Noise is a ever-present presence in our daily lives. From lawnmowers and traffic to personal audio devices, the world is louder than ever. Such loud conditions can negatively impact your hearing if awareness is lacking. With National Protect Your Hearing Month taking place in October, now is the most suitable time to dedicate attention to keeping safe your hearing.

How to preserve your hearing: 8 key methods

Luckily, a few simple measures exist that allow you to insulate your hearing from routine environmental sounds. The following are eight primary recommendations for protecting your hearing health.

1. Understand volume levels and their impact

To begin curbing hearing loss, you must develop an awareness of when noise intensity is too loud to tolerate. Different sounds produce varying decibel (dB) levels, and prolonged exposure can lead to permanent hearing loss. Consult this brief summary:

• Lawn mowers and heavy traffic fall into the 85–90 dB range, which is safe for up to 2 hours of exposure.
• Exposure to 100 dB sounds, such as those from construction equipment or motorcycles, risks hearing damage in only 15 minutes.
• Instant damage is possible after merely a few seconds of exposure to noises over 110 dB, like explosions, gunshots, or fireworks.

By being vigilant about how loud your surroundings are, you can successfully stay away from places that pose a threat to your auditory health.

2. Check sound levels yourself

Curious about how loud your environment really is? You can easily measure it using your smartphone. Several free sound meter apps are accessible, allowing you to test noise levels around you. The key to getting exact data is to take the measurement from the distance you normally maintain from the origin of the sound.

Using this tool regularly can help you better grasp your environment and make informed decisions about protecting your hearing.

3. Keep the volume down on your devices

A major way people harm their hearing over time is by using their devices at loud volume settings. The ease of headphones and earbuds often comes with unseen risks. For example, many headphones can surpass 100 dB, resulting in hearing loss in just 15 minutes.

Today, over a billion young people are at risk of hearing loss from using earbuds at high volumes. To be safe, keep your earbud volume below 50% of its full potential to protect your hearing. The need to increase the volume past this point to hear suggests that you may already have some hearing damage.

4. Never try to use music to drown out loud noise

If you live in a noisy neighborhood or frequently work in loud environments, it might be tempting to use headphones to block out the background sound. But cranking up the volume to overpower outside noise is detrimental. Instead, consider using noise-canceling headphones, which allow you to enjoy your music or podcasts at a much lower, less hazardous volume. Should noise-canceling headphones not be an option, simple earplugs serve as a viable alternative.

5. When in loud environments, use earplugs

Whether you are at a concert, a sports event, or operating loud machinery, earplugs are critical for those routinely exposed to loud environments. They are small, affordable, and easy to carry, making them a straightforward but effective tool for hearing protection.

If you use them often, custom-fitted earplugs can be purchased, offering improved protection and a better fit than off-the-shelf versions. You should certainly use them in any settings that are loud.

6. While at work, follow safety guidelines

When your work necessitates being near loud machinery or equipment, you must strictly follow all safety procedures for hearing protection. Be wary because some jobs may ignore the risks; individuals claiming “it’s not that loud” could be suffering from substantial hearing loss and thus misjudging the true noise level. It is vital to protect your hearing by using the correct protective gear and sticking to the safety rules.

7. Move further away from loud noise

The most effective means of hearing protection can often be just creating distance from the source of the loud sound. The advantage of distance is that it lessens the sound’s intensity before it reaches your ears, thus helping to minimize the risk of harm. To illustrate, moving 20 feet back from a 110 dB sound source can lower the level to about 100 dB, which is safe for 15 minutes of exposure.

The example of fireworks demonstrates this well. While a firework explosion registers at 150 dB, if you are close to where it launches, the sound can still surpass 120 dB, which can cause instant harm. However, by positioning yourself 2,000 feet away (approximately five football fields), you can experience the show at a safer level, under 100 dB.

8. Existing hearing loss needs to be addressed promptly

It’s key to take steps as soon as possible if you have some degree of hearing loss to prevent further decline. Auditory impairment is not self-reversing; it will continue to worsen. Statistics reveal that nearly 1 out of 10 adults in the 55-to-64 age group have serious hearing loss, and this percentage increases in later years.

Failing to address the first indications of auditory loss will only quicken its advancement. On average, people wait 7 years too long to seek help. By consulting a hearing specialist without delay and investigating treatments such as hearing aids, you maximize the potential for retaining your existing hearing.

Take action today

Use National Protect Your Hearing Month as a chance to make hearing health a main concern. These simple actions can have a major impact, regardless of whether you’re seeking to prevent future harm or you’ve already suffered some hearing loss.

Don’t delay—book a hearing test now and assume control over your hearing health before the opportunity is gone.