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Reintroducing Your Ears to Sounds

After a couple of years in the remote work, the time has come to venture back into "the new normal."
Last update on Feb, 28, 2022

Roughly two years into the pandemic, and the world is still adjusting to the “new normal.” At the start, many of you went from commuting back and forth to the office to commuting back and forth down the hall to a home office. Such a drastic change like that affects more than just your daily routine. It could also have affected your hearing.

Many offices have a certain hustle and bustle and with that comes a certain amount of noise exposure. However, with many of us working remotely, you may have been introduced to sounds that you weren’t normally exposed to all day long. Washing machines or dishwashers knocking, TV’s playing in the background or the laughter of children playing in the next room during a break from virtual learning are all nontraditional office sounds. And depending on where you live and your home environment, these sounds may be louder or softer than your normal office.

In addition, when you usually would have had a meeting in person, you now have many virtual meetings which may have forced you to use your headphones more often than usual. While headphones are great for reducing the ambient noise around you and helping you focus on the tasks at hand, an excessive use of headphones could be damaging your hearing.

Another thing you might not have paid much attention to is the reintroduction to sounds you have not been around for a least a year. Many people are gearing up for concerts and festivals, going back to shopping at the mall, and eating in restaurants, and contrary to popular belief, your ears do not get used to loud noises.  

Here are four tips to help you properly adjust your ears to new environments:

  1. Turn the volume down. As stated earlier, you might be using your headphones more frequently, but always make sure you are aware of the volume and how often you have them on. Check you see if you have a device that allows you to set a volume limit.
  2. Take listening breaks. Use the 60/60 rule when using headphones to do work or listen to music. Listen at 60% of the max volume for 60 minutes, and then, take a break.
  3. Be aware of your surroundings. It might not be as much fun to stand or sit farther from the stage, but your ears will thank you.
  4. Keep hearing protection handy. Having hearing protection is one thing but having it when you need it helps you protect your hearing.

Taking the proper precautions to protect your hearing is just part of your hearing journey. Make sure you are scheduling regular hearing checks to catch any hearing irregularities. Check to see if your health insurance includes a hearing health benefit and schedule an appointment with an Amplifon provider near you today. 

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