Julie Raney is a certified and licensed audiologist. She has a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a Master’s Degree in Audiology from Idaho State University. She has worked as a clinical audiologist in Colorado since 2005. She specializes in hearing amplification for adults and delivers her services in both English and Sign Language.

Noise Pollution

A 2014 study found that noise pollution is on the rise, and millions of Americans are struggling with the negative effects of noise exposure. Noise pollution is defined as the excessive background noise or unpleasant sounds we hear every day that disrupt the natural balance of sounds. Noise pollution makes it difficult for us to concentrate on tasks at work or school, causes stress on our commute to the office, and even stops us from falling asleep easily and getting a good night’s rest. The negative effects of noise pollution include heart disease, irritability, moodiness, difficulty focusing, hearing loss, insomnia, and even dementia.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called noise pollution a major threat to health, and encourages people to take noise pollution very seriously, doing whatever they can to reduce noise pollution at home and at work.

Wearing Earbuds to Block out the Noise

Many of us choose to deal with noise pollution by wearing earbuds or headphones to play our own music rather than listening to the sounds around us. This might seem like a good idea in theory, but unfortunately it adds to the stress on your ears and your hearing, and could lead to hearing loss.

How do earbuds cause hearing loss? When we listen to our favorite music or podcasts in places with a lot of background noise, we’re forced to crank up the volume to make our music louder than the competing background din. We also wear our earbuds for far longer than ever before and spend hours of every day plugged in. These listening habits can cause tinnitus and permanent hearing loss!

Protecting Your Hearing

If you’re listening to music for hours every day, it’s important to learn safe listening practices. It’s recommended that you never turn up the volume on your music to anything higher than 60%. To keep your hearing sharp, give your ears a rest for a few minutes after every hour of listening, so that they won’t face damage from the constant barrage of sound. Educate your family as well, and make sure your children and teens are taking good care of their hearing health and listening responsibly.

Do you work on a noisy construction site, or in a factory? Make sure you’re always wearing hearing protection, and encourage others to do the same. If you have to yell to be heard by the person standing next to you, it’s too loud and you’re risking your hearing health.

Noise Cancelling Headphones

If you spend a lot of time plugged in, use music to deal with noise pollution, and are worried you could be damaging your hearing, you should consider investing in noise cancelling headphones. These devices emit anti-noise signals that combat the background noise around you, and create a quiet listening environment, so you’ll hear your music clearly without having to turn up the volume to unsafe levels.

Noise cancelling technology might soon find its way into your home and office. Researchers are working on technology that can measure the noise pollution in the environment, and send these signals to an earpiece, blocking those sounds before they can even reach your ear, and stopping noise pollution in your home or office.

Hearing Health at New Leaf Hearing Clinic

Do you have noise induced hearing loss from being exposed to so much noise pollution? Are you worried about how the noise around you is affecting your hearing health? Visit us today at New Leaf Hearing Clinic for a hearing test. Together we’ll discover your unique hearing profile, and see what sounds in the environment you’re missing. A pair of quality hearing devices will change the way you interact with the world around you, and give you a whole new lease on life.

Our hearing health specialists at New Leaf Hearing Clinic can also help you protect your hearing, and give you tips on how you can keep your hearing safe.