More Than 1 Billion Young People at risk for Hearing Loss

CLEVELAND – If you enjoy blasting music in your headphones or going to live concerts, you may want to be more careful when it comes to protecting your hearing.

According to a study, more than 1 billion young people could be at risk for hearing loss, which isn’t surprising to Sarah Sydlowski, AuD, PhD, MBA, audiology director of the hearing implant program for Cleveland Clinic.

“I think any audiologist would tell you that there are many sounds in our environment that can be damaging to hearing. But, I think most people overlook them or they believe that the impact is temporary,” said Dr. Sydlowski.

She said it’s become very common, especially for young people, to regularly use headphones throughout the day.

Based on the results of the study, it’s also common to use them at an elevated listening level.

She explains that the combination of those two factors can put someone at risk for hearing loss. And the louder the sound, the shorter the amount of time we can safely be around it.

Ringing in your ears, muffled hearing, or a plugged sensation are all signs that damage has been done, even if your ears seem to return to normal.

So, what is a safe volume for listening?

“Usually something below like a 50% level on a phone or when you’re using headphones, or music player, is pretty appropriate. Secondly, if you can’t control the volume, then you want to move as far away as possible from the sound source,” she advised.

Another tip is to wear good-fitting earplugs if you’re going to be around loud noises, like at a concert.

We only get one set of ears that need to last a lifetime, so if you feel like you are having any kind of hearing difficulties, it’s best to see an audiologist for a hearing test.