5 Tips To Prevent Hearing Loss

Preventing hearing loss may not be on everyone’s mind, considering it’s one of those things we may take for granted. The other thing is that we may not always notice subtle changes over a period of time. Our hearing may be compromised before we even know it’s happening. This is why it’s important to pay attention to any symptoms or hearing loss no matter how small. Here are 5 tips to prevent hearing loss.

Prevent Hearing Loss #1: Don’t Ignore Hearing Changes

It is important to be aware of the signs that could indicate hearing loss. These include the following: 

• not being able to hear in noisy environments
• conversations seeming muffled or like people are mumbling
• listening to the television louder than you used to
• a ringing sound in your ears

If you notice any of these issues, it is vital to get a hearing test as soon as possible. If you let the symptoms go, they could become worse and untreatable. If you work at a job where it is noisy, you may want to consider getting frequent hearing checks. In fact, some companies make them mandatory.

Prevent Hearing Loss # 2: Take Precautions at Work 

There are many working environments that are noisy, such as farms, factories, and nightclubs. If you work in a noisy environment, your employer should have put the necessary precautions in place, including providing you with the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as ear protection. There are also some steps you can take no matter where you work. This includes making sure you are not exposed to loud noise for extended periods, as well as switching to a quieter environment whenever you are able to.

Prevent Hearing Loss # 3: Protect Your Hearing at Play

Whether you are at a nightclub or a sporting event, it is important to take steps to protect your hearing. There are a number of different ways you can do this. Of course, you can wear earplugs or move away from the source of the noise. Nevertheless, these options are not always a possibility. After all, if you are going to see your favorite band play, you are not going to want to wear earplugs.

Some other suggestions include giving your ears at least 18 hours to recover once they have been exposed to loud noise for a long period of time. You should also try to take a break from the noise every 15 minutes if possible. This is something you can do in a nightclub by going to a quieter spot or going outside for a breath of fresh air.

Prevent Hearing Loss # 4: Keep the Volume Down

Be careful about how loud you listen to music or other audible communication. This is especially important if you listen to headphones or have earbuds in. In addition to lowering the volume, take a break for at least five minutes every hour. A clue that you might be having some hearing loss is that you have to keep turning up the volume of your TV, radio, or other devices in order to hear them.

Prevent Hearing Loss #5: Avoid Loud Noises

Last but not least, avoiding loud noises is the easiest and most obvious way to protect your ears. How can you tell if a noise is too loud? There are a number of signs. These include the following:

• muffled hearing afterward or ringing in your ears
• the sound hurts your hears
• you cannot hear what people are saying
• you have to raise your voice to talk to others

Any sound over 85 dB can be harmful. To put this into perspective, a plane taking off is 120 dB and whispering is 30 dB. A motorbike is just over the limit at 90 dB.

Preventing hearing loss may not always be possible, depending on the situation. However, if you follow these tips, you can prevent unnecessary harm to your ears. Most of it is common sense and paying attention to what you’re doing. 

**** This post is strictly informational and is not meant to replace the advice of your healthcare provider. Women’s lifelink, it’s owners, administrators, contributors, affiliates, vendors, authors and editors do not claim that this information will diagnose, treat, or improve any condition or disease.