Life’s noisy. You sit in traffic, blare your favorite songs, mow your lawn, and maybe even work in a loud environment. You can’t avoid noise completely. But — you must be mindful of it and take steps to protect your ears. Noise-induced hearing loss impacts your ability to communicate and is irreversible. Fortunately, it is preventable and treatable.
Understanding Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
Exposure to loud noise can damage your fragile inner ear by destroying ear hair cells called stereocilia. The affected hair cells are no longer able to communicate with your brain, causing hearing loss. Unfortunately, the hair cells can’t regenerate, which is why hearing loss is permanent.
You can be exposed to damaging levels of noise suddenly and over time. Being too close to things like fireworks or gunfire can result in instant hearing loss. However, you can also sustain hearing loss gradually by being exposed to lower-level, but still dangerously loud noise. For example, if you use a hairdryer, electric drill, or motorcycle regularly without taking precautions, you’re causing slow damage to your hearing.
Preventing Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
So, how loud is too loud? To preserve your hearing, you should try to limit or avoid situations where the noise level is over 85 decibels (dB). To give you a frame of reference, sitting in heavy traffic exposes you to 80-90 dB. If you’re curious about how loud a given sound or environment is, there’s an app for that.
If you work in farming, construction, manufacturing, or other noisy industry, you can’t avoid exposure. And, if you have a beloved, but loud hobby, you may not want to. But, you can take steps to mitigate your risk of hearing damage.
Your best line of defense is hearing protection such as insertable earplugs or over-the-ear ear muffs. Each of them will reduce the dB level by several points. In extremely loud situations, you can use both for extra protection.
To further lessen the noise level, you may be able to add a sound muffler to the equipment you use at work and at home. You should also turn down the volume on your music, never using it to block out other sounds. The goal is for less noise to reach your delicate inner ear.
Detecting Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
It’s important for you to regularly monitor your ear health and hearing abilities — especially if you’re exposed to loud noise on a regular basis. Here are some tell-tale signs of noise-induced hearing damage:
- Ear pain immediately after exposure to a loud noise
- An inability to hear conversation clearly
- Speaking louder than necessary (per those you’re talking to)
- Ringing in the ear or other strange vibrations and sensations
If you experience any of the above, you should contact an audiologist as soon as possible. They can examine your ears and administer a hearing test to assess the extent of the damage.
Treating Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
Noise-induced hearing loss isn’t curable. But it is treatable. Typically, hearing loss sufferers use hearing aids to improve their hearing. They also stay in close contact with their audiologist to manage their hearing loss over time.
We wholeheartedly recommend Doss Audiology as a premier provider in the San Antonio area. Dr. Doss will ensure that your hearing is the best that it can be!
Final Thoughts
Your ears are fragile and susceptible to permanent damage in our noisy world. But, if you take some precautions, keep tabs on your hearing, and stay in contact with your doctor, it is possible to prevent and treat noise-induced hearing loss. Remember, we’re here to help. So, call us with any hearing-related questions and concerns anytime.
Related reading: Better Hearing and Speech Month 2020
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