Do You Hear What I Hear? Causes and Prevention of Hearing Loss

How many times have you said, “What?” when someone was speaking to you? Sometimes it’s because you just weren’t paying attention, or because the person speaking to you was mumbling, but most often it can be attributed to the fact that everyone has a little (or a lot) of hearing loss. It seems as if no matter where you go today, the environment is LOUD!

Recently, we were staffing a booth at the Bees Game amid 12,000 rambunctious fifth and sixth graders. The children’s excitement and enthusiasm were evident, but the noise level was particularly off the charts. After a noisy day of cheering, music, and talking to kids about wearing helmets, our ears had had enough. It was a relief to get back to the peace and quiet of the office.

May is Better Speech and Hearing Month, so we went to our audiologists to find out just how common hearing loss really is. They told us that according to the American Academy of Audiology, 12% of kids between the ages of 6-19 have permanent, noise-induced hearing loss. Certainly, there must be something we can do to reduce this sad statistic.

Did You Know?

• Noise induced hearing loss is 100% preventable

• People who are exposed to noise levels at 85 decibels or higher for a prolonged period of time are at risk for hearing loss. Compare this to normal conversation at about 60 decibels and the typical alarm clock at about 80 decibels.

• Many devices that adults and children use have noise levels much higher than 85 Decibels. An MP3 player at Max level is 105 Decibels - that’s 100 times more intense.

• Common activities have potentially damaging noise levels for adults and children:
  • playing with toys
  • listening to personal music players and stereos at high volumes
  • attending concerts and movies
  • Operating lawn mowers and leaf blowers
    

What Can You Do To Prevent Hearing Loss?

Though life will continue to function at the same volume, there are a few things you can do to lessen its impact. Here are three tips for preventing noise-induced hearing loss:

1. Turn down the sound- 60% volume for 60 minutes to keep it safe.
2. Avoid the noise (walk away)
3. Block the noise (wear earplugs or earmuffs)

So please, whether you’re 2 or 102, be aware of the noise level in your environment. If you follow these simple practices, your ears will be sure to thank you (and you’ll be able to hear them!)

Learn more about hearing loss and prevention.

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