Have you ever come home from a pub or concert with a funny buzzing in your ears and dull hearing for a day or so? These are signs that you have overdosed…on noise! Over a lifetime these noise doses add up causing permanent hearing damage later in life. Here are some tips to avoid noise induced hearing loss.
1. Avoid staying in noisy places for long periods of time
Concerts and crowded places can be brutal on your ears. You may not always be able to avoid loud noises, but you can limit your exposure. Sometimes that’s as easy as giving your ears a break by walking away from the loud noise for 10 minutes. Even better, you can use earplugs
2. Use protection
People that work in noisy places will always wear earplugs. From roadies that help out at concerts to landscape gardeners…where there is noise, there should be hearing protection.
You can use earplugs to protect your ears from noise damage. There are inexpensive earplugs available at pharmacies that fit inside your ears. Sometimes these are not effective enough or don’t fit too well. If you’re serious about protecting your hearing, custom made earplugs are recommended that are moulded to the shape of your ears.
3. Turn the volume down
This is stating the obvious really…turn down the volume on your ipod, TV and car stereo. Noise-cancelling headphones can help you to do this. They reduce noise around you so you can hear the music without increasing the volume. Great for your ears! You can use them while mowing the lawn, on aeroplanes or anywhere loud noises can damage hearing.
4. Keep an ‘eye’ on your ears
Prevention is always better than cure. Get your hearing checked by an Audiologist to keep an eye on your hearing health. They are trained to pick up any problems with your ear and hearing and can provide you with strategies to preserve your hearing. Think about getting your teenage children checked. Audiologists are great at scaring them out of blasting themselves with loud music for hours on end!
