Nearly half of young adults have reported some form of hearing issues, according to new research.
From loud music at concerts to blasting tunes through your headphones, our ears go through a lot.
In fact, the hearing health of young adults is getting impacted as a result of regular gig attendance and loud mobile sound settings.
The news follows a survey by Specsavers, of 2,151 Brits, which revealed that a fifth (20%) of those between 18-44 have said that their symptoms had affected their life at some point.
One in eight (12%) young adults attend gigs or concerts at least once every three months.
Half (50%) admit to having had a ‘noise alert’ on their phone for listening to their music at a dangerous level, and despite the warning, over two in five (42%) admit to ignoring the warning.
To help you start protecting your hearing health, here are three key ways that you can reduce the risk of hearing-loss in the future from Specsavers chief audiologist Gordon Harrison.
How to protect your hearing
The 60/60 rule for headphones
“Headphones are useful, not just for music, but for taking calls, listening to podcasts and more," according to Gordon.
The expert added: "However, most phones these days have an alert that tells you when you’ve been listening to your music too loudly for a certain amount of time.
"In the study, we found out that over two in five choose to ignore the warning and click ‘close’ rather than turning the volume down to an appropriate level.
"Listening to your music through your headphones loudly can damage your hair cells in your inner ear. These hair cells recognise sounds and transfer those sounds to your brain.
"Over time, this could do some serious damage to your overall hearing.
"The general rule of thumb is to only use headphones for up to 60 minutes a day, while at a volume of up to 60%.”
Limit loud noises - not just through headphones
The audiologist urged those who are out at a particularly loud event, such as a concert, that they should note where the speakers are when they enter the venue and stand as far away as they can.
Gordon continued: "It might sound obvious, but music is not the only source of loud noise.
"Places such as sporting events and cinemas are loud, or even watching films in your own front living room at a high volume, especially if you're using a sound bar."
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Live gigs? Try hearing protection
“It might seem silly to go to an event that you’ve paid for, and block some of the sounds you are there to hear, but that isn’t what hearing protection does," according to the hearing expert.
Gordon went on to say that you will still be able to listen to the concert but you will also be "protecting the auditory system from damage to the hair cells when listening to extreme basses or drum noises".
He concluded: "By wearing hearing protection, not only are you reducing the risk of hearing damage for the future, but you’re also preventing that ringing sound in your ears that can occur after being exposed to loud noise.”
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