Whether you are a young listener trying to protect your ears from future damage or an older listener enjoying music with hearing aids, there’s no need to compromise sound quality for protected hearing. Take measures at every stage of life to care for your ears, and you will be able to enjoy music for years to come.
Prevention: Hearing Protection and Music
It’s no secret that some types of hearing loss are caused by listening to music or other sounds at too loud a volume for too long of a time period. Instead of compromising your hearing, take these steps.
- Think about your listening device. The smaller the device and the closer it is to your eardrum, the more damage can be done. While driving, utilize a car’s speakers instead of headphones for a surround sound less likely to damage your inner ear. When wearing headphones, remember that earbuds can add nine decibels of sounds on top of whatever is playing. They also do not block out surrounding noises, so you may be more tempted to turn up the volume. Consider headphones that go over your ear to take away some of the extra sound.
- Think about how long you are listening. The general rule of thumb when using headphones is 60 percent volume for 60 minutes a day. With any increase in volume or time exposed to sounds, there is a chance of ear damage. 15 to 20 percent of headphone users turn up the volume too loud, risking the future of their hearing.
- Think about your surroundings. When going to your daughter’s piano recital, you may not need earplugs, but things drastically change when you’re at a rock concert. Higher decibels cause damage in a much shorter amount of time. With the evolution of technology and increased awareness of hearing loss, there are now options of earplugs that still let in enough sound to avoid distorting music. This leaves no excuse not to protect yourself!
