How to Protect Your Ears From Irreversible Hearing Loss
Let’s face it, how many of us think about hearing loss and its effects on our lives? Most people don’t even think about hearing loss because it happens gradually, making it an incredibly difficult condition to self-diagnose. In fact, most people only realize that they’ve got hearing loss because someone else mentions it to them. Perhaps your neighbor says that your TV is far too loud, or maybe a friend makes fun of you for always failing to hear your doorbell.
While hearing loss is irreversible for the most part, it is possible to protect your ears and reduce the chances that hearing loss affects you in the future. So in this article, we’re going to talk about hearing loss and how you can protect yourself against it.
If you think you already have hearing loss
The good thing is that even if you already have hearing loss, there are ways for you to prevent it from getting worse. If your hearing loss is already rather severe, then a good suggestion is to learn more about hearing loss solutions such as hearing aids. By protecting your ears and also using effective solutions, you can drastically reduce the rate that your hearing deteriorates. We highly suggest that you speak to your physician or book an appointment with a hearing doctor to deal with these concerns.
Using ear protection
Whether it’s earplugs or earmuffs, hearing protection is an absolute must if you put yourself in situations with lots of loud noises. For instance, if you work on a construction site, then it’s vital that you wear some kind of ear protection whenever you’re using loud tools and machines. Similarly, if you’re a musician then it’s a good idea to use earplugs when playing to a live audience.
Hearing protection comes in many different forms. Earplugs and earmuffs from the store are generally fine for most purposes. However, if you want some kind of long-term hearing protection, then custom pairs of ear protection are usually much better. These will provide a much more comfortable experience and the seal will be much tighter, allowing for far better protection from loud sounds.
Avoiding loud noises
A great way to protect your ears is to simply avoid any loud noises. Keeping away from loud noises will provide you with the best chance of avoiding hearing loss. In most cases, sounds over 85dB can be harmful to your hearing. This is roughly the sound of busy inner-city traffic, so it can be difficult to avoid all sources of loud noises. In contrast, typical conversations are around 60dB and the sound of a motorbike when you’re on it is 90dB.
Luckily, it’s quite easy to lower the volume of most sounds. For example, if you’re riding a motorcycle then a helmet will help to dampen some of the sounds, and if you’re inside a car, then the sounds of traffic will be made quieter. When it comes to loud events such as music concerts, make sure you bring some form of hearing protection.
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