Birds singing, waves crashing, your favourite music – these are sounds that some of us take for granted. Sadly, for the estimated nine million people in the UK who are deaf or hard of hearing, these are often sounds that they will never hear.
Ahead of World Hearing Day on 3rd March, we look at why protecting your hearing is a must. Noise pollution is defined as unwanted or excessive sound that can have harmful effects on human health and environmental quality. Everyone’s individual perception of noise is of course different, but noise pollution usually applies to noises and sounds which are unnatural in either their volume or production, or that are alien to their environment.
On a day-to-day basis, we are surrounded by a cacophony of noises. From our mobile phone ringing, music blaring from headphones, the sounds on our daily commute and loud neighbours, noise pollution is everywhere, and majority of the time it’s unwanted. This intrusive noise can be irritating and sustained over a long period of time can be detrimental to our health.

Harmful sound
There has been an abundance of research highlighting the links between excessive noise and heart disease, hearing loss, a spike in stress hormones and even insomnia. In terms of human hearing, any loud or unwanted sounds that our ears can’t filter can cause dam-age. This is why it is something that shouldn’t be ignored. Sound is measured in decibels (dB) and anything above 85bB is deemed harmful. This is why WHO recommend a limit of no more than 85 dB for eight hours a day. To put that into perspective, an everyday conversation is about 50dB while your daily alarm clock ringing reaches 60 dB. So 85dB is not as loud as you think. As awareness increases around noise pollution, so does the need for noise mitigation and protection.

Noise protection
Protecting your hearing is a must and something we should all focus on. Here are some useful tips on what you can do:

1. Avoid loud noises where possible. There are apps available that monitor noise pollution but make sure they are calibrated properly to get an accurate reading.
2. Take care when listening to music. Try turning the volume down or use noise-cancelling earphones so you can listen to music on a lower level. Also try not to use headphones for more than an hour at a time and take a break of at least five minutes every hour.
3. Protect your hearing during loud events or activities. Use ear defenders or ear plugs as much as possible. Move away from sources of loud noises. Try to take breaks every 15 minutes. Also give your hearing 18 hours to recover after the event.
4. Take precautions at work. Your employer is obliged to make changes to reduce your exposure to loud noise. These can include offering hearing protection, respite from the noise and quieter equipment. If you are concerned make sure to speak to your manager or HR team.
5. Finally, make sure to get your hearing tested. The earlier hearing loss is picked up, the earlier something can be done about it. If you work in a noisy environment, it might be worth having regular checks to keep on top of it.