Your Hobbies And Your Hearing Health

 

Sonic wants to help you understand how certain activities may have an impact your hearing health and suggest some ways to safeguard your hearing while still making Everyday Sounds Better.

Noise affects your hearing differently depending on how loud it is, where it is coming from, and the exposure time. Don’t worry, the fact that noise-induced hearing loss may be associated with certain hobbies doesn’t mean you need to give them up. You just need to become more aware of the activities that may expose you to unsafe levels of sound, so you can begin to take precautions.

Activities That Pose a Risk

Certain activities that pose a greater risk for unsafe noise levels. If you participate in any of the pursuits below, consider wearing hearing protection so that you can continue to enjoy these activities without suffering long-term damage to your hearing.^3,4

• Music – Listening to music with headphones, attending concerts, or playing an instrument can increase your chances of hearing loss.⁵
• Using power tools – Lawn maintenance or home improvement tasks can expose you to loud sounds over an extended time period.
• Hunting, sport shooting, fireworks – Sudden loud noises can cause hearing damage.
• Sporting events – Cheering crowds have been measured at 130+ decibels.⁶
• Motorsports – Motorcycles, quads, and even boats can expose enthusiasts to damaging levels of wind and motor noise.

Awareness is Key to Prevention

If you enjoy activities that put your hearing health at risk, there are steps you can take so you can continue to enjoy them responsibly. When participating in activities with unsafe noise levels, merely wearing appropriate hearing protection may reduce the risk of damaging your hearing. This means earmuffs or ear plugs. Earmuffs are available in different varieties and protection levels based on the activity. Any ear protection is better than none and can range from inexpensive over-the-counter foam plugs to those custom-fitted by a hearing care professional to the precise size and shape of your ears.⁶ Be smart! If you think it might be too loud, it likely is.

In most cases of noise-induced hearing loss, damage to the ear from loud sounds adds up over time, and changes in your hearing are often not easily noticed. Getting a baseline hearing test is the best way to measure changes to your hearing over time. It is also a good opportunity to discuss options for appropriate noise protection with a hearing care professional.

Above all, schedule regular visits with your hearing care professional for a hearing test to ensure you are doing enough to protect your hearing. Regular check-ups allow you to take early action if needed, so make sure to stay on top of your appointments with your hearing care professional, who will track your hearing and any possible changes.

At Sonic, we know that enjoying hobbies is important and we want to make sure you can continue to enjoy them safely. Check out our Hearing Center locator tool to find a hearing care professional near you. Hearing professionals can help you better understand how your activities may be impacting your hearing and what you can do to make Everyday Sounds Better.

 

References:

⁵US National Library of Medicine. Medline Plus website. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000495.htm. Accessed June 20, 2018.

⁶Loudest crowd roar at a sports stadium. Guinness World Records website. http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/loudest-crowd-roar-at-a-sports-stadium.

To book your hearing assessment today, contact your local Sonic partner clinic