How to prevent hearing loss

Hearing loss is a growing concern in the UK and worldwide, with millions of people affected by this condition for various reasons. The good news is that by keeping your ears in good health, using appropriate protective equipment and following the helpful tips in this blog post many cases of hearing loss can be prevented. Let's start with some facts on hearing loss.

Facts on hearing loss

- Around 466 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss, and 34 million of these are children.

- It is estimated that by 2050 over 900 million people will have disabling hearing loss.

- Hearing loss may result from genetic causes, complications at birth, certain infectious diseases, chronic ear infections, the use of particular drugs, exposure to excessive noise, and ageing.

- 60% of childhood hearing loss is due to preventable causes.

- 1.1 billion young people (aged between 12–35 years) are at risk of hearing loss due to exposure to noise in recreational settings.

Statistics & facts provided by hearingloss.org
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So what can we do to limit or prevent hearing loss and hearing damage?

Exposure

​Limiting the exposure to loud noises will help avoid the deterioration of your hearing, for example, safe listening levels are typically 85 decibels (dB) or below (A decibel is a unit of measurement used to express the level of intensity of a sound) To find out how many decibels common everyday sounds are you can use a decibel meter. Here are some examples of how loud everyday sounds are in decibels:
Whispering – 30dB
Conversation – 60dB
Busy traffic – 75dB
Motorbike – 90dB
Headphone music at full volume – 100dB
Airplane taking off – 140dB

​Tips:
- Take regular breaks from loud environments or listening to loud music
- Reduce the volume on headphones to 60% - 70%
- Limit headphone listening time to 60 minutes, then take a 60 minute break
- Use ear protection above for sounds 85dB

Protection

​By law your employer must provide adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) this can include disposable ear plugs, banded earplugs or ear protectors. If you work in a noisy environment such as a construction site, ask your employer about what ear protection is provided and most importantly…use it!
 
Other types of ear protection include surf and swim moulds which prevent infection and protect from cold water conditions like exostosis ( also known as surfers ear).

Earwax

Excess ear can cause temporary hearing loss, while this is a natural substance and you need it for good ear health, an excessive build-up can cause issues and it’s best to have earwax removal treatment if the wax is causing you hearing issues. Do not use cotton buds to clean yours here… here's why!

Health

​Monitoring your ear health is crucial for preventing hearing deterioration. Regular check-ups with an audiologist can help maintain the health of your auditory systems and minimise the effects of natural hearing loss. Certain health conditions and medications can impact your hearing, we are qualified audiologists in Truro so please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have any concerns or to book an appointment to come in and see us.

Join a hearing support group

Hearing loss support groups can offer support for coping with the symptoms of hearing loss and advice on how to prevent further damage to your ears. Many of these groups can be found online or in your hometown, if you are local to Cornwall we have made a page with information and links to local support networks, plus some online groups that may be helpful for you. Visit the page here.

Conclusion

​Maintaining your ears is a crucial part of your overall health and well-being. By adopting these protective strategies, you can greatly lower the chance of experiencing hearing loss or impairment and maintain improved ear health for a longer time. Keep in mind, that it's always a good time to begin looking after your ears, and small actions now can result in major advantages later on in life.
If you have any queries about hearing loss prevention, please don’t hesitate to contact us or check out our blog for more details.