You may be experiencing sound in your environment daily, and the sound can be from the television, the radio, some of the household appliances, and even from traffic. These sounds are generally safe as they may not have some hearing damage. However, some sounds may be harmful, especially in cases where they are too loud or very loud and last for long. In these cases, these types of sounds may have damage on sensitive structures, especially in the inner ear, as they may cause noise-induced hearing loss.
Reduce Loud Noises
It would help if you always remembered that when you have a noise-induced hearing loss, you may face some communication and learning difficulties or a muffled hearing. Therefore, you need to identify the noises while reducing exposure to them. The following steps can help protect your hearing: you can start by turning down the television and music system volume, moving away from loud sounds, and using hearing protection in circumstances where you cannot avoid loud music exposure.
Look for hearing protection devices
Your hearing can get damaged when you get exposed to loud volumes. It can happen over time or instantly. That's why you always need to consider having a pair of earplugs, as this should happen anytime you get exposed to some loud music or when you go to a noisy environment. For example, you may be a musician, and you want to protect your hearing and block out the loud noises that may be at the concerts and in this case, it's essential to opt for some of the musicians' hearing protection as they will protect you from the loud music.
Have a Hearing Detox
When you have exposed your ears to loud music, you need to give them time to recover. You can opt for some 16 hours of rest as this can help your ears to recover, especially after you've spent around two hours in loud music and noise in the club. However, reducing the recovery time may increase the risk of permanent deafness.
Wear Noise-Cancelling Headphones
You may be a worker and love putting on some iPods and the various music devices that will help in drowning the background noise. But, instead of starting to crank up your favourite tunes towards some dangerous levels, you can opt for some noise-cancelling earplugs. They help reduce overall noise pollution without necessarily exposing your ears to some additional strains.
Consider the Noise Ratings of Appliances
Always check the noise levels for your work and home appliances before buying them. You may often find the decibel output of the devices in the manual. Consider investing in machines with a safe or a low noise rating. Also, in cases where you must use appliances with a high decibel output, you can opt for some hearing protection when you're operating the device.
Be vigilant
Being vigilant can help you know when you have a high risk of noise at work. The noise level should not be too high depending on the duration the noise will take. You need to watch out for the higher risk tasks, for instance, the metalworks or using some noisy equipment.
When you are at a public event, you should consider the following things. Stay away or move from the loudest sounds producing sources like the speakers or the cannons at the school stadiums, especially when you're going there with your children. Also, consider limiting the length of exposure to the loud sounds while paying some attention to the signs and the information flyers that give some warnings for the possible loud noise and remember to use hearing protection. Always carry your hearing protection and keep them in your bags or where you can easily access them.
Evaluate Your Gym Noise Levels
The fitness classes can produce high sounds with some high decibels, damaging your hearing. Before you join a gym, you can ask if they have some trial period, and you can use this time to see if the noise level around the gym is comfortable for you.
Avoid Sticking Things In Your Ear Canal
One of the essential things you can choose is safe devices to protect you from the noise that does not go too far to your ear canal. Similarly, it would help if you did not stick things in your ear canal to remove the earwax, for instance, the cotton swabs and the other stick-like devices.
Use The 60:60 Rule
If you want to enjoy the music from your MP3 player in the safest way possible, you need to listen to your music at a maximum of 60% as this should not be more than 60 minutes in a day.
