For Men’s Health Week we’re focusing on hearing issues.
Mens Hearing Health
Men are five and a half times more likely to lose their hearing than women. They are also less likely than women to seek help or to talk about their hearing loss.
This may be due to certain health factors, men have higher instances of heart disease and diabetes which can contribute to hearing loss.
Men tend to work in jobs that have louder working environments and are known to damage your hearing. Construction, factory and military jobs are mostly male-dominated occupations, they are also some of the loudest.
Hobbies can also contribute with men enjoying the use of motorbikes, workshops or shooting pastimes.
Harmful Noise Levels
Long-term exposure to some loud sounds can cause permanent damage after just 8 hours, the equivalent of one workday.
Sound is measured in decibels, the sound of a rustling leaf registers at a 0 dB level and heavy city traffic registers at 85 dB.
At 85 dB or higher, permanent hearing damage can occur. Here are just a few examples of harmful sounds you may experience on a daily basis:
90dB – Lawn Mower
93dB Belt Sander
105dB Bulldozer
110dB Chainsaw
140dB Airplane taking off
Hearing loss
For men’s hearing health look out out for the following, if you have a hearing loss you may experience any or all of the following:
- Difficulty in understanding everyday conversation
- A feeling of being able to hear but not understand
- Having to turn up the TV or radio
- Asking others to repeat themselves
- Avoidance of social situations
- Feeling exhausted after a day of listening to other people
- Increased difficulty communicating in noisy situation like restaurants, family gatherings, in the car or group meetings
- Tinnitus or ringing and/or buzzing sounds in the ear
Hearing loss prevention
How can you protect yourself against hearing loss?
Stay away from excessive noise. If you have to shout over a sound, it is too loud. You can take steps to properly protect your ears either in the workplace or in leisure activities with custom hearing protection
Limit the time you spend around loud sounds. Sometimes you can’t avoid being in a noisy place, but don’t spend any more time there than you really need to.
Hearing is a precious gift so if you feel you’d benefit from having a hearing test or would like custom made hearing protection please call 020 7486 1053. One of our highly skilled audiologists will be delighted to see you.
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