What Can You Do To Prevent Your Hearing Loss?

Your hearing is important to you. It allows you to hear the voices of your loved ones, your favorite piece of music, and it also allows you to get a full understanding of what is going on in the world around you. But hearing loss is something that 48 million people living in the US experience. 

Hearing loss is something that can be experienced at any point in your life. While many people may assume that it only ever occurs in later life, hearing loss can come on much earlier. 

Prevention is always easier than the cure, and with that in mind, you should do everything that you can to protect your hearing. Taking care of your hearing throughout your life is vital. Here are some ways of preventing hearing loss. 

Reduce your exposure to loud noises

One of the most common causes of hearing loss is overexposure to loud noises. This could occur through being around heavy machinery in the workplace without suitable ear protectors.

If you work in a noisy environment like in a factory or a building site, then you need to protect your hearing. Your employers should provide you with suitable ear protectors such as ear muffs which must be worn at all times. If there are no ear protectors supplied within your workplace, then you should raise this issue with your employers as exposure to such high levels of noise could lead to damage to your hearing and hearing loss. 

Make sure that you take regular breaks away from any loud machinery or vehicles. 

Avoiding listening to music too loud

It can be tempting to enjoy some of your favorite music at a high volume. It is important to understand that having your music set to a level which is too high can damage your ears. This is especially true if you are listening to music through headphones. 

Many modern music devices will have safe listening levels programmed into their volume controls when you are listening through headphones. Pay attention to the sound levels on your device and do not listen at a volume that exceeds this. 

If you need to, use noise-cancelling headphones to listen to music. Many people will turn up the volume on the headphones in order to block out external sounds. By using noise-cancelling headphones, you don’t need to do this. 

You should also limit the amount of time you spend using headphones for. Avoid listening for more than an hour at a time and take breaks. 

Be mindful of noisy events

There are plenty of places and events that can get noisy. These might include bars, concerts and sporting events. If you spend a lot of time in noisy environments, this may have a negative effect on your hearing. 

If you know that you are going to be somewhere that is noisy, take precautionary measures. By some earplugs that you can wear to help reduce the sound levels that you are exposed to. 

If possible, find a way of taking a break from the loud noises wherever possible. 

Get your hearing tested 

Having your hearing tested by an audiologist will help identify the early signs of hearing loss. Often, when people experience hearing loss, the symptoms can creep up slowly. You may not notice a deterioration in your ability to hear as it will occur over a prolonged period. It can be difficult to realize that you are missing out on hearing sounds or mishearing things that people say for a long time. 

By making an appointment with an audiologist, you will be able to get a full hearing test that will evaluate your ability to hear a wide range of different sounds. By making regular visits to an audiologist, it is possible to identify if there is any change in your hearing between visits. 

If you work in a noisy environment such as at an airport, nightclub or in a place of heavy industry, you should be particularly mindful of the potential for hearing loss and you should make the effort to visit an audiologist every year.

Your audiologist will be able to advise you on ways that you protect your ears and prevent hearing loss. And, if you are experiencing hearing loss, an audiologist will be able to help you with hearing aids.

If you would like to know more about preventing hearing loss, or, to learn more about Salyer Hearing Center call Sylva at 828-586-7474, in Franklin at 828-524-5599 and in Murphy at 828-835-1014.