hearing advice for the modern age

 
 
In an ideal world more of us would make an effort to guarantee out hearing is well looked after

It is a common misconception that hearing harm is predominately only suffered by those mortals who savour clubbing and going to discos at weekends. In Reality permanant hearing impairment can also be induced by listening to the car radio set for long periods of time at a high volume and also by the noise produced by a gasoline lawn mower.

 Can you imagine driving your motorcar and not hearing a siren until it is right next to you?  Or not being able ot hear when your child is crying out in pain.  A life-time without correct hearing can be problematic and sometimes hazardous.  

One of the major causes of hearing loss is attributed to listening to loud music for prolonged periods of time. Please understand there is nothing at all wrong with taking pleasure in listening to your favored pop band on your Ipod or mp3 player all the same it is highly advisable that precaution is taken to make sure the sound level is not too painful and also the that you do not spend too much time actually listening to the music at higher sound levels Exposure to overly loud sounds for an long-term period of time can cause irreversible nerve damage to the inner auricle.  The longer the exposure to loud sounds, the more apt there is to be a chance of hearing departure.

OSHA standards state that, to the unprotected ear, sustained exposure to noise over 85 decibels will cause gradual hearing loss in the majority of people.  The louder the noise, the faster this damage occurs.  To illustrate this further, the tolerated exposure time goes down by one-half for every 5 decibels over the average limit of 85 decibels.

Protecting the ear is essential to preventing sensorineural harm, more usually known as nerve damage.  Nerve impairment can be a meticulous hidden perpetrator when it comes to hearing loss.  The damage may be gentle and is often smooth.  Usually, by the time a person notices their hearing loss problem it is too late to counterbalance it.

Keep Abreast for the signals and be sensible that they can be avoided with proper protection.  If you detect any of the symptoms below, get hold of a health care professional person specializing in hearing to have your hearing tested.
Look for:
Ÿ finding it tricky to understand speech; if you find you can hear some words but not make out all of them
Ÿ tinnitus (a ringing or buzzing in the ears right after being exposed to loud noises
Ÿ sounds being muffled and difficult to hear after departing a loud area

For some reason it is now acceptable and quite rightly, that when riding a motorcyle or even a bicycle that we have to wear a helment. Also if you enjoy siwmming, it is now the norm to also wear a pair of swimming googles for protection from the chemicals within the water. However this is not the case when going to a pop concert or even when engaging in some sport, such as shooting, to have to wear ear protectors.  I am hoping as public awareness increases of the impact of this, so will the take up of good hearing products.

Cutom ear plugs although costing a bit more are well worth the investment for anyone looking to buy something as a long term solution. These can cost anything up to £400 but depending on what you want to buy them for they are well worh the money.

Ear protection needs to be an everyday occurrence when you are going to be exposed to higher and louder than normal noise levels.  There are many types of hearing protection specifically designed for different circumstances.  Consult your audiologist to discover the best protection for you.
 
Hearing protection is vital to maintaining proper communication and personal safety.  Can you think driving your motorcar and not hearing a siren until it is right next to you?  Or not hearing your child shout out in pain?  A life without proper hearing can be awkward and sometimes dangerous.  Not to observe how the regular mortal will assume a person is less than sound before they will realize the problem lies with a hearing loss.

One of the major causes of hearing loss is attributed to listening to loud music for prolonged periods of time. There is nothing wrong with wnjoying your favourite rock band at high sound levels but in the long run it is advisible to try and listen to such sounds for small time periods.  Exposure to overly loud sounds for an long-term period of time can cause permanent nerve damage to the inner auricle.  The longer the exposure to loud sounds, the more apt there is to be a opportunity of hearing loss.

OSHA standards state that, to the unprotected ear, sustained exposure to noise over 85 decibels will cause gradual hearing loss in the majority of people.  The louder the noise, the faster this damage occurs.  To exemplify this further, the permitted exposure time goes down by one-half for each 5 decibels over the regular limit of 85 decibels.

