Protect your hearing for the future with these simple strategies.

While hearing loss can be the result of old age, this isn’t the only factor that can affect your hearing. In fact, a variety of the hearing loss cases our Thousand Oaks, CA, otolaryngologists and audiologists see could have been prevented. Whether you work on a construction site or you’re glued to your headphones, you will want to read these tips for how to best preserve your hearing for the future,

Wear Protection

If you’re about to head out to a concert or any environment that you know is going to be loud it’s always best to wear the proper ear protection. Just wearing earplugs can reduce sound significantly. This is particularly important for musicians, as well as those working with loud tools or machinery.

To prevent hearing loss, our Thousand Oaks, CA, ENT doctor can provide custom earplugs or recommend proper ear protection based on your profession and specific activities.

Limit Exposure to Loud Sounds

While we know that this isn’t possible all of the time, it is best to limit the amount of time spent in noisy environments. Being around pneumatic drills or jackhammers for any period of time can cause noise-induced hearing loss over time. Even everyday appliances like hairdryers and food processors can cause gradual damage to your hearing.

Simple things you can do to protect your hearing include wearing earmuffs when cutting the grass or doing yardwork that requires the use of electrical equipment. You should try to give your ears as much of a break from loud noises as possible.

Turn Down the Volume

We know we sound like parents here but it’s important that you keep volume levels on the TV, radio or your own personal devices below 80 decibels for adults and 75 decibels for children. To give you a frame of reference, a vacuum cleaner is about 70 decibels while an at-home blender is around 94 decibels.

If music is too loud in a restaurant, don’t be afraid to let someone know. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends keeping exposure to volumes above 75-80 decibels below 40 hours a week.

West Coast Ear, Nose and Throat provides hearing loss evaluations to patients living in and around Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Oxnard and Camarillo, CA. To schedule a screening call us today.