What? What Did You Say? I Can’t Hear You!

Hearing loss – it used to be something that was reserved for older people, but with our noisy lifestyle, younger people are finding it harder to hear – and much of that could have been prevented.

Not all hearing loss is preventable. Someone could lose their hearing because of an injury, an illness, or as a side effect from a toxic medication. But a gradual decline in hearing isn’t the same thing.

Acoustic trauma is a common cause of hearing loss and it is the result of mechanical damage in the ear. It could be from a sudden instance, such as an explosion or gunshot, or it can be over a long term, such as working in an extremely loud environment. Today, it could even be caused by listening to music players with earphones, but with the sound turned too high.

Unfortunately, this type of hearing loss cannot be treated or cured. The only thing you can do is to protect your ears from further hearing loss. This means avoiding loud sounds and/or using ear plugs.

So, how loud is too loud? According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders:

The damage?

110 Decibels
Regular exposure of more than 1 minute risks permanent hearing loss.
100 Decibels
No more than 15 minutes of unprotected exposure recommended.
85 Decibels
Prolonged exposure to any noise at or above 85 decibels can cause gradual hearing loss.

Does any of this surprise you?

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Images: PhotoXpress.com