The ability to hear is an essential part of life that many take for granted, especially those who are blessed to have an overall healthy body. However, one in ten Americans suffers from hearing loss, and age-related hearing loss and hearing loss from excessive noise exposure is the most prevalent cause, making hearing loss a condition that will touch the lives of many people at some point of their life.
If you want to protect your hearing, you must make safeguarding your ears a habit. To learn more about protecting your ears, check out these critical hearing facts. Which hearing loss and hearing protection facts do you already know?
- Did you know that a portable listening device set at 105 dB is equally as loud as a table saw and is louder than drills, heavy city traffic, and the subway? It’s true, yet many, especially teenagers, listen to their portable listening device at top volume.
- Because of the lifestyle many teenagers live and follow, with the overabundance of personal gadgets it is estimated that 20 percent of teenagers are living with noise-induced hearing loss. This figure is mainly because today’s teenagers are listening to sounds for an extended period of time.
- Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is developed due to overexposure to hazardous noise levels, and because of this 1 out of 4 Americans show signs of NIHL. Many individuals deal with dangerous noise levels at work, and nearly 1 in 5 American teenagers are expected to develop hearing loss due to overexposure.
- Unfortunately, due to the sound onstage, musicians are four times as likely to develop NIHL and are 57% more likely to develop tinnitus. This is a result of the prolonged exposure onstage, which can damage the hair cells of the inner ear, which can lead to permanent hearing loss.
- Luckily noise-induced hearing loss is preventable when a person is educated and aware. The best form of prevention is to avoid loud noises, by steering clear of the sound or by turning down the volume. When exposure is unavoidable, use noise protection devices to protect your hearing.