Did you know that just thirty seconds of listening to a 120 decibel concert can put you at risk for permanent hearing damage? It doesn’t take much exposure to loud noise to leave your ears ringing and in danger of permanent hearing loss.
Here are some tips to help you protect your hearing and hear better!
- Wear earplugs if you’re going to a concert. San Francisco recently passed an ordinance requiring music venues to make earplugs available — hopefully other cities will follow suit. A soft pair of earplugs are portable and easy to use.
- Wear ear protection if you’ll be using loud equipment. My father has spent his summers mowing lawns for as long as I can remember — and he’s lost a lot of hearing because of it. Ear plugs or other ear protection can help keep your hearing safe.
- Having trouble hearing in a crowded room? Listen with your right ear. The right ear sends messages to the left side of your brain, which is the best side for following quick speech rhythms.
- Trying to learn the words to a new song? Listen with your left ear. The left ear sends messages to the right side of your brain, which is better at processing musical tones.
- If unexpected noises make it difficult for you to sleep, try some white noise. Recorded sounds of rain, waves, or wind can help you block out the disruptions and fall asleep peacefully.
- Watch the volume on your personal music players and phones. You shouldn’t need the volume level to be at more than halfway!
- Get your hearing checked from time to time.
There are lots of people out there who have some degree of hearing loss. For many, it is just a part of life. I have a bit of hearing loss thanks to my years in radio — I used to have a pair of headphones that only made a seal on the left side, not on the right. To compensate, I would keep the volume up higher than I really needed it. Now my left ear has some hearing loss! I notice it mostly when I’m using the phone — I can hear better with the phone on my right side instead of on my left.