By Rohima Badri, Ph.D.
Hearing health experts are sounding the alarm about hearing damage from listening too loud and too long. This is gaining mainstream media attention, about which we are optimistic as more and more people start to realize the risks to hearing from excess noise in recreational settings outside the workplace.
But even with this elevated awareness about the harm from excess noise, sometimes it’s hard to get this message to stick at home. Here is how I helped steer my kids, who are now teenagers, steer toward healthy hearing habits.
Visualizing Damage
One visual that drove the “impact of noise” message home for us was that of the sensory hair cells in our inner ear before and after repeated exposure to loud sounds (below). Hair cells convert sounds into electrical signals that are then transmitted to the brain.
Credit: Hearing Health Care Centers
Notice how the noise has irreversibly damaged the hair cells? This damage often results in hearing loss and tinnitus, and it can also lead to dizziness and hyperacusis, or sensitivity to everyday sound levels.
Understanding that this permanent damage can be prevented by learning some basic facts about the sounds around us made my kids pay attention to my next visual and the cheat sheet.
Decibel Awareness
The second image below shows the noise level of everyday or common sounds around us. This visual helped my kids get a sense of what a 60 decibel (dB) sound is like when compared with a 100 dB sound and how to be aware of harmful everyday sounds.
Safe Listening Cheat Sheet
Finally, this basic yet must-have cheat sheet in a bite-size format helped my kids learn and practice healthy hearing habits without getting overwhelmed.
Anything below 70 dBA is okay for a lengthy duration. (A-weighted decibels, or dBA, is a measure of how the human ear perceives sound. We’ll use dBA and dB interchangeably to simplify.)
Sounds above 70 dBA risk damaging hearing, so if you are expecting a prolonged exposure, consider earplugs.
When using headphones or earbuds, use smartphone settings to limit and track listening habits.
Because the decibel scale is logarithmic, increases in sound levels are exponential and can damage your hearing faster. Every 3 dB increase is a doubling in sound intensity—but that means reducing sounds just 3 dB can cut risk by half. Duration is equally as important as loudness.
Every doubling of the distance between us and the sound source reduces the sound pressure level by 6 dBA. So, simply stepping away from loud sources can lessen the impact.
Follow the 60/60 rule when using headphones/earphones: 60 percent of the maximum volume for no more than 60 minutes per day.
Earplugs reduce anywhere between 15 to 30 dB of noise if worn correctly. Select earplugs based on comfort, fit, and purpose—and then carry and use them when needed. Consider having several pairs handy in various locations, like sunglasses, both higher-end reusables and disposable foams.
Healthy hearing habits, like sunscreen use and dental hygiene, are learned through practice. We must educate ourselves on the sounds in our environment and their impact on our hearing. Let’s make our hearing experience enjoyable by listening responsibly.
Rohima Badri, Ph.D., lives in New Jersey. She previously wrote about raising awareness for noise-induced hearing loss and steps to create a culture shift in young people around practicing healthy hearing habits.
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