Good hearing health is important to an overall sense of well-being. It impacts the quality of life, communication abilities with friends and loved ones, and connectedness to a world filled with sound. Here are a few tips on ways to protect your hearing health.

Hearing Tests and Ear Examinations
A periodic hearing test by a licensed audiologist or physician is the best way to monitor personal hearing health. If you are exposed to high levels of sound on a daily basis (e.g., in your work or recreation), you should schedule a hearing test at least once a year. A hearing health professional can help identify changes in hearing ability and provide consultation and recommendations*. 

New Teen Hearing Conservation Campaign

Pure Tone Threshold Tests
The traditional hearing test that takes place in a quiet booth and introduces the listener to a series of individual tones at varying frequencies and volumes. This standard test typically measures hearing ability from the 250 to 8000 hertz (Hz) frequency range.

Hearing In Noise Test (HINT) – A functional hearing test, developed in recent years through research at the House Ear Institute, which assesses speech perception thresholds in quiet and noise to accurately measure how well an individual hears in practical, real-world listening situations. The test is currently offered in a variety of languages for domestic and international clinical use.   

Speech Audiometry –
Commonly used to assess a person’s abilities to hear and understand the spoken word under quiet conditions.

Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) –
This test measures the functionality of the outer hair cells and is sensitive in the detection of subtle damage to the inner ear.

Other specialized tests are available to assess issues, such as middle ear function, auditory brainstem response, and hearing loss in infants and children. e.g. House Ear Institute scientists developed the stacked Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) test, a highly accurate and cost efficient screening method for detecting the presence of small acoustic tumors. Our scientists also developed the ABaer™, an auditory brainstem response-based screening device for the detection of hearing loss in newborns and infants.

The Sound Partners™ Hearing Conservation Program is the House Ear Institute’s public outreach service that educates people about the permanent hearing health risks associated with excessive sound exposure, practical prevention methods and healthy hearing habits. In addition to periodic hearing tests, Sound Partners offers the following tips to the listening public:
 

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a leading cause of permanent sensorineural hearing loss, yet it can be prevented with proper education and listening habits. 

 When a person is exposed to excessive sound levels, sensitive structures of the inner ear can be damaged, resulting in permanent hearing loss. These structures can be injured by exposure to a brief but intense sound, such as an explosion, as well as from repeated exposure to excessive sound levels over time.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) exposure guidelines are based on maximum daily safe exposure amounts measured as time-weighted averages (TWAs) over 40 years.

Limit your exposure to sounds that exceed 85 decibels (dB).

Examples of common sounds that regularly exceed 85dB, and therefore can pose a hearing loss risk with too much exposure, include:

Practical rule of thumb
If you must raise your voice to be heard, you are in a potentially hazardous environment for your hearing. 

Use hearing protection devices (HPDs)
When excessive exposure is unavoidable, wear hearing protection! Disposable foam earplugs are good for recreational use and inexpensively available at most drugstores. Custom-molded earplugs, available through an audiologist, offer “flat” attenuation and are ideal for musicians and others who use earplugs frequently and prefer equal decibel reduction across the frequency spectrum. Earmuffs with a solid shell and acoustic seal are another good option. 

Take 15-minute "quiet" breaks
Like the rest of the human body, ears are subject to fatigue. When you’re exposed to noisy environments for extended periods of time, it can be helpful to periodically retreat to a quiet location for 15 to 20 minute stretches.

Footnote
*Some types of hearing loss may be signs of a serious medical condition. If you notice a sudden change in your hearing or an onset of asymmetrical or unilateral hearing loss (hearing loss in one ear), you should have an evaluation by an ear specialist – an otolaryngologist (ENT), otologist or neurotologist.