National Protect Your Hearing Month

October is National Protect your hearing month. Learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones from noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). NIHL occurs when noise damages tiny hair cells within the cochlea—the small, snail-shaped organ for hearing in the inner ear. When hair cells are damaged, they can’t send information about sound to the brain. Since people can’t grow new hair cells to replace damaged ones, hearing loss from noise is permanent. You can help prevent hearing loss with these lifestyle changes:

• Turn down the volume
• Move away from the noise
• Wear hearing protection such as earplugs or ear muffs

Sounds at or above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss. The louder the sound, the quicker it can damage your hearing. Don’t know how loud your surroundings are? Noisy planet has created this bookmark for reference. You download it by clicking here. You can also download the NIOSH Sound Level Meter app for free in the Apple App Store.