Welcome to National Protect Your Hearing Month—dedicated to raising awareness of noise-induced hearing loss and all of the easy ways you can protect your hearing into the future. Because when you hear better, you live better.
Before we jump into our top tips for protecting your hearing from noise exposure, let’s dig into what noise exposure actually is and how it occurs.
What is noise-induced hearing loss?
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the second-leading cause of hearing loss after aging, and impacts nearly 40 million U.S. adults aged 20–69, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). NIHL occurs when excessively loud noise damages the hair cells in your inner ear and the hearing nerve.
Noise can damage hearing immediately (if it’s sudden or impulse, like a rifle shot or firecracker near the ear) or over time (if it’s continuous and higher volume, such as music from earbuds or noise from power tools).
If the noise exposure is excessive, the hearing loss may be permanent and irreversible. Fortunately, protecting your hearing can help prevent the hearing loss from happening in the first place.
Top 8 tips for protecting your hearing
There are many ways you can safeguard your hearing from NIHL—and ultimately maintain a healthy, active life. In honor of National Protect Your Hearing Month, let’s explore our top 8 tips for protecting your hearing all year round:
1. Wear hearing protection
Hearing protection devices are the best way to protect your hearing from excessive noise. Worn in (earplugs) or on (protective earmuffs) your ears, these devices are designed to physically block sound waves from entering the ear so fewer decibels of sound can get in and potentially cause damage.
Hearing protection devices are ideal for safeguarding your hearing in situations with sudden/impulse or continuous noise. Examples: using power tools, attending live stadium events, participating in motor sports, hunting, and so on.
2. Avoid loud places (if you can)
This a tough one since loud noise can occur anywhere, anytime—and we don’t want to encourage missing out on special life experiences. But if you aren’t armed (or ear-ed) with hearing protection, try to make sensible choices when it comes to places that could be potentially noisy.
For example, if you have the choice between a restaurant with blaring TVs on every wall and one without, choose the one without. Or, if you can reroute your daily walk until that roadside construction is finished, please do. Years from now, your hearing will thank you for it.
3. Monitor noise levels around you
Paying attention to noise levels wherever you are will help inform when/if you should take protective measures with your hearing. All it takes to damage your hearing is exposure to sounds 85 decibels (dBA) and above, which unfortunately often occurs in daily life. For instance, a food blender is around 88 dBA. A typical car wash is 89 dBA. A gas lawn mower is 96 dBA. And noise from traffic, airports, and construction range even higher in decibels.
On the bright side, NIHL is dependent on how loud the noise is (in decibels) and how long you’re exposed to it. For example, one firecracker’s kaboom could damage your hearing instantly, but unless you’re taking every car in your neighborhood through the carwash in a day, you should be OK. (Learn how to balance volume and length of listening here.)
4. Turn it down
Make every effort to lower the volume on your TV, stereo, or headphone/earbud audio. Remember, the higher the volume and the longer the duration—the greater your risk of NIHL. How to know what’s “too loud”? One best practice is to check that your volume level is no higher than 60%. If it is, turn it down. (SoundCheck Live can also help you identify high sound levels and act accordingly.)
Extra tip: Using noise-cancelling headphones can help lessen the need to turn up the volume if you happen to be listening to audio in a noisy environment.
5. Move away from the loudest sound source
It makes sense that the closer you are to the origin of the loud noise, the higher your risk of damaging your hearing. So, stay away from it—easy enough, right? If you’re at a concert, avoid grooving next to the big speaker. If you’re looking to watch fireworks, spectate from your home balcony versus the park/launch site. Simple steps like these can help you go easier on your hearing where extreme noise is concerned.
6. Take noise breaks
You can take tip #5 a step further by removing yourself from a noisy area completely, even if just momentarily. Whether you’re attending a stadium sporting event or a local fitness class (particularly the kind with blaring music and an “enthusiastic” instructor), simply step away to a quieter area to give your ears a break. It could be a quick water stop outside your aerobics class. Or a short trip to the indoor concessions of the sports complex (extra nachos are never a bad thing—plus, you can monitor the game on your smartphone). It’s never been easier to limit your noise exposure and reduce strain on your ears.
7. Let your ears recover
It’s important to give your ears a good dose of quiet time to recover after noise exposure, whether you’ve just had a full day of hunting or an evening at a brand-new musical. Remember those hair cells in your inner ear we talked about that can be damaged by noise (resulting in NIHL)? Depending on the level of damage, it is possible for them to recover, according to UNC Health audiologist Patricia Johnson, AuD:
“Most times, hearing will recover within 24 hours,” she says. “But at some point, the damage to those hair cells is too extensive, and the hearing loss can be permanent.”
So, take heed—a bit of TLC for the ears may help ward off NIHL.
8. Get your hearing tested
Have your hearing evaluated by a licensed hearing care professional if you suddenly experience a change in your hearing such as a ringing or fullness in your ears for over 24 hours. They can test your hearing to determine if you have NIHL (or any other type of hearing loss) and walk you through your options for treatment.
And if you choose to explore hearing protection, hearing care professionals are also key to helping you find the right devices for your needs. Don’t have a provider yet? Simply reach out to find one near you.
Protect your hearing into the future
There’s no better time than this National Protect Your Hearing Month to start safeguarding your hearing against noise exposure. By following these tips—and seeing a hearing care professional regularly—you’re well on your way to safer listening this month and every month to come.