Causes of hearing loss:
Regular or daily exposure to loud noises is a primary cause of hearing loss. You may not notice the damage to your hearing suddenly, but over time exposure to loud noise can lead to permanent hearing loss. It is very important to protect your hearing because it plays a vital role in the day to day life of most.
The main precaution you can take if your job envolves you being surrounded by noise, is to wear earplugs or hearing protection devices. Whether its construction, landscaping, teaching, or dentistry, exposure to loud noises daily puts you at risk to damage your hearing.
People often don’t think about the loud noises we are exposed to outside of work. For example, mowing the lawn, watching your child’s basketball game, playing a loud instrument or attending a concert. These are examples of situations you may be in where there are loud noises and high frequencies that could be damaging to your hearing.
Some steps to take to protect your hearing:
1.) See your Audiologist so they can educate you on the proper ear protection you should be using.
2.) Once you have proper earplugs or hearing protection devices.. USE THEM! As hearing professionals we’re often told “I have earplugs but I forget to put them in, or I don’t like wearing things in my ears”. Don’t make excuses, just wear them. It’s the best thing you can do for the longevity of your hearing health.
3.) Try to limit your exposure to loud noises. For example, if you are at a concert, try not to stand right next to the speakers. Or at work if someone is using a loud tool, if you can, try to go work on something else while the tool is in use.If you love to listen to music through ear buds, try to reduce the amount of time you are wearing them. Also if the person next to you can hear your music through your ear bud, then you are listening to your music too loud.
4.) Have your hearing checked annually.