Tips for National 'Protect Your Hearing Month'

Victoria Gestner works with Midwest ENT Consultants, who are ear, nose and throat doctors with offices in various locations, including Plainfield. She wrote this in conjunction with the allergy experts at Midwest ENT Consultants.

October is about more than just football and Halloween. It’s also a month dedicated to educating yourself and your loved ones about hearing loss.

Designated as National Protect Your Hearing Month, October is the perfect time for individuals to make decisions that ensure long-term hearing health. Damage caused by noise-induced hearing loss is permanent. But it also is very preventable. The sooner you begin taking correct steps to protect your hearing, the less likely you are to experience difficulties later in life.

Audiologist Cameron Cowan of Midwest Hearing Consultants gives these five easy steps you can take now to help ensure that your hearing, and the hearing of your family, remains crisp and clear:

• Protect Your Ears: Noise on the job? Loud commute? Frequent concert-goer? Be sure to pop in a pair of ear plugs, such as foam plugs you can find at a local drug store. In extreme conditions, as in manufacturing or construction jobs, earmuffs are advised.
• Avoid Loud Sounds: Keep yourself away from loud sounds as much as possible. In situations where it’s unavoidable, ensure that you maintain as much distance between yourself and the sound source as possible.
• Take a Break: If you plan on being in a loud environment for a long period of time, be sure to give your ears a rest. Take 15-minute quiet breaks every hour to give your ears a break.
• Turn it Down: Watch the sound levels on your personal music players. Typically, keeping the volume at 50 percent or less of the device’s capabilities is safe for listening. Special earbuds can limit sound to 85 decibels.
• Schedule a Screening: Hearing screenings are a quick and painless way to determine if any hearing loss is developing. If your screening shows normal hearing, be sure to use hearing protection to prevent any future noise-induced hearing loss. If your screening reveals a potential hearing loss, follow up with a licensed audiologist for a complete audiological evaluation.

All of the audiologists at Midwest Hearing Consultants are at a Doctoral or Masters level, and are certified nationally by the American Speech, Hearing and Language Association (ASHA) and/or the American Academy of Audiology (AAA). Call 630-668-2180 x 7628 today to schedule an appointment.