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Too much noise can make you deaf. If you think this is a joke, ask the estimated 10 million Americans who had had this kind of hearing problem.
The kind of deafness problem they have is what is known as noise induced haring loss. This occurs when too much noise hurts the hair cells in the inner ear and it can result in permanent damage. If this should happen, you will have to use haring aids since there is no way to correct the problem.
You will know when you begin to have this hearing problem when you have a hard time hearing what someone is saying. You will probably have to move closer to that person and even tell them to repeat what they just said.
Two factors that cause deafness problems are time and the intensity. Time is the duration at which you were exposed to it while intensity is measured in decibels.
Almost everyone works a 9 to 5 job or something similar to that which is equivalent to 8 hours. If you happen to work in an environment with noise levels of up to 85 decibels or even more, you could lose your hearing and it is only a matter of time.
You don't become deaf only from working in a loud environment. Studies have shown that this can also happen if you are exposed to firearms, loud explosions, certain hardware equipment, going regularly to a rock concert, using an MP3 player, watching television or listening to the radio, riding a motorcycle or snowmobile, farm machinery and selected children's toys.
What is so astonishing about this deafness problem is that you don't feel any pain. It is only when you go somewhere that there is not that much noise that you will notice a "ringing" in your ears and might have a hard time hearing people. This does go away after a few hours or several days but if this happens regularly, this will become permanent.
Some of the early signs of noise induced hearing loss aside from having something repeated to you include the need to turn the volume higher and not being able to hear high pitched sounds. If you think you have this problem, it is best to have your ears checked by a trained professional.
Can this deafness problem be prevented? The answer is yes and this is done by using the proper safety equipment. Examples of these include canal caps, earplugs and earmuffs. You can buy this in the drugstore or from the hardware store.
You should make sure to keep this clean and in good condition at all times. If it is not as effective as it was before, be sure to replace it.
Now that you know that there is such a thing called noise induced hearing loss, you should take the necessary precautions so you don't lose your hearing. If you don't need to buy ear protection, don't stay too long in places that have loud sounds.
As an added precaution, have yourself checked annually by a certified audiologist especially if your job is a high risk for hearing loss. These jobs include construction, farming, firefighting, law enforcement and music. Your employer should provide free hearing protection but if they don't, you should get what is needed to avoid becoming deaf.
