Preventing Hearing Loss with Ear Protection

Hearing is one of the five senses that many people take for granted. Throughout your life, you subject your ears to lawn mowers, music, power tools, air travel and other loud sounds with no ear protection. Unfortunately, this can result to hearing loss.

Another factor that can contribute to hearing loss is aging. There are also certain medications and illnesses that can adversely affect a person’s hearing. When hearing loss occurs due to the factors mentioned above, it is normally permanent.  

Why it’s not too late to take action

Even if you already have mild hearing loss, it is not too late to preserve your hearing for years to come. One of the first and most important steps to protect hearing is by wearing ear protection in noisy environments. Ear protection comes in a number of different forms and can meet several different hobby and lifestyle needs.

Earplugs

Earplugs are one of the most readily available forms of ear protection. Generic versions are available at most drugstores and will work in a pinch when attending a concern every now and then. Custom earplugs are also available for more avid concertgoers, these are made of a more sturdy material and will be custom-fit to your ears. Custom-fit hearing aids offer better protection because they are personalized to your ear, making the fit better and keeping more sound out.

Earmolds

Earmolds cover the canal and outer bowl of the ear. These are usually made of a harder plastic and are excellent for individuals looking for a more complete fit than earplugs. Additionally, earmolds can be fit with filtered attenuators, which allow individuals to hear the sounds that are still important to them, like a voice or the lyrics to a song. Earmold hearing protection is popular with musicians for the filtering features and customization options.

Noise-canceling headphones

Noise-canceling headphones are a good option for individuals performing yard work or whose occupation requires them to be surrounded by loud noises frequently. Noise-canceling headphones work to cancel out the noise by completely covering your ears, thus protecting and preventing noise from entering your ear canal.

If you have questions regarding ear protection and the best options for your particular needs, schedule an appointment with an audiologist to learn more.