Download may is better speech and hearing month what`s all the talk about?

MAY IS BETTER SPEECH AND HEARING MONTH
WHAT’S ALL THE TALK ABOUT?
EARBUDS
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE THE PROBLEM?
Chances are all you know about earbuds is that they’re easy to carry
around and they sound good. Earbuds are useful little devices as long as
they’re used at low volumes. But they’re basically a pair of tiny
speakers that you wear inside your ears. And loud music playing that
close to your eardrum can cause permanent loss.
Believe it or not, earbuds can damage your ears in the same way that
motorcycles and chainsaws can. The damage is all because of the
volume. Chainsaws and motorcycles create about 100 decibels of
sound. An MP3 player at 70% of its volume is about 85 decibels.
Turning the volume up and listening for long periods of time can put
you in real danger of permanent hearing loss.
HOW DOES NOISE CASUE HEARING LOSS?
The ear is made up of three parts that work together to process sounds;
the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. Part of the inner ear
called the cochlea contains tiny hair cells. These hair cells help to send
sound messages to the brain. When loud noise that is sustained over
time damages these hair cells, these hair cells do not repair themselves
and a permanent hearing loss occurs. Over time more hair cells get
damaged and your hearing gets worse and worse.
USE YOUR EARBUDS THE RIGHT WAY AND AVOID PERMANENT
HEARING LOSS
Use your earbuds in moderation. What does this mean? Audiologists
recommend that you follow the 60/60 rule.
 Listen to music or play a movie or video game at no more than
60% of the maximum volume.
 Limit the amount of time you spend with earbuds in your ears to
60 minutes.
Another “test” that you can use to find out if your earbuds are at a safe
volume is: Ask people sitting near you if they can hear your music. If
the can, it’s a sign that your hearing is being damaged. Turn the volume
down until other people can no longer hear it.
Using your earbuds appropriately will protect your ears and increase
the number of years that you can enjoy your music with good hearing.
Credit: TeensHealth.org Reviewed by Danelle Inverso, AuD, PhD
Article submitted by Jane M. Syme, MA CCC/SLP