Hearing Health Tips
Extremely loud noises can cause permanent damage to the tiny hair cells inside the cochlea. Even moderately loud noise over a period of time can be damaging. But just how loud is loud? Studies show that prolonged exposure to sounds at or above 90dB can damage hearing. Protect your hearing and wear earplugs when exposed to loud noise.
The chart to the right graphically illustrates some common noises and their respective dB  levels.
- Protect your hearing whenever your surroundings are so loud you must raise your voice to be heard. It doesn't matter what the source of the loud sounds are - music (radios, live music, and headphones), machinery, conversation (bar or restaurant). If it's too loud for you to hear yourself, the sound is potentially damaging to your hearing. If you can't avoid the situation, wear ear plugs.
- Mention any ringing or buzzing in your ears or in your head to your doctor.
- Ears are self-cleaning. Normal bathing is all most people have to do to keep their ears clean and healthy.
- Ear wax does not need to be "cleaned out". It is there to protect the lining of the ear canal.
- Never use a Q-tip to clean the ear canal. The old adage about never putting anything in your ear sharper than your elbow is still true.
- Any sudden change in hearing should be reported to your doctor.
See the links at the top of this page for more hearing health information. |
