Save Your Ears

Concert goers: This may not be music to your ears, but super loud music at concerts isn't good for your hearing. Are you listening?

90 percent of Americans are concerned about their hearing. Besides frequenting concerts too often, there are other things worth avoiding to preserve adequate hearing.

Preserving great hearing is all about avoiding loud noises.

A  survey by the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (AAO - HNS) found that 4 in 5 Americans worry about hearing loss due to ear buds.

The survey showed that hearing loss is a top medical concern among parents, even higher than concerns about asthma, food allergies, or exposure to tobacco smoke.

More than 90 percent of parents are very concerned about hearing loss in their children, possibly stemming from children's exposure to extremely loud music 

May is national hearing month. In celebration of this, The American Academy of Otolaryngology submitted the following ideas to avoid noise-related hearing loss for families.

• Encourage your children to take breaks from long periods of listening to music.
• Give your child ear plugs or ear muffs if they are involved in a loud activity.
• Remind your child to turn down the sound of their music.
• Teach your child to avoid the noise (walk away) if they feel it is too loud.
• Avoid letting children play with noisy toys, band instruments and video games.
• Persistent lawn mower, leaf blower, and power tool use can damage hearing.
• Avoid loud off-road vehicles and snowmobiles.
• Sorry kids, but loud concerts concern doctors about hearing loss too.