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How Loud Is Too Loud?
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Did you know that even mowing the lawn can cause some hearing damage?!
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Generating approx. 80 to 100db of noise, the lawnmower is on the CDC’s (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) list of sounds to protect your ears from…(so maybe store a pair of ear protectors near the mower to remind you next time you use it). Over time, any sound that’s 85 decibels or higher can cause hearing loss or other issues like tinnitus. The louder a sound is and the longer you listen to it, the more it can damage your hearing and once it’s gone, you can’t get it back. The reason? Inside your ears are lots of tiny fibres that help you to hear. Over time, loud noise can damage these fibres - and they can’t be fixed. Unfortunately, most people don’t feel any warning signs (like pain or ear ringing) until their hearing is already damaged.
A 2022 study published by the British Medical Journal, concluded more than one billion people aged 12 to 34 could be damaging their hearing through the use of headphones and by attending live music events. The World Health Organization (WHO) also estimates that over 430 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss. We all know someone who can’t hear very well, whom we have to speak loudly to so they can hear us. Ask them about it. They’ll tell you how debilitating it can be and how much it impacts their day-to-day life. But if we arm ourselves with knowledge and act now, we can help protect this precious sense.
So how can you tell when your life is hurting your hearing? We’ve combined research along with top facts and advice from the CDC in America and the RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People) in the UK to help you, help your ears.
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Is it loud in here?! How to self-test…
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It can be hard to tell how loud sounds are, but if there’s so much noise around you that you need to talk extra loudly when your friends or colleagues are only a few feet (approx. 2 metres) away, it’s probably hurting your hearing. If you have to shout because of background noise, it’s likely that noise levels are dangerously high. If you can, go somewhere quieter, but if you can’t, the CDC’s advice is to protect your ears by using ear plugs. To keep an eye on your noise exposure, there are decibel reader apps available to download onto your smartphone or tablet, but these should only be used as a guide and aren’t designed for professional use. You can use this at home, work, and out-and-about to keep an eye on your noise exposure, and try to reduce the risk of hearing damage.
You may be exposed to noise that’s dangerously loud if you go to music events, listen to music through headphones, shoot for sport, ride a motorbike or use power tools. City living can also expose us to louder and more consistent noise levels.
Many people also work in noisy environments, so if sound levels regularly reach 80 - 85dB, your employer should assess the risk to your hearing and give you information about this.
If you find you can’t hear properly or have ringing in your ears for a few hours after doing something, it’s a sign you’ve been exposed to noise that’s loud enough to damage your ears - and you may have developed a slight and permanent hearing loss. If you keep exposing yourself to loud noise, this damage will become more noticeable and permanent over time.
The RNID (Royal National Institute for the Deaf), which supports people with hearing loss, damage or tinnitus, have produced a handy guide to show how loud various sounds and activities are, so you know when to use hearing protection. Noise is measured using the decibel (dB) scale, which reflects the loudness of a sound. 130dB is the level at which noise causes pain for most people, although some people may find lower levels painful too.
Hearing damage can happen even if the sound isn’t painful.
Repeated or long exposure to sounds at 85dB or above can cause hearing loss.
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How long you’re exposed to noise matters
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The length of time you can ‘safely’ be exposed to sound over 85dB without needing to use hearing protection depends on how loud it is. Sound intensity (the energy the sound wave carries) doubles with every increase of 3dB. So even though, for example, the sound of heavy traffic doesn’t sound twice as loud as a food blender, it’s twice as intense.
The safe exposure time for 85dB is up to eight hours a day. Remember that you’re exposed to lots of different sounds that are 85dB or over throughout the day, and this exposure time adds up. As sound intensity doubles with every increase of 3dB, the safe exposure time halves. So, for example, the safe exposure time for 88dB is four hours.
You’re at risk of hearing damage after just 15 minutes when you’re in a nightclub which plays music at the average volume of 100dB, if you don’t use earplugs to protect your ears. For sounds of 110 - 120dB, even a very short exposure time can cause hearing damage.
If noise is so loud that it hurts your ears, you should immediately leave the venue or stop the activity that’s causing the noise - and use hearing protection in future.
Remember, the louder the noise is and the longer you are exposed to it, the higher the risk to your hearing. You can protect your hearing by lowering the volume of music, reducing the time you’re exposed to loud noise, and using earplugs or defenders in noisy environments.
• Prevalence: According to the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO), more than 360 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss. (Source: WHO, Center for Hearing and Communication)
• Noise-induced hearing loss: Noise is the leading cause of hearing loss. 30 million Americans are exposed to dangerous noise levels every day. (Source: NY Times Personal Health Blog, American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association)
• Untreated hearing loss: People with hearing loss wait an average of 7 years before seeking help. Untreated hearing loss can increase the risk of dementia, cognitive decline, and other health problems. (Source: Center for Hearing and Communication, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine)
• Hearing aid usage: Only one out of every five people who could benefit from a hearing aid actually wear one. (Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
• Dementia link/ brain health: Hearing is an important part of brain health.Untreated hearing loss has been identified as one of the 12 main factors that leads to the highest risk of developing dementia. (Source: Hearing Link Services)
• Impact on quality of life: Untreated hearing loss can significantly impact quality of life, with 52 reasons to seek treatment, including improved communication, relationships, and overall well-being. (Source: WHO)
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Tips to reduce unsafe noise exposure
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The best solution is to limit your exposure to loud noises, but if you can’t always do this, you can protect your hearing with earplugs or over ear defenders. There are loads on the market, but look out for a certified ear protector that will block sound to safe levels.
Our option is Earshade, an accredited hearing protector that reduces noise levels up to -31dB SNR, in accordance with EN 352-2:2020.
As always, we do things a bit differently at Flare. With a company motto of ‘Long Live Ears’, we’re on a mission to help people prevent hearing damage - whilst also protecting their relationship with music and sound.
“People go to events because they love music, so they don’t want to then block the music they’ve gone to see with muffling ear plugs,” recognises Flare Co-Founder and Inventor, Davies Roberts. “But equally they are risking hearing damage, as often sound levels at these events are excessive, especially if you stand near the speaker systems.”
“With a background in designing speaker systems for live events, we’ve spent years of R&D to develop a hearing protector that not only works, but that doesn’t impact the music you hear,” he continues. “Earshade doesn’t cause the muffling you may experience with traditional plugs, so you can still hear all the details of the music, but without exposing your ears to unsafe sound levels.”
Design was also a key factor as not everyone wants big luminous foam plugs sticking out of their ears. Flare has focussed on delivering a huge range of colours and customisation options, making Earshade a stylish, reusable accessory.
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“Phone, keys… Earshade.”
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You never know when loud and uncomfortable sounds may crop up, so be prepared and carry a protector with you. Designed to protect hearing, shield users from unwanted noise and increase concentration, Earshade are ideal for music events, travel and commuting, loud work places, and to simply increase concentration in the office or when working from home.
“Earshade are like sunglasses for the ears” explains Roberts. “You wouldn’t go out in the midday sun without sunglasses to protect your eyes, we now just need people to reach for a similar solution to protect their ears.”
Royal National Institute for Deaf People
CDC.gov
Products Mentioned
Shade your ears and turn down the world with Earshade® and Earshade® Pro. Mix and match your foam to suit your look. Earshade is CE certified to EN 352-2:2020 standard with -31 ...
