In the U.S., 15% of people say they have trouble hearing. But the number one predictor of hearing trouble isn’t ethnicity or occupation, it’s age. The older you are, the more likely you are to have hearing loss.
That said, many elderly people have hearing as sharp as a fox’s, meaning hearing loss must be preventable… right? Yet it seems like an ever-increasing number of people are going deaf or struggling to hear sooner than they should. Hearing loss prevention may seem to be a lost cause when age is the deciding factor, but nothing could be further from the truth.
In the pursuit of senior auditory health, today we’ll discuss proven means of preventing hearing loss in Biloxi, MS.
Hearing Loss in a Nutshell
Hearing loss can happen for a number of reasons, some genetic, some requiring surgery to correct. One of the most common types, however, is noise-induced hearing damage. This is when exposure to loud sounds damages your ears’ sensitive components.
Causes of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
In many cases, hearing damage is caused by one’s occupation or lifestyle choices. Using a buzz saw or leaf blower without ear protection can permanently damage your hearing.
However, a lesser-known culprit for modern hearing loss is actually a phenomenon called noise pollution. In short, noise pollution refers to how our environments, particularly cities, have an ambient noise floor that causes hearing damage over long periods of time.
This can be a combination of many things, from car traffic, to nearby construction, to screeching subway cars. Since people require full hearing to live and work in these environments, there’s not much they can do to escape them. And thus, their hearing slowly degrades as the years go by.
How Much Is Too Much?
How long you can be exposed to these noisy environments before the damage starts to happen? Fortunately, science has given us hard numbers.
Hearing damage only starts at 85 decibels of noise. Sounds at or above this threshold include movie theaters, motorcycles, sporting events, fireworks shows, and much more.
The louder the sound is, the sooner hearing damage will begin to occur. A person can safely be exposed to 85 decibels of noise for no more than eight hours. Going up to 88 decibels, that time is cut in half. Extremely loud sounds at 100 decibels or more should only be endured for a couple of minutes at most.
Hearing Loss Prevention
As it concerns maintaining hearing health, what options are there for hearing loss prevention? Luckily, there are a ton of easy ways to preserve one’s hearing, even if you’ve already suffered hearing damage. Let’s take a look at just a few.
Monitor Your Decibel Levels
If you’re not sure how loud is too loud, then buy a portable decibel meter that you can carry around with you. Use it to get a rough idea of which situations in your everyday life require hearing protection.
Better yet, consider buying a smartwatch that includes a built-in decibel meter, like the Apple Watch. All it takes is one flick of the wrist to get a readout of the current loudness in the area. It can even be set up to alert you whenever the noise around you is too loud, in case you’re busy and forget to check.
Wear Hearing Protection
Earplugs aren’t just for airplane marshals or people mowing the lawn on Sunday morning. People can and should wear ear protection in any situation where the noise is at a damaging decibel level.
Get into the habit of whipping out your ear protection whenever it’s required, even if it’s a fun Celebrations activity at your community. You’ll probably have less of a headache after the fact, and your ears will thank you besides.
To avoid missing out on the fun, one of our ear protection tips is to try a pair of ear filters. Ear filters, rather than blocking out all sound, only cut off those harmful frequencies. So, you can enjoy music and conversations without damaging your hearing.
Lower the Volume
If you’re an audiophile who loves to listen to music on headphones or speakers, be mindful of the volume when listening. Hearing loss happens when people jam out too loud on a regular basis. At the very least, consider limiting how long you listen to music at loud volumes.
The same goes for watching movies. If your smart TV supports it, use a loud sound reduction mode or conversation focus mode. Both can help cut down those loud explosions and soundtracks without sacrificing dialog.
Choose Your Activities Wisely
If you’d rather avoid wearing hearing protection, then you may simply have to make some lifestyle changes. It could be a painful choice for people who love boisterous social activities. But if your hearing matters to you, compromises will be necessary.
Try going to senior lifestyle events on the program that are fun, but not too loud. Enjoying the smell of the earth at garden club spares your delicate ears, instead of a noisy bingo session. Who knows, this might be a great chance to explore new things.
Don’t Be Afraid to Speak Up
Noise pollution happens because we haven’t collectively agreed to lower the volume. In that spirit, don’t be afraid to speak your mind about changing a loud ambient environment. For example, you can always ask a restaurant to lower the volume of the background music if it’s too loud.
Your Community Awaits at SummerHouse Bay Cove
Hearing loss prevention is a must for seniors in this ever-more-noisy world. Being exposed to too much noise for too long will permanently damage your hearing, but luckily, you have plenty of options to protect yourself. Be more conscientious of the ambient volume, wear earplugs, and change up your social activities where you can.
SummerHouse Bay Cove in Biloxi, MS, is a welcoming home perfect for any senior who wants to protect their hearing. Our amenities include quiet retreats for worship, libraries, and the occasional nature trip. Schedule a tour with us and see why SummerHouse is for you.
