Hearing protection
The inner part of your ear is full of fluid and roughly 16000 tiny sensory hair cells. Exposure to loud noise can cause these cells to become flattened, affecting your ability to hear clearly. Many people do not realise that once your hearing has been damaged by loud noise, it usually cannot be restored.
The good news is, wearing good quality hearing protection can prevent noise induced hearing loss in the future. It is also important to have a routine hearing test at least every two years so that any changes in your hearing can be picked up early and monitored proactively.
So, what level of noise is potentially damaging and how much is too much?
Exposure to sounds above 85 decibels are generally accepted to be damaging. For reference, a noisy nightclub would be roughly 120 decibels, and a lawnmower would be approximately 95 decibels. The rule of thumb is, if you need to raise your voice to be heard above the noise it is likely to be at a dangerous level. Just one short episode of exposure to loud noise is enough to cause damage but repeated or prolonged exposure increases the risk.
Which noisy activities require hearing protection?
Wearing hearing protection is recommended for the following situations:
At work
This could be anything from construction work to factory work with noisy machinery to staff working in loud music settings. In many workplaces it is required by law to ensure effective hearing protection for employees.
Music
Whether working as a musician at rock gigs or attending a pop concert, they are fun activities but can be noisy!
Hobbies
Motorsports and shooting are two examples of leisure pursuits involving loud noises. Proper hearing protection is essential.
Wearing hearing protection is recommended for the following situations:
Swimming, surfing or diving
Repeated immersion in water during these activities can cause a common infection called swimmer’s ear (Otitis Externa). Repeated diving can also cause barotrauma to your eardrums (pressure trauma).
Sleeping
Intrusive noises such as snoring or car alarms or busy roads can interrupt sleep.
Do I need to protect my ears from anything else?
Types of hearing protection
Our practice provides two main types of hearing protection:
Off the shelf hearing protection plugs which do not require a mould of your ear to be taken
Custom-made hearing protection plugs made to the individual shape of your ear and involve taking impressions of your ears using a soft putty
Both off the shelf and custom-made plugs come with a wide range of different filters for different uses such as music, work, shooting and hunting and sleep. Custom-made plugs are best for use in water as they create a better seal in your ear.
We keep a range of off the shelf plugs in clinic and they can be purchased on the day of your appointment. Custom made hearing protection plugs are ordered from one of our suppliers and the lead time varies depending on the type of product you choose.
Hearing Protection Consultation
We offer a hearing protection consultation which costs £30.
This involves taking a history of the health of your ears, detailed discussion of your noise protection needs and preferences and examination using video otoscopy. This is a diagnostic procedure involving a small video camera on an otoscope inserted into your ear to enable a closer and more accurate look at the ear canal and ear drum. You can view the images of your ear on a large screen if you would like to.
We may also complete a hearing test and other diagnostic tests depending on your needs.
The assessments allow us to advise on what type of hearing protection will bring you the most benefit based on your situation. We consider that you may not want to block all sounds out, a baby crying for example or a phone ringing. Every patient has a unique requirement, and we advise accordingly. The consultation includes impression taking if we decide on custom made protection.