Protecting the ear is fundamental to preventing sensorineural damage, more usually known as nerve damage.  Nerve impairment can be a punctilious hidden perpetrator when it comes to hearing loss.  The damage may be gentle and is often pain-free.  Usually, by the time a person notices their hearing loss problem it is too late to counterbalance it.

Lookout for the signals and be alert that they can be avoided with proper protection.  If you detect any of the symptoms below, get hold of a health care professional specializing in hearing to have your hearing tested.

Look for:
Ÿ finding it difficult to understand language; if you find you can hear some words but not make out all of them
Ÿ tinnitus (a ringing or buzzing in the ears right after being exposed to loud noises
Ÿ sounds being muffled and difficult to hear after departing a loud area

Hearing protection is just as important as wearing sports safety equipment.  Sure, you could play football without a helmet or padding, but your chances of getting hurt would certainly increase.  It makes common sense to wear the proper football gear just as wearing a bicycle safety helmet is now accepted because it has become a proven method of protection.  As we progress in our knowledge and technology, we have the ability to make the world as safer and more enjoyable environment.

Ear protection needs to be an everyday occurrence when you are going to be exposed to higher and louder than normal noise levels.  There are many types of hearing protection specifically designed for different circumstances.  Consult your audiologist to discover the best protection for you.
 
Ear security information and resources

Good ear and hearing protection should not be taken light heartedly. Although it is generally preceived that hearing aids can be used to help substitute hearing loss, it is important to take note that once permanant hearing damage has been made, it cannot really be cured.

Good ear maintenance is something that individuals of all ages should be made to apply. The most frustrating part is, it is not that awkward to actually do! All you truly need to do is make sure you make an effort when listening to music, to do so sensibly by having the sound level set to an acceptable level and only to listen to the music for reasonable time periods of time. Likewise if you work within an environment where you are subjugated to loud sounds, it is really your employers obligation to make sure that they provide sufficient hearing protection for you at work. This is actually a legal requirement and therefore not open to negotiation.For professional instrumentalists and individuals who happen to work within recording studios, it does not have to be  a trade off between being able to listen to satisfactory quality sounds and spike protection, as there are quite a few sophisticated products on the market nowadays that will allow you to hear the true sounds being performed without compromising the performance. Actually if you observe many rock ( if not all ) bands, they actually make use of custom made ear plugs. Although more expensive than your conventional earplugs they do obviously provide a lot more better sound exposure and at the same time, actually look after your ears.

Nonetheless for the majority of us we can actually make use with an off the shelf pair of earplugs that can be purchased from your local pharmacist, or even market stall. Ear protection can actually be done for relatively inexpensive and even free by making use of cotton wool buds or even still by stop listening to the music or switching off the equipment!

One of the important senses is hearing, without the sense of listening, communication may be restrained or impaired. You won’t be able to value the beauty of music or watch a great movie because you won’t be able to hear anything.

Trying to detect what is considered a endurable period of time or sound level off course has to be noted. For example it maybe that the type of music you like to listen to can be endured for lengthier periods of time than others. Also as the sound level is calculated in decibels (DB), this is a very important, as it is a tool used to assertian the danger of any particular sound or noise.  Actually there are many on-line guides that can help you picture the type of sound tolerance you can be exposed to. For example I was somewhat surprised to learn that even the ordinary piano should not be played for long periods of time as this can also effect your hearing.

Likewise, if you take part in sports, such as diving, shooting or motor racing, it is essential to also make use of ear protection products, which will either be a pair of ear plugs or ear muffs. For bathers it is not uncommon to actually contract swimmers ear. A kind of sensitive and irritating condition that luckily can easily be healed. All The Same prevention is always better and thus it is recommended to wear a pair of airtight earplugs. The only ones that I really know that fit this bill are the those made out of silicone. These come in 2 formats, one is premolded and the other is like a 'blob' of silicone polymer putty that can be worked to the shape of your ear canal. Luckily these are cheap and can be purchased from most shops or even on-line these days.

