Introduction

Noise-induced hearing loss is irreversible. If unaddressed, hearing damage can have a big impact on a person's quality of life and mental well-being in the long term.

On this page we will focus on ways in which safe listening practices can help prevent noise-induced hearing loss, and outline some recommendations.

Noise-induced hearing loss

Noise-induced hearing damage can happen suddenly, but in most cases, it occurs gradually over time. The first indication of hearing damage is often tinnitus, which is a persistent ringing or buzzing in the ear. Another indication is that you might notice that sounds become distorted or muffled, and it can become challenging to understand what others are saying, especially in noisy environments like restaurants. You might also feel the need to turn up the volume on the TV to hear it better.

This gradual hearing damage is permanent but may go unnoticed in the early stages. It can lead to challenges, such as difficulty understanding speech, especially when there is background noise, or distinguishing different sounds, such as multiple voices in a conversation. It can also lead to reduced hearing quality, which means that sounds may become distorted and less clear.

Tinnitus can lead to sleep disturbance, emotional distress, reduced social interaction and diminished enjoyment of listening activities, such as watching a movie or listening to music. Tinnitus can lead to sleep disturbance, emotional distress, reduced social interaction and diminished enjoyment of listening activities, such as watching a movie or listening to music.

Unsafe listening

When we think of hearing damage we often associate it with “industrial noise exposure” (e.g., from machinery, power tools, etc), however recreational sound exposure can be just as dangerous. It’s important to understand that listening to any sound at a very high volume for a long time will lead to permanent hearing loss and/or tinnitus. There are many musicians and people who work in the music industry who have experienced severe hearing damage because they were exposed to very loud sounds for extended periods of time.

Listening to sounds at 80 dB for 40 hours a week is the limit of safe listening. For reference, the noise of heavy traffic heard from inside a vehicle is equivalent to 80 dB.

Here are some activities that pose risks:

• Listening to music at high volume when using earbuds or headphones
• Video gaming using headphones
• Regular or prolonged visits to loud entertainment venues such as music concerts or nightclubs, which can be as loud as 110 dB!
• Riding motorcycles
• Shooting/hunting

Safe listening behaviors

Exposure to loud sounds usually causes temporary fatigue to the delicate parts of our inner ear, namely the sensory cells (inner and outer hair cells). This is why after you attend a loud situation, such as a live show or nightclub, you may notice your hearing ability is reduced and you might notice ringing or buzzing in your ears. Whilst for most people, this reduced hearing ability returns to normal over a day or two, continued loud noise exposure over time is likely to result in permanent damage to these cells (also known as noise-induced hearing loss). Here are some safe listening behaviors that can help us prevent noise-induced hearing loss:

1. Keep the volume down:
   • Set your device’s volume level to a maximum of 60%.
   • Use well-fitted noise cancelling headphones.
2. Protect your ears from loud sounds.
   • In noisy places, wear earplugs and move away from loudspeakers.
3. Limit the time spent engaged in noisy activities
   • Limit the use of personal audio devices.
   • In a noisy place, it is important to take regular breaks and move to a quiet area.
4. Monitor listening levels of your devices:
   • Use apps to monitor your sound exposure.
   • Choose devices which have built-in safe listening features.

Safe listening behaviors

Exposure to loud sounds usually causes temporary fatigue to the delicate parts of our inner ear, namely the sensory cells (inner and outer hair cells). This is why after you attend a loud situation, such as a live show or nightclub, you may notice your hearing ability is reduced and you might notice ringing or buzzing in your ears. Whilst for most people, this reduced hearing ability returns to normal over a day or two, continued loud noise exposure over time is likely to result in permanent damage to these cells (also known as noise-induced hearing loss). Here are some safe listening behaviors that can help us prevent noise-induced hearing loss:

• Book a doctor’s appointment if you have persistent ringing in the ear (tinnitus) or experience difficulties hearing high-pitched sounds or following conversations.
• Check your hearing regularly: With the hearWHO app you can check your hearing using your mobile phone. Shall you have signs of hearing loss, please seek professional advice (i.e. speak with an audiologist or visit a medical center).