Millions of people listen to music every day on their home and public stereo systems. But unless you protect your ears, you are exposing them to the risk of hearing loss. So what can you do? Take a look at this article and find out how you can protect yourself from damaging your hearing when listening to your favorite music.
Loud Music and Your Hearing
It is not just the loudness of the music that causes damage to your ears, but also the length of time you listen to too loud music. The truth is, listening to loud music for a short amount of time can cause permanent damage to your hearing. Damage to the hearing can happen even if someone has already lost some of their hearing.
How to Listen to Music Safely
If you want to listen to the music you love while protecting your ears, some simple steps can be taken to reduce the damage to your hearing. You can modify your music listening habits to reduce the amount of time you listen to music loud enough to damage your hearing.
Here are some ways to protect your hearing:
- Limit your time listening to music. If your ears begin to hurt or ring, it is time to turn down or stop listening.
- Take frequent breaks from listening to music.
- Always use a speaker or earphones to listen to music.
- Use noise-isolating headphones or earplugs when listening to music.
- Keep the volume on your device at a moderate level.
- Move to the back of the room or hall when listening to music at live events.
The list can go on and on about how to protect your ears from hearing loss when listening to music. The bottom line is, it is best to avoid listening to music too loudly for too long.
Your Noise Exposure Matters a Lot
If you want to protect your hearing from hearing loss, it is important to understand how noise damages your hearing in the first place. Noise is a term used to describe the various sounds that you hear. It can include the noise from a car, an airplane, or even the sound of a conversation between friends.
Noise is measured using the decibel (dB) unit. The decibel scale is intensive, with the higher numbers representing louder noises. Each increase in 10 decibels means that the volume is increased 10 times.
The ear is sensitive to different decibel levels. If you are exposed to sounds at 85 decibels or higher, there is a chance that you could develop permanent hearing damage in a matter of hours.
The human ear can be damaged by 88 decibels (dB) or higher sounds. Most people are exposed to sounds of 85 dB or higher every day. These sounds come from several sources, such as power tools, lawnmowers, motorcycles, and portable music devices.
A Safer Listening
There is a way for you to enjoy music the way you want without overexposure to loud sounds: protect your ears. Use the above noise-reduction methods whenever you’re listening to music, watching movies, or doing anything else that involves experiencing sound at high volumes.
Hear More Associates offer hearing care solutions in Lexington, MA. We can help you hear better conveniently. Contact us!
