To take great care of your hearing and ear health it is important to consider taking precautions to protect your hearing. This may include using hearing protection methods, such as earplugs and headphones when around loud noises at work or within the practice of a hobby/sport, whilst swimming, or to help protect or aid in the healing of a perforated eardrum.
Ways to Protect Your Hearing
- Avoid loud noises – If you are starting to notice the effects of loud noises on your hearing it is best to consider ways to avoid being around loud noises as much as possible.
- Take care when listening to music – It is always tempting to listen to music with earphones or headphones plugged in at a high volume when you want to chill out or block out distractions. As much as many people enjoy doing this, it can be very damaging for your ears and may eventually lead to hearing loss. The best thing to do is to keep your music at a regular volume of which is comfortable but not too loud. You may even consider noise cancelling headphones, so you do not have to increase the volume to block out the outside noise.
- Protect your hearing during loud events and activities – During loud events such as music festivals and sporting events it is recommended you take steps to keep your ears protected. Stay away from the source of the loud noise, such as loudspeakers, allow time between attending one event and another to ensure your hearing has recovered fully from the exposure to loud noises, and consider taking earplugs with you to these events.
- Take precautions at work – If you are working within factories, building sites, large arenas etc. you may be more likely to experience noise induced hearing loss due to being exposed to loud noises daily. Taking safety precautions at work will help to prevent this. Consider wearing ear protectors (your workplace should provide these for you), take breaks away from loud machinery to ensure you are not spending all day being exposed to loud noises, discuss with your workplace the best possible solution if you are struggling to find ways to protect your hearing, they may suggest moving away from working on the loud machines and working on something else to minimise the exposure levels.
It is very common for people working in these environments to experience Tinnitus to some degree, this is something to look out for and you should consider booking a hearing test if you start to notice this.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus refers to the sensation of ringing, buzzing, humming coming from within the ear and not from the outside world. It can be very common for people, especially when around frequent loud noises. Although it is not always a cause for concern, it is recommended you get your hearing tested if you begin to experience this sensation. Tinnitus may get better by itself, but our Audiologists can also help provide advice and possible treatment solutions for it.
Book A Hearing Test
If you are concerned about your hearing and would like to get it tested to ensure you are not experiencing hearing difficulties, which may be going un-noticed, book your appointment with our team of friendly Audiologists today. The Audiologists can also help in providing advice on the best methods of hearing protection and information about Tinnitus if this has become a concern for you.