To hear for life, listen carefully!
For a long time, the importance of caring for the sense of hearing has been downplayed, this being as relevant as the others, since losing it would change our lives completely and affect the quality of life, the ability to learn and the ability to communicate.
Every year the World Health Organization dedicates a campaign to this issue that is becoming increasingly important. This year, under the motto “To hear for life, listen carefully!” will focus on the importance of safe listening to maintain good hearing throughout life and raise awareness of how many of the causes of hearing loss can be controlled.
Various studies and statistics point to an increase in people with hearing loss or who are at risk of suffering from it. According to WHO figures, more than 1 billion people between the ages of 12 and 35 are at risk of hearing loss due to prolonged and excessive exposure to loud music and other recreational sounds, which can lead to devastating consequences for your physical and mental health, education and employment prospects.
Some steps to take to prevent hearing loss
- Avoid noise pollution. Lower the volume of your devices, in this way you not only take care of your hearing capacity, but that of others.
- When using personal audio devices, it is very important to respect safe levels, which should not exceed the 60% maximum volume. Modern devices are currently equipped with a sensor that notifies how safe the volume is, take this advice into account.
- If you are constantly exposed to loud noises, it is important to use safety devices that help protect your hearing, such as headphones or earplugs that regulate the sound waves that we perceive, without completely blocking the sound.
- If you can, limit exposure times in very noisy environments.
- Control visits are essential, as they allow to preserve and prevent a total loss of consciousness.
WHO support initiatives take care of our hearing
Exposure to high sound frequencies not only depends on each one, but also on the environment in which one is habitually part. For this reason, this campaign planned by the WHO is so important, as it aims to launch control and restriction measures that allow regulating the loud noises to which people are exposed in certain environments and that inevitably affect hearing health.
World Hearing Day marks the launch by the WHO of initiatives to prevent hearing loss:
- A new international standard for entertainment venues and events, where safe audio levels are controlled and respected. Read: https://www.who.int/es/news/item/02-03-2022-who-releases-new-standard-to-tackle-rising-threat-of-hearing-loss
- A manual to implement the #SafeListening, where control measures are indicated to maintain a healthy auditory system.
We invite you to be part of this movement by providing the necessary attention and dissemination to the care that is in our control.
