Protect your Hearing
Hearing loss is something that can affect everyone – regardless of your age or health. It’s important to look after your hearing to prevent an early onset of hearing loss.
Basic Hearing Protection
Being aware of how long you should be exposed to certain levels of noise can help you protect your hearing. For example, being exposed to an ambulance siren at 120 decibels for more than 15 seconds will cause hearing damage. You may not notice any difference right away, but if you are frequently exposing yourself to loud noises, over time, you will notice the compounded effects of hearing damage which ultimately leads to hearing loss.
The Science behind Hearing Loss
Being exposed to high levels of noise damages the inner hair cells of the cochlea that sends sound signals to the brain. Because these hair cells are damaged and not functioning as they should, the sound signals aren’t successfully transferred to the brain, and so hearing loss occurs.
Take a look at the diagram below that shows how long you can be exposed to certain noise levels before hearing damage occurs.
Candice’s Top Tip
Take an acoustic break every hour for 5 minutes when listening to music or playing games with headphones. Even if the volume is relatively soft, by being exposed to that noise for prolonged periods in a day, you are already causing damage.
If you would like to find out more about protecting your hearing, book a hearing test with CVH Audiology today.
Call 011 615 3047.