Looking after your Hearing

Hearing Loss is part of the ageing process but there are steps you can take to prevent noise induced hearing loss and to stop age-related hearing loss from getting worse.

• Keep your TV, music and radio turned down. As a guide, you should be able to easily talk to someone 2 metres away.
• At loud events (such as a music concert), wear ear protection such as earplugs and take ‘quiet’ breaks. Give your hearing 18 hours to recover.
• If you use headphones or earphones, limit use to an hour at a time then take a break.
• If you can, use noise cancelling headphones rather than turning the volume up to block out outside noise
• Avoid listening to music at more than 60% of the maximum volume
• Wear earplugs or ear protection equipment, such as ear muffs, in noisy workplaces and environments.
• Try to keep the amount of time you spend in loud noise to a minimum.
• Think about buying appliances and devices that have low noise ratings.
• Remove earwax properly and safely.
• Quit smoking.
• Check medications for potential impacts on hearing.
• Test your hearing as soon as possible if you're worried you might be losing your hearing. The earlier hearing loss is picked up, the earlier something can be done about it.