Hearing loss prevention tips

 

Hearing loss is a natural consequence of aging. But there are actions you can take to decelerate the process. You can even prevent some types of hearing loss.

Preventable forms include:

• Noise-induced hearing loss
• Medication-related hearing loss
• Health-related hearing loss due to conditions like heart disease or habits like smoking

You can centre your hearing loss prevention strategy around your personal risk factors. Consider the noise levels during your commute and hobbies, and at your workplace.

How to prevent hearing loss

Here is a breakdown of each form of preventable hearing loss and what you can do to protect your hearing.

Protecting against noise-induced hearing loss

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is one of the most preventable. Most people develop NIHL either from their job or their hobbies.

There are two main factors that contribute to NIHL: 

• Sound level (intensity) 
• Duration of  noise exposure

The combination of these factors is the "noise exposure dose.” If you exceed 100% of the dose often enough, there is the potential for damage to your hearing. This could result in permanent hearing loss, but not immediately. 

Sometimes, a damaging level of noise exposure is not painful and is rarely noticed. Its effects are invisible, at least in the short term. You may not notice the effects for many years, when the damage is already done.

A damaging sound level (measured in decibels or dB) is around 85 dB or higher. To put that in perspective, 85 dB is roughly the volume level of busy city traffic. 

Hearing and worksite safety

Unfortunately, many workplaces expose workers to sounds that are 85 dB or greater. This may cause some measurable hearing loss.

Likewise, many people engage in hobbies that are louder than this. They attend live music shows, ride motorcycles or shoot firearms without hearing protection. 

Headphones and hearing loss

Headphones and earbuds are not harmful to your hearing alone. How loud you crank up the sound when you listen to music can be harmful.

At home, this may not be an issue if there is little background noise. But with portability comes noisy environments. 

In the quiet of your home, a comfortable listening level may be volume 3 out of 10. But while walking next to a construction site,  your comfortable volume may change to 6 out of 10. 

In both cases, the music was the same “loudness” but while listening in a noisier place, the “sound level” was higher. This is can be damaging to your hearing.

Prevention tip: wear hearing protection

Hearing protection is the best way to reduce your risk of noise-induced hearing loss.

Earmuffs or noise-cancelling headphones placed completely over the ear create a seal. This can lower noise levels by 15 to 30 db. They come in wired and wireless forms and can be light-weight for prolonged wear. 

You can combine earmuffs with earplugs and worn together for ultimate noise protection.

Earplugs lower noise levels by 15 to 30 db. They come in disposable or reusable forms. They also have specialized material to prevent damaging noise. You will still hear important sounds like doorbells, phones, and alarm clocks. 

You can have earplugs customized, providing better comfort and ease in maintenance. Customized earplugs are more comfortable and made from materials that will last longer.

For musicians and people who like to go to concerts, there is a special type of hearing protection. Some clinics offer musicians’ earplugs. These have been available since the late 1980s.

Musicians’ earplugs offer roughly 15 dB of hearing protection. This is the same protection for the bass notes, the mid-range notes, and the treble notes.

Preventing hearing loss from medications

More than 200 drugs have hearing loss or tinnitus as a possible side effect. They include 

• Certain chemotherapy drugs
• Common pain medications like aspirin
• Certain antibiotics (especially those in the "aminoglycosides" class) 
• Some diuretics

There are certain factors that increase one's risk of drug-induced hearing loss:

• High drug concentrations and/or prolonged exposure of the inner ear to the drug
• Dehydration
• Fever
• Concurrent or history of noise exposure
• Pre-existing hearing loss
• Sepsis
• Genetics
• Prior exposure to ototoxic drugs
• Kidney failure
• Low blood oxygen 
• Older age

Prevention tip: be mindful of medication side effects

Sometimes, exposure to ototoxic drugs that cause hearing loss is life-saving. It can be worth the risk of hearing loss or tinnitus. But try to avoid known ototoxic drugs when safer, effective alternatives are available.

If you take a new medication and experience changes in your hearing, contact your doctor ASAP.

Hearing loss prevention through lifestyle changes

Some health conditions and habits can affect your hearing health.

Both heart disease and diabetes increase your risk of hearing loss. That's because they impact proper blood flow to the ears, which is vital for healthy hearing. 

Smoking damages your vascular system, which in turn affects your hearing. If the ears don't have a healthy supply of oxygen-rich blood, they are more prone to damage.

Prevention tip: focus on a healthy lifestyle

Healthy habits and choices may help prevent hearing loss and reduce your risk. Here are some tips:

Take your blood pressure medications as prescribed

• Get regular exercise
• Eat a healthy diet
• Find ways to reduce stress
• Quit smoking

Attention to your general health will benefit your hearing health too.

How do I know if I've damaged my hearing?

How do you know if loud is too loud? Many smartphone and smartwatch apps can measure your dose of loud listening. Some apps can even alert you when you're in an environment noisy enough to damage your hearing.

The most important rule of thumb: If a situation feels too loud, it probably is.

• Here are some other common signs of harmful noise exposure:
• You cannot hear someone who is three feet away from you.
• You have to shout over background noise.
• You experience ringing or buzzing (tinnitus) in your ears after exposure to noise.
• You experience "fullness" in your ears after leaving a noisy area.
• You have decreased or "muffled" hearing for several hours after the noise exposure
• You may have experienced these symptoms, but your hearing came back. Unfortunately, you can also develop a permanent hearing problem.

For an official hearing loss diagnosis, book a hearing test. If your hearing test indicates a form of hearing loss, you can take action to prevent it from getting worse.

Your hearing care professional will review the results with you and provide counsel. Treatment may include hearing aids, alternative treatment options or preventive strategies.