Should You Worry About The Amount Of Noise In Your Life?

If you’ve been thinking about hearing loss, as of late, then one of the most common causes that should be on your mind is excessive levels of noise. Loud noises can, indeed, cause permanent as well as temporary hearing loss, as well as both temporary and permanent tinnitus, which is a ringing noise in your ears. Here are a few things you need to know about the risk that noise can play in your life.

The risk of loud noises

Simply put, loud noise can cause hearing loss. Noises that reach over 85 decibels are when you can start to experience hearing loss as a result. This happens because noise can damage the cells and membranes in the inner ear, and can overwork the cochlear hair cells that are responsible for transmitting noise signals to the brain. When overworked, these cells can permanently die.

The louder the noise, the worse the damage

Not all loud noises cause the same levels of damage. While it’s important to be wary at noises of 85 decibels or higher (roughly the volume of a motorized lawnmower), the louder the noise is, the greater the risk. 85-decibel noises can be safe for up to two hours of exposure. Meanwhile, 95-decibel noises, such as motorcycles, can lead to hearing loss after 50 minutes. Know your different noise levels and know the protect your hearing within the safe limit to prevent damage.

The most common threat

Not everyone is riding motorcycles, going to concerts every day, or firing off at the shooting range. However, the increase in hearing loss we are currently seeing, especially amongst younger people, could be traced back to one source: how we listen to music on our smartphones and other digital devices. The maximum volume of the average smartphone, through ear pods or headphones, is around 110 dB. As such, it’s important to make sure that you’re reducing the volume you’re listening to. Most phones give you a warning when you’re turning it up to unsafe levels of volume. Pay attention to them and get used to enjoying your music a little lower.

Take preventative measures

Aside from turning the volume of your music down, you should know that there are preventative measures you can take to protect your hearing from excess levels of noise. Hearing protection, such as earplugs and ear muffs, is highly beneficial, able to effectively reduce your decibel exposure to safe listening levels (depending on the noise levels and type of hearing protection.) It’s important to arrange for appointments with your audiologist to get a hearing test, as well. You should get a hearing test to serve as a baseline so you can better diagnose hearing loss in the future.

Excessive levels of noise are becoming an increasingly common problem, leading to a spike in hearing loss in recent years. Make sure that you’re aware of any excessive noise in your life and take the measures you need to deal with it, whether it’s by wearing hearing protection at the workplace or by simply turning down the volume of your phone.

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