Educate Yourself
Injury to our hearing is invisible and painless- don't let that be a reason to neglect your most valuable instrument,
your hearing.
The Facts
1 in 3 of hearing losses are caused by loud exposure to sound (including symphonic bands, concerts, listening to headphones)
Music induced hearing disorders are permanent
Loud sound-induced hearing loss is 100% preventable
Over 80% of listeners listen to their personal music devices at risky levels that might cause permanent hearing loss
The World Health Organization estimates 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk for hearing loss due to the unsafe use of personal audio devices and exposure to dangerous sound levels at entertainment venues
74% of musicians report a music induced hearing disorder or a combination of several disorders
Hearing wellness in the news… check out the most recent Washington Post article!
Tips for Hearing Health
Keep up with annual hearing tests! Monitor your hearing for any changes
Pay attention to both how loud you're listening and how long you are listening for
Check the sound levels in your environment using the free sound level meter app by NIOSH (below)
Injury to our hearing from loud sound is a function of both how loud it is and how long you're exposed for
Make a habit of using your custom earplugs! They may seem strange at first, but you should think of them in the same way that you think of sunglasses and have them on you most of the time.
How Hearing Works
What Hearing Injury Looks Like
Hair cells inside the cochlea (hearing organ) can sustain permanent injury from prolonged loud sound exposure. Hearing injury can also be caused by;
• Exposure to loud sound over time
• Genetics
• Medications
• Viruses and Disease
• Poor Vascular Health
What Hearing Loss Sounds Like
Loud Sound Induced Hearing Disorders
Tinnitus
Ringing in the ears. Tinnitus can be temporary- like when you get home after a concert and your ears are ringing, or permanent- when the ringing sound is present all of the time, regardless of whether you have been around loud sound recently or not. It is typically thought of as a symptom of hearing loss caused by exposure to loud sound.
Permanent Hearing Loss
Injuries to our hearing from loud sound always show the same profile of hearing loss. It does not matter if the sound to which we are listening to is a rock concert, or jack hammer- the profile is the same. Your ear canal is a tube that resonates at a specific pitch, generally between 2000Hz and 6000Hz. When you are listening to loud sound, that pitch is amplified by your ear canal and middle ear cavity which injures your ear's ability to hear in that frequency range.
Hyperacusis and Recruitment
Once our hearing system is injured, our ability to tolerate loud sound decreases. Recruitment causes your perception of sound to be affected. A small increase in sound level (ex. 5dB) can sound like a 20dB increase. Hyperacusis is when sound levels that used to be tolerable now are painfully uncomfortable to listen to.
For All Your Ear and Hearing Needs