Learn About Ways To Protect Your Hearing During Better Hearing and Speech Month

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month (BHSM). Founded in 1927 by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), it provides a way to raise awareness about various hearing and speech issues and encourages people to take steps to prioritize their hearing health.

For this year’s BHSM, we’d like to go over the risk that noise exposure poses to your ears, as well as ways to protect your hearing.

Loud Noise Exposure Poses a Significant Risk to Hearing Health

Man inserting an orange earplug into his ear.

While many different factors can increase your risk of hearing loss , exposure to loud noise is one of the leading causes across all age demographics.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that “an estimated 12.5% of children and adolescents aged 6–19 years (approximately 5.2 million) and 17% of adults aged 20–69 years (approximately 26 million) have suffered permanent damage to their hearing from excessive exposure to noise.”

How Noise Can Damage Your Hearing

Any prolonged exposure to sounds over 85 decibels can lead to noise-induced hearing loss. The louder the sound, the less time you need to be exposed before damage starts to occur.

Loud noises damage the hair cells of the inner ear. These cells transmit signals to your brain to help you process sounds. Once they are damaged, they cannot regenerate or be repaired. Enough damage will lead to permanent hearing loss.

Activities That Can Cause Hearing Loss

Pretty much everyone engages in at least some activities that can reach volume levels that can harm your hearing. Common activities include:

Hunting and shooting
Attending rock concerts at a local New Jersey Venue like the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Riding motorcycles or snowmobiling
Attending sporting events
Household activities like mowing the lawn or using a leaf blower
Listening to music too loudly on your headphones or earbuds

Turn Down The Volume To Protect Your Hearing

You can still enjoy activities like concerts and riding motorcycles while taking steps to protect your hearing. The best way to do this is by using proper hearing protection to reduce volume while still getting to hear sounds that are important. Common hearing protection options include:

Earplugs
Noise-canceling earmuffs
Custom earmolds

Additionally, make sure to keep the volume at a reasonable level when listening to music through headphones or earbuds, and take periodic breaks from the noise throughout the day.

Schedule a Hearing Test

If you notice that you’re having a harder time following conversations or that voices sound muffled, schedule an appointment for a hearing test. The earlier you are diagnosed and treated with hearing aids or other assistive listening devices, the better your hearing health will be.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Advanced ENT & Allergy today.