Imagine never again hearing the sound of your lover whispering sweet nothings into your ear, the pure joy of music, or the calming sounds of nature. When you lose your sense of hearing, you lose all of these things and more-yet most people don’t take care of their ears properly. Use the following tips to make sure that your ears and your sense of hearing stay protected:
Turn your headphones down
Mp3 players and smart phones allow us to listen to virtually any song ever recorded, and thanks to headphones we can listen to them at almost any time. While this technological feat certainly improves out lives, it comes with a downside: possible hearing loss. Listening to headphones at full volume blasts as many as 112 decibels directly into your ears-more than a power drill or a motorcycle. In order to reduce the likelihood of long term hearing damage, only listen to headphones at 60% volume.
Use noise canceling headphones
Noise cancelling headphones reduce ambient noise, effectively putting you in a “sound bubble.” Without everyday noises like traffic or other people’s conversations, you can reduce the volume of your headphones even more. In addition to avoiding hearing loss, listening to music at these lower volumes actually improves it’s quality.
Be careful in the car
Just because you are listening to music over your car’s speakers rather than through headphones doesn’t mean you can crank the volume to 10. When combined with the enclosed space of a car, loud music can cause hearing loss.
Choose the right ear plugs
Choosing the correct pair of ear plugs is almost as important as making the decision to wear them in the first place. After all, if your ear plugs don’t work, what good are they? Picking the best ear plugs isn’t simple, because they come in all shapes and sizes. Ear plugs are even made out of different materials, further complicating the situation.
Watch where you stand
Night clubs utilize high powered speakers in order to project sound throughout the entire building. Listening to loud music in a confined building like a club is bad enough for your ears, but standing next to one of these large speakers can cause permanent hearing loss. Show off your moves on the other side of the dance floor, away from the speakers.
Use ear plugs
Think of ear plugs as glasses for your ears. Much like how sunglasses reduce the sun’s glare, they reduce the noise of your environment. You don’t have to wear ear plugs all the time, but if you know you are going to a loud event such as a concert, make sure to pack some of them to protect your ears. Although it may seem counterintuitive to pay hundreds for a concert ticket only to put in ear plugs, concerts are so loud that you can easily hear the music even with them. And, since wearing ear plugs reduces hearing loss, you will be able to enjoy going to concerts for years to come.
