Here And Now

World Hearing Day is an awareness day that is held on 3rd March every year to raise awareness on protecting your hearing, preventing hearing loss and deafness, and promoting ear and hearing care.

This year World Hearing Day is focussing on the importance of safe listening. One of the most common causes of hearing loss that can be prevented is caused by exposure to loud sounds such as music at live events or via personal devices.

How do loud sounds affect my hearing?

There are sensory cells in the ear that help us to hear. Exposure to loud sounds over time causes fatigue of the sensory cells resulting in temporary hearing loss or tinnitus. Regular exposure to loud or prolonged sounds leads to the sensory cells and structures to become permanently damaged resulting in permanent hearing loss, or tinnitus.

What is safe listening?

Safe listening is a term that refers to listening to audio at levels that do not put your hearing at risk. To protect you hearing keep the volume down, use well-fitting headphones, stay away from sources of sound such as speakers, monitor sound levels and limit the time you spend in noisy environments.

How long can I listen to music for?

The duration of safe listening decreases and sound levels increase. You can safely listen to an average volume of 80dB for up to 40 hours per week, however as you increase the decibel level the time for safe listening decreases quite a bit.

How can I tell if my hearing is damaged?

You may have hearing loss if you have a persistent ringing in the ears, difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds, difficulty understanding speech and following conversations in noisy environments.

What do I do if I think I have hearing loss?

If you feel like you have any of the signed of hearing loss listed above, we advise attending a hearing assessment or consulting an audiologist to determine the level of hearing loss and next steps.

Enjoy your favourite music and entertainment safely and protect your hearing at the same time.

For more information about hearing loss and hearing protection contact us today.