The noise in our world has been steadily increasing over the last century. From cars and planes to concerts and construction sites, our ears are assaulted every day. Now research is showing that this may have some pretty serious consequences for your health.
The World Health Organization estimates that about 1.1 billion people are exposed to dangerous levels of sound on a daily basis. They also estimate that around one-third of the world’s population aged 12 years or older has hearing loss, with exposure to loud sounds being the most common cause. In this blog post, we’re going to explore how noise-induced hearing loss happens, what you can do to prevent it, and why you should wear hearing protection every day.
The Noise Problem
It’s impossible to escape the noise in the modern world. Every day we’re bombarded by sounds from the outside world and our own bodies, like when we chew or brush our teeth. But the problem is that a lot of these noises are at levels where they can cause long-term damage, potentially leading to hearing loss.
Noise-induced hearing loss happens when your ears are exposed to sound waves that are too loud for too long. These high-frequency waves can be damaging to your hearing and can lead to permanent damage if you aren’t careful. You might not realize it, but over time you could be suffering from noise-induced hearing loss without even knowing it. And while you might think that lower tones are more likely to cause damage than higher ones, the opposite is actually true. The louder a soundwave is, the easier it is for it to penetrate deeper into your ear canal and eventually reach your eardrum. So even though low frequencies may seem quieter, they’re actually more dangerous because they have more power behind them.
How Hearing Loss Happens
The reason we have hearing loss is because of an issue with the tiny hair cells in our ears that help transmit sound to the brain.
Similar to how rust damages metal, loud sounds can cause these hair cells to be destroyed and worn down over time. And just like rust, once these hair cells are gone, they’re not coming back. These hairs are what help us hear things like conversations, and once they’re gone, we won’t hear a thing.
What Can You Do to Protect Your Hearing?
Despite the staggering statistics, the good news is that there are many ways you can protect your hearing. The first and most obvious one is to wear hearing protection. You may be wondering why this is so important or what type of hearing protection to choose. When it comes to noise-induced hearing loss, you have a few options:
Hearing Protection for Your Ears
Earplugs are the most common form of ear protection. They come in many different variations with different levels of sound reduction and fit. For example, foam or silicone earplugs typically reduce sound by about 20 dB whereas wax earplugs can reduce sound by around 30 dB. In general, foam or silicone earplugs are best for work environments with loud machinery while wax plugs are best when you’re at a concert or other event where you want to enjoy the music as well as protect your ears.
Hearing Protection for Your Head
There are also plenty of headband-style hearing protection products that provide sound reduction without covering your ears as earplugs do. This style of product has become increasingly popular because they don’t make your ears sweaty or uncomfortable like earplugs do if worn for long periods of time.
Another option (though not recommended) is to turn down the volume on your headphones so that they’re not at 100% volume all day long. But this isn’t always possible because life doesn’t stop when we need to get some work done!
Conclusion
Hearing loss is a serious problem that can happen to anyone. It’s important to take care of your hearing, especially if you’re working in a noisy environment.
In order to protect your hearing, you need to make sure the noise levels are below 85 decibels. Noise levels above this level can cause hearing loss. You should also wear ear protection if the noise levels are above 100 decibels. And while ear protection can be uncomfortable, it’s worth it to make sure your hearing stays healthy.
