There are many people in the world that often take their hearing for granted. According to statistics, roughly 15% of Americans above the age of 18 reported some kind of trouble hearing. However, that’s only the people that have reported it or understand how to detect hearing loss. In reality, there could be millions of people that suffer from hearing loss but never actually report it. This means the percentage could be considerably higher.
One of the main reasons for this is that people don’t actually know what hearing loss is like. They’re not sure what the signs of hearing loss are, or they just chalk it up to ageing. After all, ageing is one of the main causes of hearing loss, so they might think that losing their hearing is natural. However, exposure to loud noises is another common reason for hearing loss and one that is completely preventable. This is why it’s important to protect your ears no matter your age so that you can preserve your hearing ability.
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Hearing loss occurs more quickly than you think
Did you know that it takes just 28 seconds of being exposed to a loud noise before you experience permanent hearing damage? If a sound is at or above 115 dB, then it’ll damage your hearing if you’re exposed to it for even a short amount of time. For context, concerts can easily reach over 120 dB and a gunshot reaches around 140 dB.
Even being at a concert puts your hearing at risk, hence why it’s vital that you wear protection to preserve your hearing health. A simple pair of earplugs is usually enough to do the trick and can drastically lower the sound levels to protect your ears. They also won’t reduce the quality of the sound by much if you’re at a concert or show.
Hearing loss can be completely preventable
As explained above, exposure to loud noises is one of the most common causes of hearing loss. It’s also something that can be completely prevented if you’re diligent, and this can be done by simply avoiding loud noises or just wearing hearing protection. Thankfully, hearing protection comes in many different shapes and sizes.
In most cases, a simple pair of earplugs is enough to reduce the sound around you. However, you might also be interested in a comfortable pair of earmuffs or even a hearing aid if you’re already experiencing some form of hearing loss. To prevent your hearing from getting worse, it’s important that you start using countermeasures to reduce the loudness of sounds around you.
Hearing protection is very affordable
Lastly, we can’t forget that hearing protection is extremely affordable. Most disposables are cheap and convenient for single uses like a concert. However, if you need regular hearing protection, such as if you’re working in a loud environment or if you go to many concerts, then a custom-moulded pair of earplugs is very affordable and will provide comfortable hearing protection for hours.
