Young people use headphones and earbuds to listen to music for many hours per day. However, listening to music or sounds at high volumes can cause hearing loss, which could affect them as they age.
To help prevent hearing loss, set healthy noise limits, protect your hearing, and remember these tips.
How Headphones Can Impact Your Hearing
Sounds are measured in decibels. The volume of sound is measured in decibels. Normal conversation is about 60 decibels, a garbage truck is about 90 decibels, and a rock concert is about 110 decibels.
At high volumes, like at rock music concerts, the ear is exposed to high levels of loud sound, which can cause damage to the sensitive hair cells in the inner ear.
In addition to hearing loss from loud noise, what people often do not know is that when you listen to music at high volumes for years, high-volume listening can cause changes to the inner ear that can lead to permanent hearing loss.
How to Prevent Hearing Loss
1) Set Noise Limits at 70 dBA
The louder the sound, the shorter the exposure time to keep hearing healthy.
To ensure the safety of your hearing, set the noise limit of your headphones to 70 decibels at maximum volume. Listening at this limit for more than eight hours over the course of a day could put your hearing at risk.
The same headphone set plugged into a smartphone, and a professional mixing board will sound different. When using headphones, you should also remember to turn the volume down on your device.
2) Use a Sound Level Meter App
Sound level meters are apps for your smartphone. They will show you how loud the sounds are that are coming through your headphones.
These apps will help you find the best volume setting for your headphones, so you can avoid hearing loss. You can adjust the volume setting to minimize the sound level.
3) Lessen Your Use of Headphones
Not only does using headphones for long periods of time put you at risk for hearing loss, but it also distracts you from the world around you. You are also more likely to make mistakes and have an accident or get in trouble if you are not paying attention to what is happening in your surroundings.
If you do use headphones, keep the volume at a safe level, think about whether you really need to use headphones, and be aware of your environment.
4) Understand Signs of Hearing Loss
Some people who take the volume to dangerous levels may not notice any signs or symptoms of hearing loss.
If you are having difficulty hearing, try to make all sounds louder or turn up the volume on your TV. If one ear is worse than the other, or you can hear better out of one ear, you may need to get your hearing checked.
5) Get Your Hearing Checked Regularly
You should always have your hearing checked. If you are a young adult or a person who uses headphones regularly, you should always get your hearing checked, especially if you are experiencing any of the symptoms above.
Conclusion
Your hearing is precious, and you should do all that you can to take care of it. If you experience hearing loss, there are treatments available to help you get back to normal.
Get your hearing checked regularly at the best hearing clinic in Rhode Island. We offer quality health care services to ensure that your ears are in their best state. Get in touch with us today to learn more!
