From the moment you wake up to a blaring alarm until you’re watching your favorite TV show before bed, noise is a constant presence in your daily life. While most noise helps you enjoy and stay informed of your environment, constant exposure to loud noise can leave you open to potential harm. Understanding the impact of this environmental noise can help you learn to safeguard your hearing for the long haul.
How Do We Understand Sound?
Understanding how we hear is vital to appreciating the impact of noise pollution. When you hear milk steaming at Café Cesura, sound travels to your brain through the following path:
- Sound waves travel through the air, enter the ear canal and cause the eardrum, a thin membrane separating the outer and middle ear, to vibrate.
- The vibrations from the eardrum are transmitted to three tiny bones known as the ossicles—specifically the malleus (hammer), incus (anvil), and stapes (stirrup)—located in the middle ear.
- The ossicles amplify the vibrations and redirect them into the inner ear.
- In the inner ear, the amplified vibrations enter the cochlea, a snail-shaped, fluid-filled structure in the inner ear.
- In the cochlea, the vibrations cause fluid movement, which in turn stimulates thousands of microscopic hair cells lining the inner surface of the cochlea.
- The movement of hair cells generates electrical signals, which are transmitted to the auditory nerve fibers connected to the hair cells.
- The auditory nerve carries these electrical signals from the cochlea to the brainstem and then to the auditory cortex in the brain, where they are interpreted as sound.
How Does Noise Damage the Hearing Process?
Sound intensity is described in decibels (dB), with everyday conversations hovering around 60 dB, while louder sounds like shouting or barking can pierce through at 110 dB. The Centers for Disease Control recommends a noise exposure limit of 85 decibels averaged over an 8-hour workday.
When your ears are exposed to noise over the threshold for hearing loss, the delicate hair cells in the inner ear can become stressed or permanently damaged, leading to hearing loss. While watching TV at a low volume is not likely to damage your hearing, protecting against exposure to louder noises can make a huge difference in your hearing health.
Embracing Hearing Protection
Earplugs are a simple yet effective strategy to reduce the intensity of sound reaching our ears. They are especially handy in environments notorious for excessive noise, like concerts or bustling construction sites. In addition to wearing earplugs, taking periodic breaks from loud environments affords our ears the respite they need.
Another practical tip is to ensure that the volume of personal devices remains within safe limits—ideally between 70 and 80 dB. Many smartphones offer decibel limits in their settings, allowing users to safeguard their hearing health effortlessly.
Incorporating these practices into your daily routine can make a substantial difference in preserving your hearing amidst noise pollution. For more information on protecting your hearing or to address any concerns, contact Evergreen Speech and Hearing Clinic to make an appointment with one of our specialists.