The Link Between Hearing Loss and Recreational Noise Exposure

Everyone engages in one leisurely activity for good reasons. Not only does it allow people to interact with each other, but it also allows stress to exit the body in a more exciting way. Moreover, it reduces the risks of being overweight, developing heart disease and other ailments. However, not all recreational activities are good for your ear health, and engaging in these things constantly can cause hearing loss and other hearing-related issues. This article will provide ample information on the link between hearing loss and recreational noise exposure.

What You Should Know About Recreational Noise Exposure

Much attention is often given to occupational noise exposure because of its repeated nature and the number of affected people. However, recreational noise exposure is also worth giving enough attention to, as it can damage your hearing. This situation occurs when you engage in hobbies or activities involving loud sounds from speakers and engines therefore, taking care of your ears both at work and off-duty is important.

Everyone has different noise tolerance levels due to environmental, situational and personal factors. But any sound that transcends 85 decibels can trigger hearing loss when exposed to it for a long time. That said, many recreational activities are much louder than 85 decibels, causing people to risk losing their auditory functions. Some activities and their noise levels include the following:

• Snow mobiles: 99 decibels.
• Motorboats: 85 to 115 decibels.
• Listening to music with headphones: 105 to 120 decibels.
• Motorcycling: 105 decibels.
• Live music concerts and clubs: 120 decibels.

These hobbies are popular but not the only ones with excessively loud sounds. For instance, the shooting range is also noisy; and you can experience hearing loss if you enjoy the game often. This is because almost every gun sound exceeds 85 decibels. A caliber rifle can hit 140 decibels, while pistols and big-bore rifles can reach up to 175 decibels. Now you know leisurely activities that could cause excessive noise, but how do they damage the ear?

How Recreational Noise Exposure Cause Hearing Loss

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about five million children and 26 million adults have permanent hearing loss due to noise exposure. Understanding how it happens can help you take preventive steps. Your cochlea is a tiny organ with various sensory receptor hairs that transmit sounds to the brain for decoding processing.

However, excessively loud sounds can overwork hair cells. They can also harm the cells and membranes. Unfortunately, this damage cannot be corrected, and hearing loss is often the result. But it can also lead to tinnitus that can prevent people from sleeping, often leading to depression and fatigue.

Your audiologist can help you hear others by giving you a hearing test and prescribing the most suitable hearing aids and other assistive listening devices.

Prevent Hearing Loss Due to Recreational Noise Exposure

You can do this by wearing hearing ear protection. For instance, you can use earmuffs when on a snowmobile or earplugs if you are a musician or hunter. Let your ear rest from time to time if you love listening to music and keep the volume low to prevent damage to your ears.