Our ears are like every good date; sensitive, eager to listen and they don’t talk about themselves. But in our busy, noisy lives, it can be easy to forget to take care of them properly.
Our ears are only built to take a certain level of noise on a regular basis – about 85 dBA, or decibels adjusted. This is about the same amount of noise as busy city traffic. We can tolerate this noise for about eight hours before becoming irritated – and potentially suffering long-term hearing loss.
The more our sensitive ears are exposed to higher decibels, the less time they should be exposed to the noise. A typical hairdryer, for example, reaches 95 decibels when in the high setting. The longer we are exposed to a high volume of noise, the more damage we potentially cause to our ears.
Luckily, there are steps you can take to prevent early hearing loss. Reduce the amount of time exposed listening to loud noises, and if this is necessary, use protection for your ears. Keep the stereo volume to a reasonable level and reduce time spent in loud places like bars or noisy sporting events. When you’re headed to a concert, wear earplugs – they come in cool colours and you’ll even be able to hear more of the music rather than just bass.
Decibel Exposure
180 – death of hearing tissue
140 – jet plane (from 100 feet)
125 – jack hammer
115 – leaf blower, rock concert
100 – motorcycle
95 – subway train, hair dryer
85 – busy city traffic (inside a car)
80 – telephone dial tone
60-70 – typical speech
30 – whisper
0 – softest sound you can hear
