Column: Have you heard? Ways to protect your hearing

About 48 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss, so it’s important to take steps and create habits throughout your life that will preserve this important sense. Just like blood pressure, weight, and other health benchmarks, hearing should be checked regularly, treated if necessary, and protected from damage.

Though noise affects our hearing over time, noise-induced hearing loss is preventable. The following tips can help protect hearing at any age.

Wear hearing protection, such as custom-molded ear plugs, when in noisy environments. Ear plugs can protect your hearing at music venues, sports arenas, or on loud boats, or when in range of harmful noise and blasts, such as fireworks, motorcycles, or at the shooting range. For young kids, well-fitting earmuffs can help dampen the effects of excessive noise.

It’s good practice to wear hearing protection if routinely exposed to loud noise for work or if you have a noisy hobby, such as playing an instrument or woodworking. Take listening breaks, leaving noisy areas at least once per hour to give your ears a rest.

Be mindful about the volume on smartphones and tablets, especially if using earbuds or headphones. Keep the device volume to half or less of the volume bar. A good rule of thumb: when the earbuds are in your ears, turn the volume to a level that you can still hear normal conversation around you. This will also keep you safe and aware when near traffic.

Signs of hearing loss can include ringing, buzzing or pain in the ear, or having difficulty following a conversation when more than one person is talking. It can also include having trouble hearing in noisy places like a restaurant or on the phone.

In kids, hearing loss signs can include pulling or tugging at their ears, displaying delays in speech and language development, or seeming unhappy or socially isolated.

Though our ears can handle daily sounds and noise, a single loud blast or explosion that lasts less than a second can cause immediate and permanent hearing loss. If you experience an immediate loss of hearing, even just temporarily, see your primary care provider or a hearing specialist.

Don’t wait years or decades to get help if you are experiencing hearing loss. Ignoring hearing loss can negatively affect academic or career success, social relationships, physical safety, and thinking skills with age, which may include earlier onset dementia.

Hearing loss can have a profound negative effect on a person’s quality of life. If you notice any signs of hearing loss, seek an evaluation from a certified audiologist.

Marina Mulvey, AuD is a Doctor of Audiology with Barton ENT & Audiology. Barton ENT and Audiology offer comprehensive services for hearing-related issues, including custom-molded ear plugs, hearing aid evaluations, and hearing treatments. Learn more at BartonHealth.org.