Acoustic interference is an unavoidable aspect of modern life. From lawnmowers and traffic to personal audio devices, the world is louder than ever. The growing volume of sound poses a serious risk to your auditory health unless precautions are taken. With National Protect Your Hearing Month taking place in October, now is the prime time to consider preserving your hearing.

How to safeguard your hearing: 8 key methods

Fortunately, there are straightforward steps you can take to guard your hearing from the daily noise around you. We present eight crucial guidelines to ensure auditory protection.

1. Become familiar with volume levels and their impact

The initial action for averting auditory damage is to recognize when a sound level becomes excessive. Diverse noises generate different decibel (dB) measurements; spending too much time around loud ones can result in permanent hearing damage. A fast look is below:

• 85–90 dB: Lawn mowers, heavy traffic – Safe for up to 2 hours of exposure.
• 100 dB: Motorcycles, construction machinery – Hearing damage can occur in as little as 15 minutes.
• Over 110 dB: Fireworks, gunshots, explosions – Instant damage can happen after just a few seconds.

Taking a proactive approach to noise awareness can help you avoid environments that are hazardous to your ears.

2. Determine sound levels yourself

Curious about how loud your environment really is? You can easily determine it using your smartphone. There are many free applications that act as sound meters, enabling you to examine surrounding noise levels. The key to getting reliable data is to take the measurement from the distance you usually maintain from the origin of the sound.

Using this application regularly can help you better interpret your environment and make informed decisions about protecting your hearing.

3. Keep the volume down on your devices

Regularly playing music or podcasts too loudly is a leading contributor to cumulative hearing damage. Headphones and earbuds, while convenient, frequently carry understated dangers. It’s important that numerous headphones can reach 100 dB, a level that can induce hearing loss in only 15 minutes of use.

Current data suggests that more than a billion young individuals face the threat of hearing impairment due to excessive earbud use. Crucially, keep your earbud volume below 50% of its full potential to protect your hearing. If you find yourself turning the volume up just to be able to hear, it likely means some degree of hearing loss has already occurred.

4. Never try to use music to drown out loud noise

For those who live in loud areas or work in noisy settings, the urge to use headphones to overpower the ambient sound can be strong. But cranking up the volume to overpower outside noise is harmful. Instead, consider using noise-canceling headphones, which allow you to enjoy your music or podcasts at a much lower, less hazardous volume. In the absence of noise-canceling headphones, using earplugs is an effective substitute.

5. When in noisy environments, use earplugs

For anyone often in loud environments—whether at concerts, sporting events, or while operating heavy machinery—earplugs are a must. They are small, affordable, and easy to carry, making them a simple but effective tool for hearing protection.

If you use them often, custom-fitted earplugs can be purchased, offering enhanced protection and a better fit than off-the-shelf versions. Never fail to use earplugs when you are in a noisy location.

6. While at work, follow safety recommendations

When your work involves being near loud machinery or equipment, you must strictly follow all safety procedures for hearing protection. Some workplaces may undervalue the risks, but those who claim “it’s not that loud” may already have considerable hearing loss and don’t realize the current noise levels. Protect yourself by adhering to guidelines and wearing proper protective equipment.

7. Distance yourself from loud noise

The most effective means of hearing protection can often be just creating distance from the source of the loud sound. Distance lowers the intensity of sound impacting your ears, thereby minimize damage. To illustrate, moving 20 feet back from a 110 dB sound source can lower the level to about 100 dB, which is safe for 15 minutes of exposure.

The example of fireworks is instructive. A firework exploding at 150 dB may seem far away, but if you’re near the launch site, the noise can still go beyond 120 dB, causing instant damage. However, by seating yourself 2,000 feet away (approximately five football fields), you can experience the show at a safer level, under 100 dB.

8. Existing hearing loss needs to be addressed promptly

Should you already be dealing with hearing loss, it is crucial that you take action so it doesn’t get worse. Hearing loss doesn’t go away on its own; it progresses. Statistics show that nearly 1 out of 10 adults in the 55-to-64 age group have considerable hearing loss, and this percentage jumps in later years.

Failing to address the first indications of auditory loss will only hasten its advancement. Typically, individuals delay seeking treatment by a full 7 years. By consulting a hearing specialist without delay and exploring treatments such as hearing aids, you significantly improve the potential for retaining your existing hearing.

Take action today

The observance of National Protect Your Hearing Month serves as an opportune time to place a high value on your auditory well-being. Whether you’ve already experienced some hearing loss or want to prevent future damage, these simple steps can make a big difference.

Schedule a hearing test today and take control of your hearing health before it’s too late.