How to save keen hearing - everyday tips

Scientists measure the levels of different sounds with a unit called the A-weighted decibel (dBA).

Sounds with levels below 70 dBA pose no known risk of hearing loss, no matter how long they last. If you listen to music at 70 dBA, the sound level is about the same as what you experience while driving a four-door family car on the highway with the windows closed.

For sound levels higher than 70 dBA, the duration of daily exposure (i.e., the amount of time you listen every day) becomes an important risk factor. For example, sounds with levels of 85 dBA pose no known risk of hearing loss if you are exposed for no longer than 45 minutes per day. However, sound levels of 85 dBA or higher can pose a significant risk of permanent hearing loss, if you are exposed for eight hours per day.

Health Canada's experts have found some facts about noise in our life. So, here they are:

• All combinations of headphones/earphones and CD players could generate potentially harmful sound levels
• Pop music sound levels ranged from 86 to 102 dBA when researchers used the headphones that came packaged with the CD player. When researchers combined CD players with headphones purchased separately, the sound levels reached 114 dBA - test results also suggested that this was not necessarily the limit
• If you played the pre-packaged systems at maximum volume, it would take from 12 minutes (at 102 dBA) to seven hours (at 86 dBA) to exceed the occupational noise limit noted above. Furthermore, you would exceed the limit in just one minute if you played heavy metal or pop music at full volume on the combination CD / headphone system that produced sound levels of 114 dBA. At this sound level, exposure for longer durations can pose a risk of immediate, serious and permanent hearing loss.
• Sound levels from earbuds vary significantly from person to person, because the level depends on how well the "buds" fit into your ears. Tight-fitting earbuds tend to produce higher sound levels than other commercially available headphones.
  

HOW TO Minimize Your Risk

• Keep the sound at enjoyable, but safe levels. If someone a metre away must shout to be understood, the sound level of the music is probably higher than 85 dBA, and may be hazardous.
• Use various system controls to increase enjoyment while decreasing your risks. For example, you could turn down the volume and increase the bass boost.
• Limit the amount of time you spend listening to loud music.
• Reduce background noise, if possible, so you can use a lower volume level. Headphones that reduce background noise are available from several manufacturers.

Other Safety Tips for everyday

• If you use the noise-reducing headphones mentioned earlier, be aware that it is not safe to tune out background noise when you are walking along a busy street, because you need to be aware of what is going on around you.
• Limit the amount of time you spend on leisure activities that are excessively noisy.
• Keep your car and home audio at enjoyable but safe levels.
• When you're at risk for noise-induced hearing loss, wear a hearing protection device such as earplugs or earmuffs. The device should be as well fitted as possible. Consult an audiologist if you need assistance.
• If you experience temporary hearing loss or tinnitus after leisure or work activities, be sure to schedule quiet time following such activities to allow your ears to recover fully.
• Avoid buying children's toys that produce excessively high sound levels. Remember, children may hold toys closer to their ears than adults.

BE AWARE - Know the Early Signs of Hearing Loss

• Difficulty when trying to follow a conversation in the midst of background sounds. For example, at a social gathering or in a cafeteria etc.
• The perception that people around you are mumbling
• Hearing a ringing, buzzing, roaring, or rushing sound in your ear when there is nothing making these sounds - this condition is called tinnitus

Adapted from Health Canada