How to protect your hearing in everyday life
We are confronted with countless sources of noise every day. Dr. Doris-Maria Denk-Linnert knows how we can best protect ourselves from them and when it becomes critical.
As Head of the Clinical Department of Phoniatrics and Speech Therapy at MedUni Vienna's Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases, Dr. Denk-Linnert is confronted with the effects of ear and voice strain on a daily basis. "It is a human weakness that something is taken for granted as long as it works. Only when there are difficulties do we take notice," says the doctor.
Protection from noise in everyday life
To avoid hearing problems, Dr. Denk-Linnert recommends paying particular attention to noise: "I am convinced that you should take care of your ears. It starts in everyday life. Be it leisure noise or occupational noise exposure." Both volume and duration are relevant here.
The expert clearly advises against exposing yourself to loud noise without any protective measures. "Fortunately, there are now more attractive and individually adapted alternatives than the classic earplugs," says Denk-Linnert.
A healthy lifestyle promotes good hearing
However, it is not only acute dangers such as excessively loud environments that can have a negative impact on hearing; our general lifestyle also influences our hearing. Sufficient sleep and regulated blood lipid and blood sugar levels are among the factors that ensure a healthy body and therefore healthy ears.
Protecting our hearing is a task that is often neglected in everyday life. Dr. Denk-Linnert sees more education as the key to this: "It would help if there were signs in some places saying how loud it gets here or a reminder to pay attention to noise protection measures." As long as this is not yet the case, the task lies with ourselves. "It's important to keep reminding ourselves that we only have two ears and that we need to take good care of them."
The expert's tips:
- Wear earplugs at concerts
- Take sufficient rest breaks after a lot of noise
- Observe protective measures in the professional environment
- Do not turn in-ear headphones up too loud
- Make sure you get enough sleep
- Finding the right earplugs for you
- Develop an awareness of volume
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