Protecting Your Hearing From Loud Noise

With our active outdoor lifestyle, Vermonters are often exposed to noise loud enough to damage hearing. Operating equipment like chainsaws and lawn mowers, riding recreational vehicles, and using power tools are some of the activities that can cause hearing loss. Music played at high volume, such as at a concert, can also hurt your hearing.

It doesn’t take long for permanent damage to occur. Noise from some power tools can harm hearing in as little as five minutes. Very loud noises like gunshots can cause instant damage.

About one in four U.S. adults has noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), it’s estimated. Symptoms of NIHL include difficulty understanding what others are saying, muffled hearing, ear pain, and tinnitus—constant buzzing, hissing, or ringing sounds in the ears.

NIHL is more than a nuisance—it can lead to other health problems, including cognitive decline and dementia, depression, social isolation, and increased risk of falls.

Wearing protective devices like earplugs and earmuffs can prevent NIHL. There are many different types of hearing protection available on the market, and the choices can be confusing. We’ll look at various types of hearing protection and discuss their pros and cons to help you select the type that’s best for you.

How Sound is Measured

The loudness of sound is measured in decibels, a unit of measurement abbreviated as dB. Quiet sounds have low dB, while loud sounds have higher dB numbers. For example:

• A whisper is 20 dB
• Normal conversation is between 60 and 70 dB
• Gas-powered lawn mower is about 90 dB
• Chainsaw is 110 dB

Hearing damage begins to occur when sounds exceed 85 dB for more than eight hours. As sounds increase in intensity, the time until hearing damage happens becomes much shorter. For example, a sound at 110 dB can cause hearing damage in only one to two minutes. You can determine how loud a sound is by using a dB meter, such as one of the many apps available for smartphones.

Hearing protectors work by reducing dB so that sounds are safer. Wearing a hearing protector that’s working properly you’ll still hear sounds—which is important for safety—but they won’t be loud enough to hurt your hearing.

How can you tell how good a hearing protector is? Most hearing protectors have a noise reduction rating (NRR). Protectors with higher NRR numbers can block more sound than those with lower numbers. For general use, look for a NRR of at least 20 dB. For some applications, such as shooting, a higher NRR is recommended.

While the NRR is an indicator of potential protection, actual sound reduction achieved by a hearing protector depends on many factors, including how well it fits and whether it is used correctly. To get the most benefit, you’ll need to select hearing protection that works well for your situation.

Types of Hearing Protection

Hearing protection can be grouped into two main categories:

• In-ear devices like earplugs that are placed in the ear canal.
• Over-the-ear devices like earmuffs that completely cover both ears.

In-ear protectors include foam earplugs that you compress and place in your ear canals, pre-molded earplugs that come in different shapes and sizes, and custom molded earplugs.

The advantage of in-ear hearing protectors is they don’t interfere with other protective equipment, such as helmets and safety glasses. Some people find in-ear protectors to be more comfortable to wear, especially in warm and humid conditions. They are lightweight and easy to store when not in use.

The downside of in-ear protectors is they must fit snuggly in the ear canal to block sound, and some people have trouble getting a good fit. In-ear protectors that don’t fit correctly may fall out and get lost or dirty. In-ear protectors worn for longer periods may also cause irritation in the ear canal.

Over-the-ear protectors include earmuffs that have padded earcups connected by a headband. A variation is canal caps, which cover the entrance of the ear canal and are connected with a headband to help keep them in place.

The advantage of over-the-ear protectors is they tend to be easier to fit and use. They can be put on and taken off quickly, which is helpful when frequently moving between quiet and noisy environments. Over-the-ear protectors can be less objectionable for people with sensitive ears.

The downside of over-the-ear protectors is they can be heavier and bulkier than in-ear protectors. The bulk can interfere with other equipment like helmets. To block sound properly, over-the-ear protectors must have a tight seal against the skin all around the ear. However, that seal can trap perspiration in warm weather and become uncomfortable. A tight fit with over-the-ear protectors can be difficult to achieve when wearing a winter hat or other warm headgear.

Which type of hearing protection is best? It comes down to your personal preferences and which style you find to be the most comfortable and convenient. Hearing protection only works when it is worn correctly, so you’ll want to choose the type you can successfully wear for long periods of time.

You may want to purchase more than one type of hearing protection. For example, a pair of earmuffs could be your go-to, but in certain situations, you may prefer to use in-ear protection instead. Or you may favor earplugs for most work but keep a set of over-the-ear protectors on hand in case your ear canals become irritated.

There are situations when it’s beneficial to wear both in-ear and over-the-ear protectors at the same time. In very noisy environments, wearing a single type of protector may not reduce the dB level enough to bring it into the safe range. Wearing both over-the-ear and in-ear protectors will block more sound and increase safety.

Active vs. Passive

When shopping for hearing protection, there’s another factor to consider—active vs. passive sound reduction. Some hearing protectors use technology to actively suppress harmful noise, while others use physical barriers like foam to passively dampen sound.

The advantage of active hearing protection is it allows the person wearing it to hear non-harmful sounds—like a person speaking—more clearly while also blocking out sudden, loud noises like gunshots. This feature can be helpful in situations where you need to communicate with other people without removing your hearing protection. Passive hearing protection muffles both good and bad sounds.

Passive hearing protection, on the other hand, does not require batteries and there are no electronics that could fail. Passive devices also tend to be less expensive.

The best choice when considering active vs. passive protection will depend on your situation. If you mostly work by yourself and usually don’t need to communicate with others, a passive device might be preferred for simplicity and low cost. If you are frequently around other people and need to hear them clearly, such as at a shooting range, an active device can be a good choice. If cost is not a concern, having both types will allow you to select the one that’s best suited for the task at hand.

Protect Your Asset

If you don’t have hearing loss, it’s essential to wear hearing protection when exposed to loud sounds. Your good hearing is a valuable asset that you need to protect. Likewise, if you already have some hearing loss, it’s important to always wear hearing protection to prevent further damage.

If you have hearing loss, Blue Cross VT offers a hearing program through TruHearing. A TruHearing professional can help you protect and improve your hearing. TruHearing’s local hearing health providers will perform a hearing exam, and if needed, recommend hearing aids that best fit your hearing loss, budget, and lifestyle. Blue Cross VT members can purchase hearing aids through TruHearing at a substantial discount. For more information, call (833) 414-7710 or visit the TruHearing website.