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Baby boomers listen up! Your hearing loss may have nothing to do with your age! Everyday noises could be affecting your hearing.
Plug in your earphones and off you go. Some people even listen music while mowing the lawn.
Andy Vermiglio used to love loud music and noise. He has played in rock bands and marching bands. Years of being a drummer gave Andy high frequency hearing loss.
Dr. Jennifer Derebery with the House Ear Institute says hearing loss that usually occurs in half of Americans over age 80 is now showing up in people age 40 and younger.
House Ear Institute research confirms the longer you're exposed to sounds like jet engines and rock concerts, which are 85 decibels or louder, the more likely you'll be damaging the sensitive hair cells in your ear.
Even holding a conversation at a loud party could be damaging.
How loud is too loud?
"In general, if you have to raise your voice to be heard, the environment may be too loud for your ears," said researcher Sig Soli, Ph.D., House Ear Institute. "And the louder the sound, the less time it takes before your hearing will be affected.
One warning sign of hearing loss damage is when your ears feel full or blocked. This means loud sounds have swollen your ear nerves.
These days Andy is considering getting a hearing aid. To prevent more hearing loss he carries a pair of earplugs just in case he needs them. He and experts recommend getting custom plugs that can uniformly cut down 15 decibels of sounds.
"You can reduce your risk for permanent noise-related hearing loss by avoiding noisy settings, wearing earplugs, or taking 15-minute quiet breaks every few hours," said research audiologist Rachel Cruz, M.A., CCC-A, FAAA, House Ear Institute.
From ABC7
Plug in your earphones and off you go. Some people even listen music while mowing the lawn.
Andy Vermiglio used to love loud music and noise. He has played in rock bands and marching bands. Years of being a drummer gave Andy high frequency hearing loss.
Dr. Jennifer Derebery with the House Ear Institute says hearing loss that usually occurs in half of Americans over age 80 is now showing up in people age 40 and younger.
House Ear Institute research confirms the longer you're exposed to sounds like jet engines and rock concerts, which are 85 decibels or louder, the more likely you'll be damaging the sensitive hair cells in your ear.
Even holding a conversation at a loud party could be damaging.
How loud is too loud?
"In general, if you have to raise your voice to be heard, the environment may be too loud for your ears," said researcher Sig Soli, Ph.D., House Ear Institute. "And the louder the sound, the less time it takes before your hearing will be affected.
One warning sign of hearing loss damage is when your ears feel full or blocked. This means loud sounds have swollen your ear nerves.
These days Andy is considering getting a hearing aid. To prevent more hearing loss he carries a pair of earplugs just in case he needs them. He and experts recommend getting custom plugs that can uniformly cut down 15 decibels of sounds.
"You can reduce your risk for permanent noise-related hearing loss by avoiding noisy settings, wearing earplugs, or taking 15-minute quiet breaks every few hours," said research audiologist Rachel Cruz, M.A., CCC-A, FAAA, House Ear Institute.
From ABC7