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Loud sounds – like gas-powered lawn equipment and amplified music at concerts – are all around us. While we can’t always avoid exposure to them, taking precautions can help prevent hearing loss. Neurotologist and skull base surgeon Ravi Samy, MD, Chief, Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), shares his thoughts about protecting your hearing.
Sound intensity is measured in decibels (dB) and sounds at 70 dB or less are considered safe. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says researchers have found that people who are exposed over extended periods of time to noise levels of 85 dB or higher are at a much greater risk for hearing loss.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), repeated exposure to loud noise over the years affects how well you hear later in life and how quickly you develop hearing problems, even after exposure has stopped. The experts there tell us loud noise above 120 dB can cause immediate harm to your ears.
While we all can’t carry around decibel meters, there are numerous smartphone apps and smart watches out there to help check your surroundings. There are even apps that offer hearing tests.
You have thousands of hair cells in your inner ear in the fluid-filled, snail-shaped structure called the cochlea. The hair cells convert sound vibrations to electrical signals, which your auditory nerve carries to your brain.
When those hair cells are damaged and die because of loud noise over time, the result is irreversible hearing loss. There is no cure, but research is ongoing.
“Hearing loss is an important issue with far-reaching effects on a person’s quality of life.” - Ravi Samy, MD
Here are some examples of sounds you may encounter and their average dB levels.
Risking your hearing has to do with sound intensity, not loudness. Intensity is the amount of sound energy in a confined space, and it can get dangerous in a hurry. The CDC reports a sound at 20 dB is 10 times more intense than a sound at 10 dB, and the intensity of a sound at 100 dB is one billion times more powerful than 10 dB.
Federal agencies regulate noise levels on the job, but no such regulations apply at home. Using a loud vacuum for a brief time probably won’t be a problem, but using one every day for prolonged periods of time is a different story.
“Everyone likes to think it was one big thing that caused their hearing loss, but the reality is that it’s a lifestyle choice; it can be cumulative over time,” Dr. Samy says.
To protect your hearing, especially at a concert:
When choosing hearing protection, look for the noise reduction rating (NRR) on the label or product description. For concerts, choose protective ear plugs or earmuffs with a minimum NRR of 20 dB.
What doesn’t work to protect your hearing:
With more than 25 years of experience in the field, Dr. Samy advises using hearing protection when noise levels are above 70 dB. He’s also a proponent of annual hearing tests. “That 14-year-old who got a hearing test in school probably won’t get another hearing test until he’s 70,” he says. “More regular testing can help us intervene sooner. Prevention is better than the cure.”
The experts agree that hearing loss is an important issue with far-reaching effects on a person’s quality of life. Increased education about protection and more frequent testing can make a difference. If you do have hearing loss, Dr. Samy says there are options available to help.
“They include hearing aids and implantable hearing devices. At LVHN, we are fortunate to be performing robotic cochlear implantation. We are also investigating clinical trials for the treatment of genetic hearing loss. It’s a wonderful time to be alive.”
