How to keep your ears safe？

You might find that your preferred method of self-care involves cranking up your headphones and listening to music or a podcast. Your hearing may not benefit from it, though. Recent research suggests that excessive loudness may contribute to hearing loss in the future.

Health implications of hearing loss

Hearing loss has been linked to cognitive deterioration in addition to some communication loss.

According to a study, people with hearing loss were more likely to develop dementia than those without it in the following ways: those with mild hearing loss were almost twice as likely to do so, those with moderate loss were three times more likely, and those with severe loss were five times more likely.

How to set healthy noise limits

Noise exposure can cause hearing loss that builds up after one very loud exposure or, more frequently, steadily over time with poor hearing hygiene behaviors. Here are some tips for protecting your ears:

Keep sound to 70 dBA

Sound is measured in units called decibels, according to the NIH, which claims that Even after prolonged exposure, hearing loss is not expected to occur from sounds at or below 70 A-weighted decibels(dBA). Hearing loss, however, can result from prolonged or recurrent exposure to noise levels at or above 85 dBA.

Since it might be challenging to determine a device's decibel output, we advise using it at 50% of its maximum volume and limiting your listening duration.

There are safety precautions when using earbuds, but even these call for consumer or parental supervision.To check your headphone audio volume, for instance, use the 'Hearing' application in the Control Center on an iPhone. You may check your average listening level with this app and make sure it is under the advised limit of 70 dBA.

Another choice is volume-limited headphones for children; these headphones generally have volume limitations set at about 85 dBA and still need parental supervision for use hours and volume level.

Wear hearing protection

There are several different kinds of hearing protection available that are intended to shield you from outside sounds.

For instance, hearing protection with musician filtering can help preserve musical quality while still offering reliable protection. Earmuffs, foam plugs, reusable non-custom plugs, and hearing protection with a custom fit are just a few examples of hearing protection.Find the optimum protection for your intended use with the assistance of your hearing health specialist, she said.

Know the warning signs of hearing loss

The most typical early warning symptoms of hearing loss are difficulty hearing in loud settings and the perception that you can hear people but not understand what they are saying. Tinnitus, often known as ringing in the ears, is frequently a precursor to hearing loss and a marker of damage to the auditory system.

Get your hearing checked regularly

We advise having your hearing examined annually if you are over 50 or are exposed to hazardous levels of noise. Get your hearing evaluated right away if you notice any changes in your hearing or new or worsening ringing in your ears.