Protect Your Ears

Protect Your Ears

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Story Published: Jun 8, 2009 at 4:52 PM PST

By Heather Reese

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When you think of premature aging, no doubt wrinkles come to mind—but how about your aging ears? There's serious cause for concern. An estimated 30 million Americans have hearing loss. And one reason is noise.

Consider a daily routine where you go to the gym in the morning, eat lunch at a noisy restaurant, and then mow your lawn. That can add up and do damage over time. Kids listening to MP3 players are particularly vulnerable. An estimated 15 percent of American teenagers are showing early signs of hearing loss, which is very disconcerting. One reason is the tendency that people have to crank MP3 players really loud to drown out ambient noise.

You can find out just how noisy things are at: www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/july-2009/health/hearing-aids/protect-your-ears-from-noise/hearing-aids-protect-your-ears.htm.

To protect your ears, Consumer Reports says some MP3 players have a volume limiter that you can set with a password. Otherwise, keep your MP3 player well below maximum volume. And consider ear protection.

Inexpensive foam earplugs that you can buy at any drugstore are highly effective at blocking unwanted noise. But inserting them properly is key. You have to roll the earplug in your hands. Then, pulling up the top of your ear, slide the earplug in. Using simple earplugs like those can significantly reduce your risk of hearing damage.

Consumer Reports' tests show noise-canceling headphones and insert-type ear buds can also be helpful. They help block out the background noise that causes people to raise volumes too high.

For insert-type headphones, consider Panasonic model RP-HC55, which rated tops in Consumer Reports tests for noise canceling. It costs $65.

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