We are constantly exposed to noise in our everyday existence. Our surroundings—from commute sounds and yard work to music via personal audio devices—is increasingly loud. Without proper care, this higher level of noise can cause damage to your sense of hearing. As October marks National Protect Your Hearing Month, it serves as an ideal period to review how to safeguard this critical sense.
How to shield your hearing: 8 key methods
It’s a relief that basic actions can be implemented to defend your ears from the ambient noise you encounter daily. Here are eight essential tips to safeguard your hearing.
1. Become familiar with volume levels and their affect
The most important action for staving off auditory damage is to recognize when a sound level becomes hazardous. Varying noises generate different decibel (dB) measurements; spending too much time around loud ones can result in permanent hearing damage. A fast look is below:
- Lawn mowers and heavy traffic fall into the 85–90 dB range, which is safe for up to 2 hours of listening.
- 100 dB: Motorcycles, construction machinery – Hearing damage can occur in as little as 15 minutes.
- Over 110 dB: Fireworks, gunshots, explosions – Instant damage can happen after just a few seconds.
Taking a preventative approach to noise recognition can help you steer clear of environments that are hazardous to your ears.
2. Measure sound levels yourself
Are you interested in finding out the true loudness of your environment? You can easily determine it using your smartphone. There are many free applications that function as sound meters, allowing you to examine surrounding noise levels. To get accurate results, measure from the distance you usually are from the sound source.
Using this application regularly can help you better grasp your environment and make educated decisions about protecting your hearing.
3. Don’t crank up the volume on your devices
A major way people negatively affect their hearing over time is by using their devices at loud volume settings. Despite their handiness, 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.
Current data suggests that more than a billion young individuals face the threat of hearing impairment due to excessive earbud use. You should never set the volume on your earbuds higher than 50% of the maximum capacity if you want to safeguard your ears. The need 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 live 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 detrimental. Instead, consider using noise-canceling headphones, which allow you to enjoy your music or podcasts at a much lower, safer volume. If you don’t have noise-canceling headphones, earplugs can be an effective alternative.
5. Always use earplugs in noisy settings
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 solution, being compact, inexpensive, and portable.
If you use them often, custom-fitted earplugs can be purchased, offering improved protection and a better fit than off-the-shelf versions. You should always use them in any settings 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. Be wary because some jobs may ignore the risks; individuals claiming “it’s not that loud” could be suffering from substantial hearing loss and thus misjudging the true noise level. Take essential steps to protect yourself by observing all guidelines and wearing the designated protective equipment.
7. Distance yourself from loud noise
Sometimes the best way to protect your ears is simply to move away from the noise source. By increasing distance, the sound intensity hitting your ears is lessened, which works to reduce damage. 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.
Consider fireworks as a relevant 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, resulting in immediate damage. By sitting 2,000 feet away (about five football fields), you can enjoy the show at a safer level below 100 dB.
8. Existing hearing loss needs to be addressed promptly
It’s extremely important to seek help as soon as possible if you have any hearing loss to prevent further decline. Hearing loss doesn’t go away on its own; it progresses. Nearly 1 in 10 adults between the ages of 55 and 64 has noticeable hearing loss, and those numbers rise sharply in older age.
When initial signs of hearing loss are ignored, it only causes the impairment to progress faster. It is common for people to wait an average of 7 years longer than they should before getting professional help. 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 perfect reminder to focus on your hearing health. These simple actions can have a major impact, regardless of whether you’re seeking to prevent future harm or you’ve already experienced some hearing loss.
Don’t delay—book a hearing test now and gain control over your hearing health before the opportunity is gone.