Taking Care of Your Hearing

For most people, hearing is taken for granted until hearing difficulties arise. The permanent hearing loss that most feel is inevitably associated with aging, can also be associated with a lifetime of exposure to damaging sounds. In our modern industrial society, our ears are typically bombarded with a variety of toxic levels of noise that, over time, can take their toll on our hearing. A study conducted in California a decade ago found that evidence of permanent, noise-induced hearing loss is on the rise in children as young as eleven years old, likely due to the various sources of loud noise our children are exposed to when living modern lives.

Here are some tips you can easily implement to help reduce your exposure to loud noise, and thus extend the hearing life of your ears. 

1. Start using simple ear plugs, or even ear muffs when operating noisy yard tools like leaf blowers, snow blowers, lawn mowers or chain saws.
2. Keep a pair of ear muffs in your wood shop. Use them whenever you operate your power tools.
3. Put a set of ear plugs in your ears while you are vacuuming.
4. Wear ear plugs when flying. They can significantly reduce the loud level and annoying qualities of aircraft noise.
5. Turn your I-Pods down a notch or two, especially if you listen to music often, or for prolonged periods of time. Loud music can be toxic.
6. Wear ear protection at concerts. There are ear protection products available today that reduce the level of music without distorting the music. They are a bit more expensive than off-the-shelf earplugs, but they are worth it if you are a regular concert goer.
7. Turn the TV down. If you have to raise your voice to have a conversation while the TV is on, then it is too loud. 
8. Get your hearing tested by an audiologist on a regular basis, preferably annually. You can monitor your hearing ability this way, and uncover early signs of noise exposure damage before it becomes a problem that requires hearing aids to correct. 

Simple steps like these (and others) can go a long way in prolonging your hearing life. For more information about protecting your hearing from the dangers of toxic noise, consult with an AuDNet Audiologist. Their university training and education in hearing science can your greatest form of hearing protection.

AuDNet, Inc. is a nationwide network of independent audiology providers. All AuDNet audiologists have earned advanced university degrees in audiology, and are fully trained to interpret case histories, carefully test and evaluate all aspects of the auditory system, advise physicians on hearing loss and balance etiologies, and treat hearing loss and balance conditions that are not amenable to medical or surgical intervention. 

The first consideration in seeking hearing care is the expertise and skill of the care giver. Through the AuDNet network of audiology providers, patients have an easy and effective way of insuring that they are receiving hearing care and treatment from qualified and highly trained audiologists.