We are surrounded by noise in our everyday existence. From lawnmowers and traffic to personal audio devices, the world is more cacophonous than ever. Without adequate care, this higher level of noise can cause damage to your sense of hearing. The observance of National Protect Your Hearing Month in October provides the best opportunity to prioritize the conservation of this key sense.

How to safeguard your hearing: 8 key methods

Luckily, a few effortless measures exist that allow you to defend your hearing from common environmental sounds. We present eight crucial guidelines to ensure auditory protection.

1. Understand volume levels and their impact

The most important action for averting auditory damage is to recognize when a sound level becomes hazardous. Varying noises generate different decibel (dB) measurements; spending too much time around loud ones can result in permanent hearing damage. Here’s a quick guide:

• Sounds like heavy traffic or lawn mowers (85–90 dB) can be tolerated safely for a maximum of 2 hours.
• At 100 dB (e.g., motorcycles, construction machinery), hearing damage can begin after only 15 minutes.
• Noises exceeding 110 dB (e.g., explosions, fireworks) can lead to immediate damage in just seconds.

Taking a preventative approach to noise recognition can help you steer clear of environments that are hazardous to your ears.

2. Measure sound levels yourself

Want to know the actual volume of your surroundings? You can easily determine it using your smartphone. You can download various complimentary sound meter applications to evaluate the noise in your vicinity. To get accurate results, measure from the distance you usually are from the sound source.

Using this application regularly can help you better grasp your environment and make educated decisions about protecting your hearing.

3. Don’t crank up the volume on your devices

Regularly playing music or podcasts too loudly is a leading contributor to cumulative hearing damage. Despite their practicality, headphones and earbuds often mask certain risks. For example, many headphones can exceed 100 dB, resulting in hearing loss in just 15 minutes.

Because they listen with earbuds at high volumes, more than a billion young people worldwide are currently facing a risk of hearing loss. You should never set the volume on your earbuds higher than 50% of the maximum capacity if you want to safeguard your ears. Having to increase the volume past this point to hear indicates that you may already have some hearing damage.

4. Never try to use music to drown out loud noise

When working in a noisy environment or residing in a loud neighborhood, you may be tempted to use headphones to mask the surrounding noise. It is actually harmful to increase the volume too high just to override outside noise. Opt instead for noise-canceling headphones; these devices make it possible to listen to your music or podcasts at a much reduced, safer level. Should noise-canceling headphones not be an option, simple earplugs are a viable alternative.

5. Always utilize earplugs in loud environments

For anyone regularly attending loud environments—whether at concerts, sporting events, or while operating heavy machinery—earplugs are a must. Since they are small, affordable, and easy to transport, earplugs offer an easy but powerful method of hearing protection.

If you use them often, custom-fitted earplugs can be purchased, offering improved protection and a better fit than off-the-shelf versions. You should certainly use them in all environments that are loud.

6. While at work, follow safety guidelines

critically, if your occupation exposes you to loud machinery or equipment, you must ensure you follow the established safety guidelines for auditory protection. Some workplaces may undervalue the risks, but those who claim “it’s not that loud” may already have significant hearing loss and don’t realize the current noise levels. Take essential steps to protect yourself by observing all guidelines and wearing the right protective equipment.

7. Move further away from loud noise

The most effective means of hearing protection can often be just creating distance from the source of the loud sound. The benefit of distance is that it decreases the sound’s intensity before it reaches your ears, thus helping to minimize the risk of harm. For example, standing 20 feet away from a noise source producing 110 dB reduces it to around 100 dB—safe for up to 15 minutes of exposure.

Consider fireworks as a relevant illustration. A firework exploding at 150 dB may seem far away, but if you’re near the launch site, the noise can still go beyond 120 dB, causing instant damage. By sitting 2,000 feet away (about five football fields), you can enjoy the show at a safer level below 100 dB.

8. Existing hearing loss needs to be addressed promptly

Any existing hearing loss requires prompt action to keep it from advancing. Hearing loss doesn’t go away on its own; it progresses. Specifically, almost 10% of adults aged 55 to 64 suffer from substantial hearing loss, with the rates rising considerably among older demographics.

When initial signs of hearing loss are ignored, it only causes the impairment to progress faster. On average, people wait 7 years too long to seek help. Your ability to protect the hearing you still have is greatly enhanced the earlier you see a hearing specialist to discuss options like hearing aids.

Start protecting your hearing now

The observance of National Protect Your Hearing Month is an great time to place a high value on your auditory well-being. These fundamental steps are useful and can make a big change, whether your goal is to reduce existing hearing loss or stop future impairment.

book a hearing test now and gain control over your hearing health before the opportunity is gone.