Many sounds in our daily lives can be loud enough to damage our hearing. From attending rock concerts to target shooting with our concealed carry firearm, we can find ourselves hard of hearing as the years go by if we aren’t careful.
There are several safe practices that we can focus on to ensure that we don’t damage our hearing…keep reading to learn more.
Be Careful With Earbuds
With everyone carrying smartphones, it’s common for consumers to have the best earbuds at a reasonable price for playing music in their ears for hours per day. Unfortunately, this can damage your hearing if you aren’t careful.
Doctors say that the earbud is close to the eardrum, so it’s louder even though the bud is relatively small. Unfortunately, this means there is a higher risk of hearing damage.
To make sure you are playing it safe, experts recommend turning the volume down so you can hear conversations around you. Additionally, only use the earbuds for short periods before taking a break.
There also are volume lock apps available for Android and Apple that prevent you from going over a pre-set volume level. These are usually free and can save your hearing over time.
Use Hearing Protection When Warranted
Our world can be loud, so we should have hearing protection handy when we need it, whether you choose hearing protection headphones or foam earplugs.
If you plan to target shoot with one of your firearms, experts recommend wearing excellent headphones so you can shoot as long as you like without wrecking your hearing.
Know-How Loud Your Environment Is
Many audiologists say you should not be around noise that is higher than 85 decibels for more than a few minutes. Longer than that, and you can suffer permanent hearing damage. But did you know that most of us cannot tell how loud it is around us?
For example, when you walk around the city in average city traffic, you may be exposed to 85 decibels of noise. To determine how loud your environment is, you can purchase a sound meter to know the difference between dangerous sound levels.
Never Put Anything Sharp In The Ear
It might feel fantastic to dig into your ear with a cotton swab, but you should never do this. If you stick a foreign object too far into the ear canal, you can do damage.
Most of us don’t know that the skin in the ear canal is thin, so you can tear it, leading to infections that can cause hearing loss. And if you stick something in too far, you can rupture the eardrum.
Have a Baseline Hearing Test
Once you are in your 30s and 40s, it’s wise to have an audiogram or baseline hearing test to see if you have any hearing loss. If so, you can take action to protect your hearing, so you don’t lose more as you age.
Be Careful At Work
One of the most common places we deal with loud noises is on the job. If you work in a noisy environment and don’t have proper hearing protection, you should bring it up with your HR department.
Your employer should either move you to a quieter area or provide you with high-quality earplugs or earmuffs.
Many of us don’t understand how delicate our hearing is, and hearing loss occurs slowly over many years. After enough time goes by, we may suddenly notice that we can’t hear conversations anymore. But by then, it’s too late. Don’t let this happen to you – be proactive with your hearing and be careful.
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