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Have you ever thought about how you can better protect your ears? Once damaged, your auditory nerve and cilia (tiny hairs) aren't repairable, so protecting your hearing is vital.
Earplugs keep your ears safe from loud noises from concerts or car racing, but there is a range of other situations where you need hearing protection, and you might not even know it! Here are the 5 surprising times you'll need to wear hearing protection.
Not everything that can impact your ears has to be a loud noise; Water can do just as much damage.
Surfing, swimming, and other water sports can result in water entering your ear canal and getting stuck, causing irritation and potential infections. To keep water out of your ears, you'll need to invest in custom earplugs for swimming; Standard one-size-fits-all earplugs just won't cut it.
Another surprising situation where hearing protection is necessary is if you are a snow bunny. While skiing or participating in snow sports is very different from swimming and surfing, it still involves water; it's just in ice form! Earplugs will protect your ears from melting snow that may have flicked up as you're carving the slopes. Also, think about adding ear muffs or a long beanie to keep your ears warm and provide a double layer of protection from water.
Using power tools without protection can be extremely harmful to your hearing. Sustained exposure to loud and continuous noises can cause hearing damage over time, which is why many workplaces mandate hearing protection.
DIY doesn't exclude you from requiring hearing protection either. Prolonged exposure to noise above 85 dB(A) significantly damages hearing. A normal conversation sits at around 60dB, while using a chainsaw or nail gun is double that at 120dB! Even gardening tools like lawn mowers and leaf blowers can sit at about 95dB. It doesn't matter whether you're a weekend renovator or only get on the tools when you need to, don't risk your hearing!
Love going to the footy? You may not realise that the roar of the crowd can lead to hearing damage if you aren't careful. The sheer amount of noise can cause short-term hearing loss or potential long-term issues like permanent hearing loss and tinnitus.
Sustained loud noises aren't the only thing you should be conscious of. Sudden loud sounds can also harm your hearing; a good example is a fireworks display. The vibrations that come from the blast wave of fireworks can cause permanent damage to the delicate hair cells of the inner ear. Considering fireworks can be between 140-160dB, protecting your ears and your children's ears is essential.
There are many situations when you need hearing protection to keep your ears safe and working well! If you want to know more about protecting your hearing or other issues with your ears, contact us.
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