Avoid Common Musician Hearing Loss Problems With Hearing Aids

As a musician, you never take the world’s sounds for granted. But what happens when you begin experiencing noise-induced hearing loss and are required to wear hearing aids? There’s often a learning curve when wearing hearing aids, especially if you plan to wear them in noisy environments with a lot of background noise.

To ensure you’re getting the most out of your hearing aids (and avoid any problems), El Dorado Hearing has put together a quick guide to help you avoid these common musician hearing loss mistakes.

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Signs to Look For

Noise-induced hearing loss in musicians is often gradual and happens over an extended period. Because this hearing loss is gradual, it can go unnoticed for a long time. If the hearing loss goes undetected, the musician is likely to experience worsening hearing loss due to not taking any preventative steps to minimize the damage.

To catch noise-induced hearing loss early as a musician, watch for these warning signs:

• Complaining of ringing ears after attending loud concerts or events
• Constantly asking others to repeat themselves
• Turning up the volume on the stereo, television, or musical devices to abnormally high levels

While it’s common for musicians to experience some of these symptoms that resolve themselves over time, when preventative measures aren’t taken, they can result in permanent (and irreversible) damage.

If you’ve started wearing hearing aids to help with noise-induced hearing loss, you may be struggling to get them to provide the hearing assistance you need when in loud venues. When selecting your hearing aid model, you must choose an option that allows you to turn down background noise and hone in on conversations.

Hearing aids work by amplifying the sounds around you, but with the wrong type of hearing aid, you may find yourself with jumbled noise in your ears that you cannot decipher. Opt for hearing aids that allow you to turn down the background noise, so you don’t blast out your ears with the hearing aids’ sounds.

How to Prevent Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Musicians

Noise-induced hearing loss is preventable if action is taken early on to avoid hearing loss. If you notice the early signs of hearing loss, you can minimize the damage, so it’s important to catch hearing problems early.

Musicians can prevent noise-induced hearing loss by following these recommendations:

• Wear hearing protection when attending or playing loud events, such as concerts
• Avoid standing near the speakers at musical events to limit the chance of tinnitus
• Reduce the volume to a healthy decibel level when listening to music or watching television — especially when using headphones
• Monitor noise exposure when in loud environments by using a mobile app that can alert you when the sound exceeds a safe level
• When possible, listen to music or audio playback with noise-canceling headphones to avoid turning up the volume louder to hear clearly

Following these recommendations can help your musicians minimize their risk of dealing with irreversible noise-induced hearing loss.

Schedule a hearing test with El Dorado Hearing of Tucson, AZ

As a musician, you must schedule regular hearing tests to ensure you aren’t experiencing noise-induced hearing loss. We provide complete hearing evaluations at El Dorado Hearing. Our hearing specialists are highly experienced and provide you with an in-depth hearing assessment to evaluate whether you have hearing loss and the extent to which the loss affects you.

For personalized hearing testing in Tucson, AZ, make El Dorado Hearing of Tucson first on your list. We strive to make our hearing offices comfortable where everyone feels welcome.

If you are ready to regain control of your hearing, visit us at one of our hearing clinics. Contact us today to set up an appointment with one of our caring and expert hearing specialists!