How Does Noise Kill My Hearing?
To understand how too much noise can affect your hearing, it’s important first to have a basic understanding of how hearing happens. As explained by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association:
The ear is divided into three parts that lead into the brain: the outer ear, middle ear and inner ear. The outer ear, which consists of the ear canal and eardrum, “gathers” sound down the canal, striking the eardrum, which vibrates. Behind the eardrum is the middle ear, which contains three small bones, called ossicles. The vibration of the eardrum causes these bones to vibrate, which in turn creates fluid movement in the inner ear. This fluid movement in the inner ear, called the cochlea, causes changes in tiny hair cells, which send electric signals into the auditory nerve in the brain, where they are interpreted as sounds.
Excessive noise exposure over time damages the delicate hair cells in the cochlea, accelerating the ear's aging process. This damage causes permanent, sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus, or ringing ears. While hearing loss can happen because of hazardous noise exposure on the job, it also can happen because of common recreational activities. To prevent hearing loss, one must minimize hazardous exposure to noise.
What Are the Warning Signs?
Hearing loss isn’t typically an immediate change. Because changes in our hearing come on gradually and over a long period of time, it may be difficult for us to realize just how bad our hearing is getting. If you experience any of these 10 warning signs, it may be time to make an appointment with a hearing specialist for a hearing test:
● Mumbling more frequently, rather than speaking clearly.
● You have been told you’re speaking too loudly (and not when you’re angry!).
● You experience tinnitus, especially after leaving a situation in which you’ve been exposed to loud noise or if you feel a “fullness” in your ears after leaving a noisy setting.
● Your family complains about your volume settings or you’re asked to turn the radio or TV down regularly.
● You have a hard time understanding a conversation when in a large crowd or in a situation with a lot of ambient noise, which may lead to you withdrawing from social situations or avoiding group conversations.
● You find yourself “filling in” words in a conversation, because you can’t understand all of them or you frequently have to ask the person you’re speaking with to speak up, speak more slowly or enunciate.
● Telephone conversations become increasingly difficult.
● You have a hard time hearing someone when your back is turned to him or her while he or she is speaking.
● You no longer hear household sounds, like a faucet dripping or the air conditioner kicking on.
Some of these symptoms, including tinnitus or fullness in the ears, may happen temporarily after exposure to a particularly noisy environment, such as a concert or club. However, even if you’ve experienced these symptoms temporarily in the past, there is no guarantee that after repeated exposure to these situations your hearing will always return to normal, and you may end up with permanent hearing damage.
What Can I Do?
Sometimes, especially when exposure to hazardous noise levels happens because of job-related sounds, it’s difficult simply to eliminate exposure altogether. However, there are steps that we can all take to minimize exposure and the risk of developing permanent hearing loss as a result of noise. According to the Better Hearing Institute, one-third of permanent hearing loss is preventable by implementing responsible hearing loss prevention strategies.
Be Mindful of Hazardous Noise During Recreational Activities
Hazardous noise levels are present during many activities, including target practice at shooting ranges, firecrackers, power tools, concerts and clubs, sporting events, recreational vehicles -- including motorcycles, motorboats, snowmobiles and race cars. If you engage in hobbies during which you are exposed regularly to loud noise, you are putting yourself at risk for hearing loss. As a general rule, if you have to raise your voice to be heard by someone within an arm’s length, the noise that surrounds you can be damaging your hearing.
Take Preventive Measures
Just because your hobby involves loud noise doesn’t mean you have to choose between it and your hearing. You can invest in earplugs, earmuffs or protective gear to minimize your risk of hearing loss while engaging in your favorite activities.
Limit Your Exposure
Limit your exposure to noisy activities at home and monitor how much time your children spend engaging in activities that can be damaging to their hearing. Be conscious of volume settings and how much time you spend listening to personal music devices, like iPods. You may want to consider investing in high-quality, noise-canceling headphones that will block out background noise, but allow you to listen to music at a lower volume.
Engage Your Employer
If you work in an occupation that regularly exposes you to hazardous noise levels, check with your employer about company policies that exist to protect your hearing, and make sure that your job site's policies meet federal and state regulations. If not, work with your employer or coworkers to meet those guidelines and ensure that you and your coworkers are protected.
Keep An Eye on Hearing
Especially if you work in an at-risk environment or engage in hobbies that expose you to hazardous noise levels, you should make regular appointments with a hearing specialist for hearing tests. If this exposure happens on the job, speak with your employer to learn whether or not the company offers hearing screenings through your job and whether they are covered under your insurance policy.