When Music Becomes Noise

The world cup fever is here and we see plenty of Vuvuzuela horns making a blast. When the Royal National Institute for Deaf People have issued a warning on temporary or permanent hearing loss using these plastic horns, one can only wonder just how much damage can your ears take from all those merry-making.

Our modern-day living is full of industrial noise that our ancestors haven’t heard in their lifetime. With the dawn of the digital age comes new ways of entertainment that poses harm to our ear health, if we ignore the warnings and continue listening to loud noises. To prevent damage to your hearing, you need to be aware just how much is enough.

What Causes Hearing Loss?

1. Loud Noise

This is the No. 1 cause of temporary or permanent hearing loss – from motorcycles, loud music, and even to lawn mowers. If you’re exposed daily to these, you are at higher risk.

2. Aging

Your body suffers wear-and-tear under time and your inner ear’s nerve cells are not immune to damage. This is why older people have hard time hearing.

3. Ear Wax

Or any object lodge in your ear can cause hearing loss. The good news is that a trip to your ENT specialist can help.

4. Antibiotics

Or any other medication that are high in mercury, tin, lead, or arsenic – can damage your hearing.

5. Injury, Infection, or Disease

Whether you sustained an ear or head injury, or you’ve gotten an ear infection – these can affect your hearing. Also, you may suffer hearing loss if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, or rheumatoid arthritis.

How to Protect Your Hearing

1. Avoid Loud Music ( no matter how you like to dance to the beat ).

2. Get an ear plug or other protection when you are exposed to hear-damaging tasks like lawn mowing, wood working, shooting, or doing construction work.

3. Don’t over-clean your ears. Stick cotton buds carefully into your ears if you’ll clean it.

4. Visit your doctor if you’re having hearing problems more than a day. Your ear may require professional cleaning.

Know that when your hearing is damaged by noise, you may regret it for life. Hearing aids can only increase the volume of sound as it enters your ears and these gadgets are pretty expensive. If you love your hearing and you don’t want to lose it, you have to take care of it. Your Hearing are Your Ears to the World!

Noise Induced Hearing Loss