The world around us has become a noisy place, with dangerously loud sounds coming from multiple directions regularly; from work environments and home life to extracurricular activities. In order to preserve our hearing as we get older, we need to be more conscious of the sounds around us and the most ideal solutions for protection. Today, we at the ENT Specialists would like to take the opportunity to list a few tips and some advice on how you can protect your hearing.
To better offer your ears protection, understanding hearing loss can help. Let’s get somewhat technical; sound impacts the cochlea by moving the very delicate “hair cells” that are deep within the organ. More movement occurs inside the cochlea along; with more volume of little hair cells displaced the louder the sounds are. In some cases the volume of the noise can damage or break the hair cells right off the shaft. Once they are broken or even damaged, they can no longer function to their full potential. Sensitivity to sound is reduced, thus impairing your hearing. Or they can fire consistently, creating a seemingly never ending noise medically referred to as tinnitus. Considering this, it is very important you take proper care of your hearing and understand the lasting effect loud noises can have on your ears. Sound is measured in dB (decibels), the softest sound level of an average person can heat is 0dB. OSHA has warned that being exposed to sound levels of 85dB for more than 8 hours is not safe. Our hearing organs can only tolerate excessively loud noises for so long before damage occurs. Extremely loud sounds, like gunfire at 140dB have the potential to permanently damage your hearing within mere seconds!
A reasonable guideline to follow concerning your hearing is that if you cannot carry on a conversation on normal speaking levels, or without speaking louder above the noise around you, you need protection. Below you will find the average activities and their decibel levels as examples to give you an idea of the sound exposure your ears endure.
– Library or a quiet room with light whispering: 30dB
– Dishwasher’s hum and normal conversation volume: 50-65dB
– Lawn mowers, shop tools, and alarm clocks: 80-85dB
– Blenders and hair dryers: 90-95dB
– Chainsaws, car races, live concerts, and pneumatic drills or jackhammers: 100-110dB
– Sandblasting, car horn, ambulance siren, or jet plane on takeoff: 115-120dB
– Fireworks or gunshots: 140dB
To offer your ears protection and avoid hearing loss, here are a few tips you can follow:
1) When attending live concerts or work zones use a form of hearing protection.
2) Do not wear ear-buds that seal the ear canal; doing so will trap the volume in the ears, elevating the volume of sounds.
3) When actively listening to music, especially if you are wearing a headset, do not listen to it higher than what you would having a normal conversation level.
4) Limit the activities that produce unsafe volumes and even avoid them whenever possible.
Just remember that sounds can impact your hearing on a permanent scale and take the safety precautions to reduce the risk of negatively impacting your hearing on a permanent scale. If you have concerns about your hearing, contact ENT Specialists and let our experts evaluate your hearing and offer solutions.
