Most people don’t think about their hearing until they begin to lose it. Hearing loss can be due to a variety of causes, including exposure to loud noises, diseases, genetics and aging. In the United States, about 1 in 8 people 12 years or older have hearing loss.

While hearing loss can affect people of all ages, it’s more common in those who are older. About 1 in 3 adults between the ages of 65 and 74 have hearing loss, and the numbers increase in people above 75.

听力健康的重要性

虽然许多人认为听力受损不是什么大问题，但它实际上对一个人的生活有着深远的影响。听力受损会使人难以听清言语，尤其是在嘈杂的环境中。这意味着听力受损者可能会遇到社交问题，难以参与工作，并因此而感到孤立和沮丧。

听力受损者可能会受到他人的歧视和误解，比如有些人会对他们不予回应、不友好，或者认为他们不聪明，这些都会进一步增加听力受损者面临的困难。

People with hearing loss also have a greater risk of falls, and of developing dementia. The greater the hearing loss, the higher the risk. However, even those with mild hearing loss have double the risk of dementia compared to those with typical hearing.

保护听力的方法

保护听力非常重要，如果您认为自己可能有听力损失，请寻求帮助。

• Protect your ears when you are in loud places. Just as you wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun, it’s important to protect your ears from excessive noise. Bring earplugs if you do go to a concert or other loud place, and stand away from speakers. If you’ll be there a while, give your ears a rest by taking breaks in quieter areas. If you notice your ear ringing, this is an indication that some damage to your hearing has already occurred. Take these symptoms seriously and give your ears time to recover.
• Be mindful when you use headphones. Listening to music or even speech with headphones at a high volume can damage your hearing in a matter of minutes. Opt to listen at a lower volume. Audiologists recommend keeping the audio levels at or below 60 percent of the maximum volume. Between 65-85 decibels is considered a safe range; this is equivalent to the volume of typical human speech on the lower end and busy city traffic on the higher end.
• Monitor volume levels: If you’re at an event where you can control the volume, such as a party or a personal music player, keep the volume at a safe level. As with personal headphones, a good rule of thumb is to keep it at 60 percent of the maximum volume. There are many sound decibel meter apps available for smartphones, including the NIOSH Sound Level Meter App.
• If understanding speech is harder than it used to be, talk to your doctor. Hearing loss can sometimes occur suddenly, but most of the time, it happens gradually. If you’re having trouble understanding what other people are saying, especially in noisy situations, talk to your doctor. They can rule out causes like ear wax or a sinus infection and refer you to an audiologist for a hearing test. If you do have hearing loss, hearing aids can help you better understand speech.

  听力对您的整体心理、情绪和身体健康至关重要。请从今天开始，在日常生活中保护好听力！