The typical summer day is likely filled with fun activities and happenings, from motorcycle rides to family outings to fireworks to sporting events. And while the majority of these activities are safe, many can present hidden risks to your hearing health. That’s because loud noises, over time, can harm your ability to hear. A loud motorcycle engine or a roaring crowd could be causing long-term, noise-induced hearing loss.
Over time, extremely loud noises can trigger damage to your ears. As a result, you experience hearing loss. Noise-induced hearing loss is effectively irreversible.
Even though this kind of hearing loss has no cure, it can be successfully managed. Raising your awareness of these prevalent loud noises can help you better manage risks and formulate prevention strategies, so you can protect your hearing over the long run. With a few basic adjustments, you can enjoy your summer fun and protect your hearing health.
Is summer really that noisy?
It can be really easy to miss noise risks during the summer months. Here are a few of the most common and also most harmful:
- Routine use of power tools: Home improvement projects are great activities during the summer. But it’s significant to remember that all of those power tools can be rather noisy. The more you utilize these tools, the more your hearing hazard increases.
- Sporting events: Crowd noise can damage your hearing, particularly at events like auto racing or monster truck rallies.
- Fireworks events: Summer is full of fireworks. From neighborhood gatherings to holiday celebrations to sporting events, fireworks displays are everywhere during the summer months. But fireworks shows are easily loud enough to trigger irreversible hearing damage.
- Routine lawn care: Included in this category are chainsaws, weed wackers, leaf blowers, and lawnmowers. These tools have really loud powerful motors. Motors that run on electricity rather than gas are normally quite a bit quieter, though.
- Driving: If you’re driving with the windows down, the wind noise can reach hazardous volumes in your ears and this is even more significant if you drive a convertible. And the risk becomes dramatically worse the longer you’re exposed.
- Loud concerts: Even outside concerts present considerable risks to your hearing health. These events are, after all, intended to be really loud.
The volume level that’s regarded as where damage starts to happen is around 85 dB. This is around the volume of a lawnmower, hair dryer, or a typical blender. These sounds may not seem especially loud so this is significant to note. But that doesn’t mean that such volumes won’t cause damage.
How can I prevent noise-related hearing loss?
Noise-induced hearing loss effects millions of individuals each year. Noise-induced hearing loss can happen at any age, unlike age-related hearing loss. Prevention is important for this precise reason. Here are some of the most helpful prevention strategies:
- Download a sound level detection app to your phone: You might be surprised at just how quickly sounds can escalate above that 85dB danger zone level. Even your earbuds and headphones can start to do damage at these volume levels. There are many dependable apps available for smartphones that can help you monitor ambient noise levels, so you can be more aware of when your surroundings become dangerous to your hearing.
- Use disposable earplugs when you have to: Utilizing disposable earplugs might not be as reliable as customized earplugs but, in a pinch, they’re better than no protection at all. If you find yourself abruptly in a loud environment, a cheap pair of disposable earplugs can help prevent significant hearing damage.
- Limit your time in noisy environments: If your environment is really noisy, you need to limit your exposure time. Your ears can be safeguarded from long-term damage in this way. Every thirty minutes or so, when you’re at a loud sporting event, for instance, go and spend some time in a quieter area.
- Turn down the volume at home: Your ears can get a break by simply decreasing the volume on your devices. When everything is loud all the time, damage can advance much faster.
- Give your ears a break (and time to recover): If you went to a loud fireworks display, make sure your next day is a quiet one. This can give your ears more time to recover and prevent further and more substantial damage.
- Wear hearing protection: Keep a set of ear plugs or ear muffs on hand in case you can’t or aren’t willing to avoid certain loud situations. Wear this hearing protection when you need to, when you are in environments that are noisy. This can help you avoid damage. You can be particularly benefited by using hearing protection costume designed for you.
- Get your hearing checked: Sometimes, hearing loss sneaks up on you very gradually. Many people won’t detect the symptoms for months or years. Frequently, the only way to determine whether you have any noise-induced hearing loss is to have your hearing checked. We will help you understand how to keep your hearing healthy for years to come and discuss treatment options for any hearing loss you might already have.
You don’t need to resign yourself to having noise-induced hearing loss. You’re hearing can be preserved by using prevention strategies. With the proper strategy, you can enjoy all that summer, or any other season, has to offer and protect your hearing.
Begin your journey towards better hearing by contacting us for an appointment.