You can also make use of these ear plugs for shooting although in my experience, shooters actually favour a custom made solution.It is very important to take good care of your ears because when hearing loss is caused by prolonged and frequent exposure to noise, it is already irreversible. This means that you can’t get your hearing back.
Good thing, there are ways on how to protect the spikes of motorcyclists and that would be through motorcycle ear plugs. If you would be checking out stores, you would see various designs of these plugs and there are actually a lot of these plugs made especially for motorcyclists.

Thankfully with the advent of new technology, we all can take advantage of devices to help protect our hearing at affortable prices For example today you can buy ear plugs that will help reduce the back ground sound levels without blocking out the key sounds. These type of earplugs are in general custom made and quite pricey however they offer the best fitting and last a very long time. They are ideal for both musicians and anyone searching for a sleeping aid due to the optimal comfort they offer. To order a pair you will need to have a mold taken of your ear although this is neither painful or time consuming and would normally be carried out by a hearing specialist.

For a more comprehensive range the easiest thing to do is go online. You shuld be able to pick up earplugs for much cheaper online as the competition is greater as well as the administration required to run an online business tends to be less that runnning a high street store. Also buying online is actually quite safe as most payment providers offer some form of protection for a given period of time. A good buying tip would be to buy any items online on a credit card as many credit card companies offer extended protection.
 
Listening Protection Need Not Be Expensive

There are numerous distinct offices where listening protection is powerfully advised or imposed.  Choosing the proper protection is not only the smart choice but should also be an streamlined one.  A prudent shopper is an educated shopper.

If you understand the different typesof hearing loss, this will help you choose the correct protuct for your needs.  There are two categories of hearing loss.  Conductive hearing is when something interferes with air passage into the ear.  It can often be corrected.  The condition is caused by impacted earwax, a perforated tympanum, liquid collecting in the inner ear, etc.  Sensorineural damage is what we most associate with hearing loss from exposure to loud disturbances.  Sensorineural harm to the nerves of the inner ear for good impedes auditory signals from reaching the mind along the nerve pathways of the ear.

Low-cost ear plugs may not always be the best long-term term resolution for your demands.   The most readily available kinds of noise protection devices are ear plugs and ear muffs.  Knowing that, you must then decide which ones are best suited for your situation.

Ear protection must be worn correctly to be effective.  Ask yourself a few questions.  Do you wear spectacles?  Do you have facial hair?  Will you be wearing eye protection goggles, a hard hat or a gasmask?  Will the noise around you be around-the-clock or intermittent?  Consider these things when taking the correct protection.

Ear plugs are worn in the ear and can be useful in hot climates or when ear muffs might not fit comfortably over glasses or facial hair.  They can be handily transported in a pocket.  Single-use stylus ear plugs are useful and economical when standard changes are demanded.  As the ear plugs are available with or without a cord, this gives the buyer the option to really tailor make their purchase. Seperate ear plug are ideal when swimming or cycling..  Corded or banded ear plugs with economical replaceable plugs are very handy when dealing with intermittent loud noise levels.  They can be easily and quickly be took out and reinserted.

For full noise immobilizing, ear muffs are the well-founded choice during intermittent extreme noise conditions.  They work well in cold climates, are easy to take off and put on, are more durable and offer more complete protection than ear plugs, and some can even be attached to hard hats.

How much noise the wearer will be exposed to?  Measured in decibels, this should be compared to the NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) on the ear protection device.  It is recommended that the NRR number be 25 or more.  Select the correct device for it's use because the NRR number is only effective if the device is worn properly.

Careful choosing of the right ear protection not only provides optimum hearing protection, it is also the most economical choice.  Using your knowledge of which devices are needed prevents the unnecessary expense of having to purchase supplementary kinds of protection.
 
Now before you hit the 'x' in the browser window, it may help if I actually explain what lead me to creating such a site!

I am Deepika Tawari from Iowa, USA. An audiologist by profession I am keen to share my knowledge to help others learn about good hearing care.


Although some may find this a bit of a boring subject, I have a busy day job and so am sure others will benefit from my advise :)