“Turn it down!” This phrase is most likely familiar to you. When your mother told you to turn down your stereo, or video game, you probably thought she was just being a nag. Little did you know that she was ahead of her time, and (as this is usually the case with mothers) she was right! Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) is a very serious and increasingly common cause of concern in healthcare today, and it is drastically changing the face of hearing loss in our society.
Did you know that simply blow drying your hair on a daily basis can cause mild hearing damage? Add to that the music you listen to (especially if it’s a really good song), the screeching of ambulance sirens whizzing by, the sounds of planes taking off and landing, the drilling at a construction site, and a car horn honking, and you’ve got yourself an average day in the city, and a recipe for disaster. Sound pressure is measured in decibels (dB), with 0dB being the quietest sound audible by the human ear, and anything measuring above 85dB is damaging to your hearing. Something as benign as a hair dryer operates at 90dB, and the damage of prolonged exposure is permanent.
When the microscopic hair cells (stereocilia) found inside your ear are damaged or broken, they lose their ability to carry mechanical vibrations to the auditory nerve. Loud impact noise, like an explosion, or routine exposure to noise above 85dB can harm these stereocilia and produce irreversible damage to your hearing. A clap of thunder, a bulldozer idling, and very commonly just the volume of the television or radio over time; these every day occurrences are causing hearing loss in our community in people that are younger, and would otherwise have perfectly healthy hearing ability.
Noise is defined as excess or unwanted sound. This occupational or recreational hazard is almost entirely preventable with the use of earplugs, sound barrier walls, and volume controls. The loss of hearing over time is often painless and gradual. Some people may experience a ringing in their ears, known as tinnitus, but many will lose hearing slowly and unnoticeably with very few warning signs. One very clear sign of damage is the feeling that you’re “used to” the noise. Just because the noise in your environment doesn’t make you flinch, or hurt your ears, doesn’t mean you have built up a tolerance for it. In fact, it means just the opposite. You have probably already lost some percentage of your hearing. It is recommended that you have your hearing checked annually if you are routinely exposed to noise. An audiologist can conduct a simple, painless hearing evaluation to determine the level of loss. Go see your audiologist right away with any signs or symptoms of hearing loss, and do yourself a favor…turn it down!