Hearing protection is a necessity for everyone who spends time outdoors – whether you’re an outdoor enthusiast or just steps away from your front door. Given that indoor noise levels are 10 to 20 times higher than those outdoors, it’s important to protect your hearing when you can.
Whether you’re listening to music, watching videos, or participating in outdoor activities, protecting your hearing requires familiarity with three fundamentals: plan ahead, listen attentively, and communicate clearly with others. All of these are easier to do when you know how to hear safely when outdoors. So how can you make sure you’re not missing out on the fun because of fear of noise challenges?
Here are some tips on how to hear comfortably outdoors with hearing protection:
Plan Ahead
You might be surprised to learn that the majority of outdoor noise is not caused by animals, insects, or weather conditions. It’s created by humans, and often by machinery. Planning ahead can help you avoid these sources of noise. Make sure you have a good system in place for reading and understanding alerts and instructions, such as a sound-based alarm that goes off when someone approaches, and a code word you can use to call out for help in an emergency. You can also create a general noise plan with your outdoor activities in mind, such as when you’re barbecuing, grilling, or mudding. In this case, you might consider buying an outdoor sound-reducing headset to help you enjoy your outdoor hobbies more.
Listen Attentively
Hearing is the ability to process sound and convert it into information. This is your first step toward feeling safe when you’re outside. You want to make sure you’re paying attention to what’s going on around you. You do this by using two skills: hearing and listening.
Hearing is different from listening because while you’re trying to understand what people are saying, you’re also trying to avoid missing out on what they’re doing. You’re trying to actively “hear” what’s going on around you and determine if you or anyone else is in danger. The key here is getting your ears right. If you tend to overhear things, for example, when outside, you might need to focus on where you’re standing so you’re not accidentally listening to traffic, construction, or other noises that could be harmful.
Communicate Clearly
When you’re outside, it’s important to communicate clearly with everyone you’re with. This can be as simple as saying “who the hell are you” or “what are you doing” and then giving them a clear explanation. If you’re having a conversation with someone and they start to mumble, cut them off. You don’t want to hear about your plans and destinations, your job, or your family. Keep your focus on what the other person is doing.
Wear Comfortable Ear Protection
The ability to hear can be tested using a hearing test at Advanced Audiology Care, which is used to determine whether or not you are able to hear. This test measures how well your hearing is working and will give you an idea of whether or not you need to wear ear protection.
There are several different types of hearing tests, including the pure tone audiometry test and the speech-in-noise test. Both of these tests measure how well you can hear sounds in different ranges of volume. The pure tone audiometry test puts a sound at one particular frequency into your ear and measures how long it takes for the sound to reach your inner ear and send signals to the brain. The speech-in-noise test does this with background noise instead of pure tones and measures how quickly you can identify sounds in each frequency range.
When you’re outside, you want to wear comfortable ear protection. These can be earplugs or earmuffs, or a combination of the two. Earplugs are generally more versatile since you can use them at different times of the day and night, while earmuffs have you covered whether you’re outside or in an office or other quieter space.
Both earplugs and earmuffs come in a variety of sizes, so you can find one that’s right for you. If you’re not very familiar with how to use earplugs or earmuffs, you can purchase special earmuffs with different noise-canceling settings that are meant for specific situations such as work or studying. You can also purchase “hearing protection soft earplugs” that come in a variety of different sizes, styles, and fabrics to ensure they fit comfortably in your ears while blocking out noise.
Make Noise Go Away Before You Go Outdoors
When you go outdoors, it’s important to remember that you’re not just protecting your hearing but also doing your body a favor. It takes a lot of energy to process and concentrate on outside sounds, and by blocking out some of the noise, you’re actually helping your body. Polluted air has been shown to cause inflammation in the ears, which can lead to a condition known as “early-onset” hearing loss. Baffles, which prevent this from happening, are typically placed in places where you can’t miss them, such as on top of buildings, signs, or trees. You can also try using earplugs or earmuffs while you’re working out or doing a strenuous activity that requires you to be actively listening.
Conclusion
Protecting your hearing is important no matter where you are - at home or outside. Whether you’re taking part in an outdoor activity or just going to the grocery store, having the best hearing protection will make you feel more secure when you’re outdoors. Hearing protection is a must for everyone who spends time outside, whether you’re an outdoor enthusiast or just steps away from your front door. Given that indoor noise levels are 10 to 20 times higher than those outdoors, it’s important to protect your hearing when you can.
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