Acoustic interference is an unavoidable aspect of modern life. Our environment—from commute sounds and lawnmowers to music via earbuds—is increasingly loud. Such loud conditions can compromise your hearing if you fail to be cautious. October is National Protect Your Hearing Month, making it the perfect time to focus on how to protect this vital sense.

How to safeguard your hearing: 8 key methods

Luckily, some simple measures exist that allow you to defend your hearing from common environmental sounds. We present eight crucial guidelines to ensure auditory protection.

1. Become familiar with noise levels and their affect

Being aware of how loud is too loud is the primary step in preventing hearing damage. Different sounds produce varying decibel (dB) levels, and extended exposure can lead to permanent hearing loss. A fast summary is below:

• 85–90 dB: Lawn mowers, heavy traffic – Safe for up to 2 hours of exposure.
• 100 dB: Motorcycles, construction machinery – Hearing damage can occur in as little as 15 minutes.
• Noises exceeding 110 dB (e.g., explosions, fireworks) can lead to immediate damage in just seconds.

By being proactive about how loud your surroundings are, you can effectively stay away from settings that are harmful to your auditory health.

2. Measure sound levels yourself

Are you interested in discovering the true loudness of your environment? Your smartphone offers an simple way to measure it. You can download various complimentary sound meter applications to evaluate the noise in your vicinity. To get accurate results, measure from the distance you usually are from the sound source.

Using this feature regularly can help you better understand your environment and make informed decisions about protecting your hearing.

3. Keep the volume down on your devices

Regularly playing music or podcasts too loudly is a leading contributor to progressive hearing damage. Despite their practicality, headphones and earbuds often conceal certain risks. For example, many headphones can surpass 100 dB, resulting in hearing loss in just 15 minutes.

Today, over a billion young people are at risk of hearing loss from using earbuds at high volumes. To protect your ears, never turn your earbuds above 50% of their maximum volume. If you find yourself turning the volume up just to be able to hear, it likely means some degree of hearing loss has already occurred.

4. Avoid using music to drown out background noise

For those who live in loud areas or work in noisy settings, the urge to use headphones to overpower the ambient sound can be strong. It is in fact harmful to increase the volume excessively just to override external noise. A better alternative is to use noise-canceling headphones, as they let you listen to music or podcasts at a significantly lower and safer volume. If you don’t have noise-canceling headphones, earplugs can be an effective alternative.

5. When in loud environments, use earplugs

Whether you are at a concert, a sports event, or operating loud machinery, earplugs are crucial for those routinely exposed to loud environments. They are a very effective yet simple hearing protection strategy, being compact, inexpensive, and portable.

Individuals who use earplugs often can get custom-fitted ones, which give superior protection and comfort compared to standard types. In any loud setting, don’t be reluctant to use them.

6. While at work, follow safety guidelines

If your job requires being around loud equipment or machinery, always adhere to safety protocols regarding hearing protection. Some workplaces may downplay the risks, but those who claim “it’s not that loud” may already have considerable hearing loss and don’t realize the current noise levels. Take essential steps to protect yourself by observing all guidelines and wearing the designated protective equipment.

7. Move further away from loud noise

Sometimes the best way to protect your ears is simply to increase the space from the noise source. By increasing distance, the sound intensity reaching your ears is lessened, which helps reduce damage. To illustrate, moving 20 feet back from a 110 dB sound source can lower the level to about 100 dB, which is safe for 15 minutes of exposure.

Consider fireworks as a perfect illustration. A firework exploding at 150 dB may seem far away, but if you’re near the launch site, the noise can still go beyond 120 dB, causing instant damage. In contrast, by seating yourself 2,000 feet away (approximately five football fields), you can experience the show at a safer level, under 100 dB.

8. Address existing hearing loss promptly

Should you already be dealing with hearing loss, it is imperative that you take action so it doesn’t get worse. This kind of impairment will not disappear; it only gets worse. Nearly 1 in 10 adults between the ages of 55 and 64 has significant hearing loss, and those numbers rise sharply in older age.

Failing to address the first warning signs of auditory loss will only hasten its advancement. On average, people wait 7 years too long to get treatment. By consulting a hearing specialist sooner and exploring treatments such as hearing aids, you significantly improve the potential for retaining your existing hearing.

Start protecting your hearing now

National Protect Your Hearing Month is an ideal reminder to focus on your hearing health. These simple actions can have a major impact, regardless of whether you’re seeking to avert future harm or you’ve already suffered some hearing loss.

To avoid future regret, set up a hearing test today and take responsibility for your auditory health.