Hearing Health
'Prevention is better than cure', so the expression says. When it comes to your hearing there's no one else who's going to save it better than yourself.
"Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) is permanent damage to the tiny sensory hair cells in your inner ear. Certain vibrations caused by noise can be so powerful they can damage hearing - sometimes permanently," states the Hearing and Health Foundation. These hair cells will not regenerate and as a result, no longer are they able to send vibrational signals to the brain hence causing damage to your hearing.
There are large numbers of cases of NIHL in populations of veterans, the elderly and also increasingly present in our younger generations as well - largely within the music and entertainment industry. The World Health Organisation states that 1.1 billion teenagers and young people are at risk from hearing loss with nearly 50% from personal audio devices, with 40% from being exposed to damaging sound levels at venues.
Damage can occur with just one-time exposure to loud and heavy noise and there is, in fact, no cure. This can also lead to Tinnitus.
No one really talks about it, I imagine rarely thinks about it, until it becomes a feature in daily life. That's why we're here, to make you stop and question...
Music is a great medium. You can read more about this in our previous blog but the impact it can have on our health and hearing, if we don't consciously choose to monitor the levels, can be detrimental. Help Musicians UK charity found that DJs and musicians are 3.5 times more likely to suffer from music-induced hearing loss and 1.5 times more likely to develop tinnitus than the rest of the population National Tinnitus Awareness Week falls in the UK on 7th -13th February. According to Tinnitus.org "Tinnitus is the perception of noise in the head and/or ear which have no external source causing this. It derives from the Latin word for 'ringing' and those living with the condition may have to endure a ringing, buzzing, hissing, whistling or other noise." The condition can be consistent interference - and permanent. Stripped FM have teamed up with global hearing protection experts ACS Custom and T-Minus Tinnitus wellness App, who are both dedicated to hearing conservation and tinnitus therapy. ACS have confirmed they're giving away a set of custom made earplugs to one of our readers/listeners to raise awareness during National Tinnitus Week. The custom made earplugs, worth £150 are up for grabs if you subscribe to our mailing list on the home page, share this post on your social media - and tag us with at least 2 friends. We'll be live in the studio with ACS Director Jono Heale and T-Minus founder Rupert Brown on Friday 11th February between 5-8pm (GMT) to talk further and bring you more great music. Competition winners will also be announced there.
* If you haven't already seen it, the film 'Sound of Metal' (IMDb, 2019) is a highly rated and relevant watch.
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