Protect Your Hearing: It Connects Us to Others

Let’s take time this October to appreciate National Protect Your Hearing Month!

Hearing is one of the five senses that connects us to family, friends, and the world around us. It allows us to communicate in ways the other senses cannot.

Quality of life can be impaired by hearing loss, such as understanding the complexities of speech, the pleasure of listening to music, and the calming sounds of nature. Protecting your hearing should be a lifelong endeavor for all ages.

How does sound hurt our hearing

Hearing loss is the third most common chronic health condition in the U.S., and about 40 million adults aged 20-69 years have noise-induced hearing loss, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Loud noises can damage sensitive nerve cells in the ear. Noise-induced hearing loss can happen in the workplace, during recreation, and at home. Noises calculated at 85 decibels or higher can harm hearing. Many common occurrences are often above safe listening levels, including heavy traffic, lawn mowers, and music concerts.

How do we protect our hearing

A few simple steps to protect your hearing include, turning down the volume, periodic breaks from noise, and using hearing protection, such as earplugs, and protective earmuffs.

Another way to protect your hearing is to not be fooled by misleading advertisements. Many online and mail order hearing devices are hitting the market at record pace and the advertising can be deceiving.

Every person’s hearing loss is unique – like a fingerprint. And not all hearing devices will be the right choice for an individual’s needs. You want to protect the normal hearing levels you have and supplement the levels that are damaged. Choosing the wrong device could make a hearing issue worse over time.

A good turn of phrase to remember, “clarity in hearing is not always just turning up the volume.” A hearing device that is an amplifier does nothing more than turn up the volume – like turning your car radio or tv volume up. Many advertisements masquerade amplifiers as hearing aids – they are not. Miracle-Ear does not sell amplifiers to protect you.

There are pitfalls to purchasing hearing devices online or by phone. Without a hearing evaluation, how will an online computer test or a person on the other end of a phone line understand your specific type of hearing loss? How will they understand your living environment, the causes of your hearing loss, the different levels of sounds and pitch you’re missing, and so on? The answer: They can’t.

How can someone on a phone call or a computer program set up or adjust hearing devices to protect your normal hearing levels and supplement the damaged ones? The answer: They can’t.

See what one Missouri Miracle-Ear patient said:

“After an inaccurate online hearing test and ineffective hearing aids, several of my friends suggested that I go to Miracle Ear. At Miracle Ear, Lindsay did a comprehensive hearing test and fitted me with fantastic aids. She has promptly and patiently answered all my questions. She is never in a rush, always friendly and professional. Sherry at the front desk rocks! It was also easy to get a payment plan loan. If you need hearing aids, go to Lindsay in Columbia! The test is free, and you will be treated like gold.”  – Jodi, Miracle-Ear patient.

Lifetime aftercare service of your devices and annual hearing exams to ensure your prescription stays up to date should be included in any purchase. You should expect and receive continuous clarity from your hearing aids for the life of the devices. Will you be able to receive that level of service on the computer or over the phone?

If you are experiencing hearing issues, like trouble hearing in noisy places, asking people to repeat themselves, or ringing in the ears, please get a complementary hearing evaluation at Miracle-Ear.

Miracle-Ear also offers custom ear plugs to protect your hearing.