Long term preservation of hearing - recommendations?

[imokruok]

Hi everyone, long time member but infrequent poster with a question.

What can I do for myself to best preserve my hearing for the rest of my life? I'm 28 and increasingly dependent on music for entertainment and relaxation, and can't imagine being without it in my later years. Here's what I do to my ears, and it may be good or bad long term - I don't know.

1) Use a q-tip to clean earwax out of the outer canal after the morning shower. No chemicals; just dry q-tip on wet ear.
2) Listen to headphones less (sorry!!) and only jam things in my canals when I'm on a plane.
3) Bought a sub to go with my stereo so that I can get more bass without having to crank the volume on the speakers.

Any opinions? Thanks for your help.

 

[greydragon]

1. Listen to anything in low to moderate volumes--headphones or speakers.
2. Use these, to reduce db volume at concerts or in noisy environments. Or an ear plug to block out all unnecessary noise.
3. Drive with your windows up if possible. Mainstreet/freeway traffic is loud enough to cause hearing damage, especially with your windows down.

 

[Methos1979]

If you're 28, and suffering no loss or tinnitus yet then you're doing well. Keep them clean, don't abuse the volume with headphones or speakers. Depending upon whom you listen to damage can occur as low as 70 db but the more commonly accepted rate is 80-85 db. If you're concerned about what level you are listening at, get yourself an SPL meter and measure it. Damage occurs over time with prolonged exposure. Any loud noises like shooting guns, chainsaws, motorcycles, or any prolonged exposure to noise you should use hearing protection. Once damage occurs, it cannot be reversed in most cases.

You must understand that the your hearing will deteriorate some, and you will likely develop a little bit of tinnitus, just from the aging process. Much like everyone's eyesight deteriorates over time. There are a lucky few who don't but most will.

That said, unless you suffer some sort of illness or catastophic injury, you will always have your hearing and be able to enjoy music. At 46, I have a significant mid-range hearing loss from early childhood - cause unknown but possibly illness related - and I also have significant tinnitus. Both are annoying, sometimes more so than other times. The tinnitus is the result of abuse, rock concerts at a teen, an explosion in the military in my early 20's ramped it up farther, and playing drums in a rock band in my 30's ramped it up a little more. I wish I had protected my hear more back then.

All that said, I still listen to, and enjoy very much, music on headphones. IEM's tend to bother my ears I have found. More open air AE and OE headphones are better. I just listen to them at moderate volumes. These days I'm much less into loud rock and more into other more nuanced music.

Keep cleaning them daily as you're doing. Do an ear flush with a kit like Debrox or Murine every couple of months - unless your ears create a lot of wax, then do it more often - and protect you ears with plugs or other safety devices from industrial noise, like factory or construction work.

Last, have you ears checked regularly by an audiologist. That way you will know if any loss is occuring and you can take steps to identify the cause and eliminate it or protect against it.

Just the fact that you are concerned enough to be thinking about now bodes well that you will have good hearing, and enjoy this great hobby for the rest of your life.

M.

 

[Lpe_91]

Nice thread! I'm only sixteen, seventeen this year, and I have already started thinking about this, hearing and reading a lot of horror stories. My ears seem to be fine, I only hear a slight tinnitus when i am somewhere absolutely quiet, and I am happy I've grown mature enough to realize that i have to be careful with what I expose my ears to. A while ago, when I was sick my left ear began to behave strangely. I couldn't hear properly, it was like some kind of veil over it. If I was laying on my good ear watching TV, I couldn't almost hear the TV because my ear was so bad. But now, a couple of months after the illness my ears are fine, and I am really enjoying them, since this thing with my left ear got me worried.

Also, my mom has always been telling me "Don't play so loud on your headphones!" and when I was younger I just thought "Whatever, I'm not going to get hurt", but now I see that she was not just frightening me, she was telling me facts. I'm just glad I'm smart enough to realize.

 

[the_rangdo]

That will have just been fluid build-up behind the ear-drum. I had the same thing a couple of months ago. Quickest solution was to take a decongestant (in the UK we have Sudofed pills), went to the GP anyway and she confirmed I'd done the right thing.

Since reading all this I've become more aware of a whistling in my ears. I only ever noticed it when it was quiet but I've had flu recently so I'm hoping the increase is down to sinus pressures/congestion.

I reckon an element of it is the rock concert abuse when I was yoounger (used to go to about 30-40 shows a year back in the 80's) - I now use ear plugs at gigs, volume levels at home are moderate so hopefully things won't change much more.

 

[Lazarus Short]

1. chuck the 'phones, except 'stats

2. turn down the stereo, and pay attention to distortion levels

3. move to the country

4. don't have children

Laz

 

[imokruok]

Thanks for all of the great responses, guys. I'll probably pick up an entry-level SPL just so I have something to gauge the loudness.

Laz - your #4 is so true. I spent last week with my sister and her kids, and the noise they generate is incredible. (Pounding wood blocks on wood floors, screaming, bashing toys together...)

 

[ZepFloyd]

which SPL would someone recommend? i saw on radioshacks site they have one for about $60, prob not the best, but wouldnt something like that be good enough. the more i read about this stuff, i figure prob not a bad idea to pick one of these up just so i can gauge the levels

 

[greydragon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZepFloyd /img/forum/go_quote.gif which SPL would someone recommend? i saw on radioshacks site they have one for about $60, prob not the best, but wouldnt something like that be good enough. the more i read about this stuff, i figure prob not a bad idea to pick one of these up just so i can gauge the levels

A lot of cheaper options through Ebay. Probably not the best either, but why spend $60 if you can get it for $20-$30 instead?