Around 3.6 million Australians suffer from hearing loss. While age-related factors are the most common cause, more than one-third of Australians with hearing loss have noise-related ear damage, which is preventable.
It is therefore important to be aware of how to prevent hearing loss and the signs of hearing loss.
Signs of hearing loss include:
having trouble hearing in noisy places
finding it hard to hear conversations and understand what people say
having trouble understanding people unless they are facing you
often needing to ask people to repeat themselves
hearing sounds as muffled, as though people are mumbling
needing to have the television or radio up louder than other people
not hearing your phone or the doorbell ringing
hearing a constant buzzing or ringing in your ears
finding loud noises more uncomfortable than in the past
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, see your doctor. They might refer you to a hearing specialist (audiologist) to have a hearing test.
Since most types of hearing loss are permanent, it is important to take steps to prevent hearing loss. And if you already have some hearing loss, you can still do things to stop it getting worse.
The best way to protect your hearing is to limit your exposure to loud noises. You can do this by:
keeping the volume on your music, television and radio down — you should be able to easily talk to someone two metres away
wear earplugs at clubs, live music and other loud events, and give your hearing 18 hours to recover afterwards
wear earplugs or ear protection equipment, such as earmuffs, in noisy workplaces
limit your use of headphones or earphones to one hour at a time, then take a break
where possible, use headphones or earphones that block outside noise
don't listen to music at more than 60% of the maximum volume
If someone one metre away needs to shout for you to hear them, or if you can’t hear traffic sounds or people talking near you when listening to music with headphones, you are likely exposing yourself to dangerous noise levels.
You can learn more about hearing health, take a free hearing test or find out whether your lifestyle could be damaging your hearing health by completing the Noise Risk Calculator at https://knowyournoise.nal.gov.au/
References:
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/hearing-loss
https://www.hearing.com.au/
