It seems there is a “day” for everything now … “National Doughnut Day,” “International Coffee Day,” “World Emoji Day,” and the list goes on. Today, May 31, is my favorite, as it has been designated “Save Your Hearing Day.” To end the month of May, which is also “Better Hearing and Speech Month,” this day is dedicated to educating the public about ways to protect their hearing.

The sense of hearing helps us make emotional connections to people, events, places and animals. Just think about the time you first heard your baby cry, or the waves hitting the beach on vacation, or maybe your cat purring at your feet to welcome you home. These are all little (but important) moments in time we have associated with the sounds around us.

There are many sounds in our environment, though, that can be harmful. In fact, some can cause permanent damage to our ears, resulting in hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing/sounds in your ears). These sounds can either be fast impulse sounds like gunfire or an explosion, or loud and long-lasting sounds, like a concert or a construction site. Either way, the sensory cells located in the inner ear can become damaged and when they are, they do not grow back.

Have you ever attended a concert or wedding with loud music, and for a few hours afterwards, your hearing was muffled? This is called a temporary-threshold-shift and is a form of noise-induced hearing loss. Some people don’t notice the immediate damage and instead experience gradual hearing loss over years of exposure. This typically presents with difficulty hearing in background noise, issues understanding speech clearly and turning up the volume on the television.

This noise-induced hearing loss is preventable! There are a few things you can do to help prevent this kind of damage. First, turn down the volume and listen to music and media at safe levels. The environment you’re in may be dangerously loud if the sound is painful to your ears, the noise makes your ears ring, or if your hearing is muffled after leaving the venue. Also, make sure you and your family members aren’t turning up the volume to dangerous levels on personal earbuds. If someone else can hear the sound through your headphones, it likely is too loud. You can also wear hearing protection while in loud environments or when performing noisy tasks. Examples of situations when you should wear hearing protection can include mowing the lawn, using firearms or when attending concerts. The last and simple tip is to distance or remove yourself from noisy environments.

If you or a loved one are concerned about hearing loss, or are interested in determining your baseline hearing sensitivity, seek out an audiologist to have your hearing medically evaluated. Audiologists are the experts in hearing and balance disorders. They are also great resources for custom hearing protection devices for everyday use, or for people like musicians and hunters. For more information, please reach out to me directly at Kelsey.Krueger@aultman.com or call 330-433-1450. Happy “Save Your Hearing Day!”