A group of audiologists from Entheos Audiology want to make sure you take steps to protect your hearing.

FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, UNITED STATES, May 19, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- It is something many people take for granted, your hearing. Loud noises can cause permanent hearing loss. Once it is gone, you cannot get it back so you need to take precautions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70% of people exposed to loud noise seldom wear hearing protection. The effect of loud noises can last long after the actual event.

Audiologists from Entheos will be available to discuss Better Hearing Month. Think about everyday things you do in your life. Do you mow your own lawn without wearing hearing protection? How about power tools? Do you listen to music with earphones and you push the volume up a little bit to drown out other noise? Do you regularly go to rock concerts? How about your household appliances such as blenders or hair dryers?

Sound is measured in decibels. According to the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), any prolonged exposure to noises above 85 decibels can damage your hearing. You may ask yourself, how can a blow dryer damage my hearing? It is very subtle, a blow dryer measures between 80 to 90 decibels. A lawn mower can reach 105 decibels. What you must realize, the sensitivity to sound is very high as a whisper can be 30 decibels. That’s not that far from normal conversation at 60 decibels to a kitchen blender or food processor at 90 decibels.

How can you protect your hearing? You might say it’s one rock concert or there is nothing I can do about traffic noise. The only problem with that is if you are getting used to loud noises and sound, you probably have some minor hearing loss. If you can’t avoid prolonged or repeated exposure to loud noise, try to take precautions. Buy ear plugs, you can get them at any drugstore, and if they don’t fit right, you can always see an audiologist to get custom ear plugs fitted. Also, we know you love your music, but turn down the volume and consider noise-cancelling headphones instead of ear-buds. If you find yourself in a noisy situation, make sure you give your ears time to recover after it. According to Action on Hearing Loss, you need at least 16 hours of rest for your ears after spending two hours in a loud environment like a concert 

Alan Wagmeister
Entheos Audiology Cooperative
(260) 609-8745
email us here