10 top tips to protect your hearing – NHS advice!
According to the NHS, ‘most cases of deafness (around four out of every five) are caused by damage to the tiny hair cells in the inner ear. This damage can be the result of too much noise, and it’s permanent. Noise-related hearing loss is usually irreversible.’
They list 10 tips to protect your hearing in this article, which we fully agree with – it is worth taking the time to read! Here are their recommendations:
1. Use earplugs
The louder the noise and the longer you’re exposed to it, the greater the chance of damaging your hearing. Protect your ears with ear protectors – earplugs or earmuffs – and get away from the noise as quickly or as often as you can.
*PERFECTfit ears has the perfect solution for you in Music Clear earphone sleeves, custom moulded to fit you!
2. Turn down the music
Don’t listen to your personal music player at very high volumes and never to drown out background noise. If the music is uncomfortable for you to listen to, or you can’t hear external sounds when you’ve got your headphones on, then it’s too loud.
*Worried about the volume your kids listen to? Why not get them some Ety kids noise limiting earphones? We stock them, and can make a custom moulded pair to ensure your child does not get exposed to loud noise at such a vulnerable time in their lives!
3. Use the 60:60 rule
Listen to your music at 60% of the MP3 player’s maximum volume for no more than 60 minutes a day. If your MP3 player has a ‘smart volume’ feature, use it. It will help you regulate the volume.
*With our custom moulded option the background noise is limited greatly, so there is no need to crank up the volume to hear your music over the noise of your commute! Listen at safe levels, and comfortably!
4. Wear headphones
When listening to your personal music player, opt for noise-cancelling headphones, or go retro with older muff-type headphones. These block out background noise and allow you to have the volume lower. Ear-bud style headphones and in-the-ear headphones are less effective at drowning out background noise. Try to take regular breaks from your headphones, though, to give your ears a rest.
*Or try our PERFECTfit custom moulded earphones for the reasons explained above!
5. Turn down the dial
Turn down the volume on your TV, radio or hi-fi a notch. Even a small reduction in volume can make a big difference to the risk of damage to your hearing. If you need to raise your voice to be heard above the sound, turn it down.
*Agree here, never listen to the TV or HiFi too loud – apart from annoying the neighbours it could be very harmful to your hearing.
6. Use earplugs when you’re listening to live music
They can reduce average sound levels by between 15 and 35 decibels. They’re widely available at many live music venues and shouldn’t spoil your enjoyment of the music.
*Again, PERFECTfit has just the solution for you! Our PRO series of hearing protectionwill protect your hearing from damaging gig noise with near invisible custom moulded hearing protection – which enhances your listening experience. It is a common misconception that hearing protection of this type can dull the music too much – this is fundamentally incorrect! Try it if you don’t believe us!
7. Don’t put up with work noise
If you’re experiencing noise at work, talk to your human resources (HR) department or your manager and ask for advice on reducing the noise and getting hearing protection.
*PERFECTfit ears provides industrial clients with hearing protection to suit their requirements. Get in touch with us today to hear more about our custom moulded industrial hearing protection!
8. Wear ear protectors
Wear ear protectors (earplugs or earmuffs) if you are using noisy equipment such as power drills, saws, sanders or lawn mowers.
*For home use we offer custom moulded solid hearing protection ear plugs, or if you are after something more fancy we have a range of other options also!
9. Be careful in the car
Listening to music in a confined space increases the risk of hearing damage. Don’t listen to music too loud for too long.
*Agree again – huge hearing damage can be caused in a vehicle… It is a tinnitus time bomb if you play music too loud in your car!
10. Have a hearing detox
Give your ears time to recover after they’ve been exposed to loud noise. According to Deafness Research UK, you need at least 16 hours of rest for your ears to recover after spending around two hours in 100dB sound, for example in a club. Reducing this recovery time increases the risk of permanent deafness.
*Get your PERFECTfit hearing protection plugs today and your listening experience for longer periods of time, without causing damage to you hearing! It is precious – don’t lose it!
If you have any questions relating to hearing protection or custom moulded earphone sleeves please do get in touch with us!