4 ways in which we should all protect our hearing

Noise is one of the most common causes of hearing loss. That’s why you should be vigilant when it comes to exposing yourself to noise. It can hit you anywhere: In traffic, at your work place and even in your free time.

Take the following preventative measures to protect yourself:

• use hearing protection at noisy work places such as factories or construction sites;
• avoid spending long periods of time in noisy places indoors;
• when attending shows and parties, stay away from the speakers;
• avoid listening to loud music for long periods of time. When it comes to speakers, a volume of less than 80 Decibels would be ideal; You shouldn't listen to loud music for more than 8 hours at a time.

Using headphones at loud volume levels for several hours a day may permanently damage your hearing and cause tinnitus, headaches and irritability.

This is due to the fact that your headphones can produce high intensity sound waves inside your ear that are too much for the hearing cells responsible for sound absorption. This overload can cause injuries that in turn impair your hearing.

5 % of all cases of hearing loss can be attributed to the improper use of headphones. Take the following protective measures to prevent problems resulting from the use of such devices:

• If possible, use headphones that cover your ears. In this type the sound waves are distributed better while the phones are further away from your ear, reducing the volume of the waves reaching your inner ear;
• avoid using headphones for more than one hour at a time and take a break every hour;
• don’t exceed a volume of 60 Decibels.

Despite the fact that cleaning one’s ears with Q-Tips is regarded a healthy habit their use can result in serious hearing issues.

The wax produced by glands in your ear is responsible for protecting your ear canal and prevents water, dirt and foreign objects from entering. This is why it must not be removed from the ear canal.

Moreover Q-Tips can cause injuries during insertion that can result in infections, ear drum perforation and hearing loss.

For these reasons, the best way to clean one’s ear is to only clean the outside. Never insert any materials into your ear canal since your body is capable of discharging the wax inside by itself.

If your ear still requires cleaning consult your GP, ear nurse or audiologist to have them clean it or remove excess wax from your inner ear.

At first patients usually don't notice that they are losing their hearing since the process is a slow and quiet one. This is why people wait too long before they go to the doctor.

However, in many cases, hearing loss – detected early on – can be treated well and the patient’s quality of life and general health can be significantly improved. This is why it’s important you consult an audiologist once every year.

Besides checking for hearing issues the doctor can examine your ears’ general health and diagnose possible infections, allergies or infections and other types of structural injuries.

After this it should be obvious how important it is to protect your hearing. Follow our advice and keep your ears healthy for many years to come.

Would you like to know how good your hearing is? Take our online hearing test or drop in for a coffee to talk with us about the health of your ears in a relaxed atmosphere. Make an appointment!