The ability to hear is something that many people take for granted. This means that the quality of your hearing is something that you may not appreciate until it starts to decline.
Many people associate hearing loss with the older generation, but it is not just seniors that experience hearing loss. While your hearing may decline as you age, age-related hearing loss is not the only reason that people experience issues with their hearing. While some people are born without the ability to hear, others experience hearing loss due to external factors damaging their hearing. As hearing loss can occur at any age, it is essential to protect your hearing by taking the best care possible to preserve it. Here are some of the ways that you can protect your hearing:
Get Your Hearing Tested
Many people wait until there is an issue with their hearing before scheduling a hearing test. However, it is beneficial to get your hearing regularly tested so that any issues can be detected sooner rather than later. As well as being an essential tool to help you get any hearing issues spotted quickly, having regular hearing tests also enables the audiologist to gain a base level for your hearing, which will help any decline in your hearing to be monitored effectively.
Hearing tests are essential for people of all ages, so there is no need to wait until you are older. Getting a hearing test is vital to protecting your hearing at all ages. Find a quality audiologist in your area and book an appointment with them. It’s best to build a relationship with your audiologist so they can track your hearing over time, so spend some time researching one before committing.
Take Care While Wearing Headphones
If you love music, the chances are that you spend a lot of time wearing your headphones and listening to your favorite songs. Wearing headphones is not too much of a problem itself, but if you have the volume turned up high, you could potentially find that your hearing suffers as a result.
To keep your hearing protected, it is useful to keep the volume at a lower level. If you want to be extra careful, you may want to use noise-limiting headphones as these will prevent your volume from getting to a potentially harmful level. Noise-limiting headphones are especially useful for kids, too, as they may not be aware of a safe volume level when wearing headphones.
Protect Your Hearing at Work
A significant number of people have their hearing damaged in the workplace each year. Workplace hearing loss is usually caused by employers not providing their employees with the correct equipment to protect their hearing in a noisy workplace. Noisy equipment and machinery can cause damage to your ears if they are above the recommended noise level. Research shows that 24 percent of American workers experience hearing loss, and hearing loss results from exposure in the workplace. This kind of hearing loss is known as occupational hearing loss (OHL) and is usually caused by exposure to loud noise or ototoxic chemicals. If you are potentially exposed to these, your employer should provide you with the necessary equipment to ensure that your hearing is protected.
