Pointers for preserving your hearing

In the majority of cases, most hearing problems are caused by — you guessed it — prolonged exposure to loud sounds. By keeping the noise level down and protecting your ears, you can preserve your precious hearing.

Sadly, modern living is decidedly noisy. Whereas most of man's history lacked engines, machines, and amplified music, today's life exposes us to a never-ending parade of loud sound. Some of that is lifestyle — living in an urban environment, a love of rock music, flying frequently — but for many people, it's their jobs.

Working just a week in one of these positions can damage your hearing:

• firefighter
• police officer
• factory worker
• farmer
• construction worker
• musician
• military
• heavy industry

Your first move? Do all you can to protect the hearing you have right now. Many of these tips are common sense — protect yourself from loud noises. But they may be the hardest to take action on: Many people worry that earplugs and hearing aids will make them look old or silly.

False! With the rise of cell-phone usage and portable music devices, there's hardly any adult — or teenager — who doesn't have ear gear of some type. No one notices, and no one cares, if you have a hearing aid or sound-blocking tool in your ear.

• Your tunes are turned up TOO LOUD if others can hear the sounds coming from your earbuds or headphones
• Only listen to music piped directly into your ears for about 1 1/2 hours a day at normal volume
• Only listen to five minutes at top volume, according to University of Colorado at Boulder researchers
• Listening longer than the recommended times can cause hearing loss

There's nothing old-fashioned about removing yourself from overly loud situations. In fact, your conversation mates will be grateful. Protect your hearing by moving when:

• It's too loud where you are — at a concert, meeting, or social event
• You can't hear someone who's just two feet away
• You have to raise your own voice to be heard
• The sounds around you begin to seem muffled

Don't rely on cotton balls or bits of paper stuffed in your ears; they'll only screen out about 7 decibels of sound, while foam earplugs can block up to 32 decibels. Need more protection? Look into custom-made earplugs from an audiologist, or special sound-deadening earmuffs.

Wear earplugs when you'll be exposed to any sound over 85 decibels — such as:

• lawn equipment
• a loud concert
• a wedding or social event with loud music
• an afternoon hunting or target-shooting
• a loud health club

Making the effort to preserve your good hearing while you have it, means you'll be more likely to enjoy good hearing for longer.