a few seconds of exposure to noises over 110 dB, like explosions, gunshots, or fireworks.
Taking a preventative approach to noise recognition can help you avoid environments that are dangerous to your ears.
2. Measure sound levels yourself
Curious about how loud your environment really is? A smartphone makes checking sound levels effortless. There are many free applications that function as sound meters, enabling you to examine surrounding noise levels. For the most accurate results, ensure you measure the sound from your usual distance to the source.
Regular use of this monitoring tool can improve your understanding of your surroundings, facilitating smarter choices about hearing protection.
3. Keep the volume down on your devices
Listening to music or podcasts at high volumes is one of the most common ways people damage their hearing over time. Despite their practicality, headphones and earbuds often conceal certain risks. It’s important that many headphones can reach 100 dB, a level that can induce hearing loss in only 15 minutes of use.
Today, over a billion young people are at risk of hearing loss from using earbuds at high volumes. To protect your ears, never turn your earbuds above 50% of their maximum volume. Having to increase the volume past this point to hear suggests that you may already have some hearing damage.
4. Avoid using music to drown out background noise
If you reside in a noisy neighborhood or frequently work in loud environments, it might be enticing to use headphones to block out the background sound. But cranking up the volume to overpower outside noise is damaging. 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. Always use earplugs in loud environments
Whether you are at a concert, a sports event, or operating loud machinery, earplugs are critical for those often exposed to loud environments. They are a very effective yet simple hearing protection strategy, being compact, inexpensive, and portable.
Individuals who require earplugs often can obtain custom-fitted ones, which give superior protection and comfort compared to standard types. You should always use them in all environments that are loud.
6. While at work, follow safety guidelines
If your job requires being around loud equipment or machinery, always adhere to safety protocols regarding hearing protection. While some employers may disregard the danger, those who insist “it’s not that loud” might already have noticeable hearing damage and be unaware of the actual volume. Protect yourself by adhering to guidelines and wearing proper protective equipment.
7. Distance yourself from loud noise
Often, the best strategy for safeguarding your ears is merely to put distance between yourself and the noise. The benefit of distance is that it decreases the sound’s intensity before it reaches your ears, thus serving to minimize the risk of harm. For example, standing 20 feet away from a noise source producing 110 dB reduces it to around 100 dB—safe for up to 15 minutes of exposure.
Fireworks offer a good example. Even if a 150 dB firework explosion appears distant, being close to the launch site means the noise could still be over 120 dB, resulting in immediate damage. By sitting 2,000 feet away (roughly five football fields), you can enjoy the show at a safer level below 100 dB.
8. Address existing hearing loss promptly
Should you already be dealing with hearing loss, it is crucial that you take action so it doesn’t progress. Hearing loss doesn’t go away on its own; it progresses. Statistics show that nearly 1 out of 10 adults in the 55-to-64 age group have considerable hearing loss, and this percentage increases in later years.
Ignoring the early indicators of hearing loss only accelerates its progression. On average, people wait 7 years too long to consult a specialist. The sooner you consult with a hearing specialist and explore hearing aids or other treatments, the better your chances of saving your remaining hearing.
Take action today
National Protect Your Hearing Month is an excellent reminder to prioritize your hearing health. These basic steps are effective and can make a big change, whether your goal is to reduce existing hearing loss or stop it from happening.
To avoid future regret, arrange a hearing test immediately and take responsibility for your auditory health.
