Julie Raney is a certified and licensed audiologist. She has a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a Master’s Degree in Audiology from Idaho State University. She has worked as a clinical audiologist in Colorado since 2005. She specializes in hearing amplification for adults and delivers her services in both English and Sign Language.

Noise Exposure and Hearing Loss

You may think that only seniors have hearing loss. Younger adults, and even teens and children can also experience hearing loss due to noise exposure. This noise induced hearing loss can happen when you’re exposed to dangerously loud noise, and the risk of hearing loss increases the more you’re exposed to loud noise. Not only that, but the intensity of the noise can also play a role in hearing loss. A noise that’s extremely loud, like a gunshot at close range, can cause permanent hearing loss after just one exposure.

The damage caused by firing a gun isn’t just in the field. Firing ranges can also be extremely loud. With several people firing at targets, and all the sound bouncing off the walls, sounds can be extremely loud, and even a single shot can cause hearing loss.

Hunters and Hearing Loss

Hunters who don’t wear hearing protection are far more likely to develop hearing loss than hunters who wear hearing protection. In fact, hunters who don’t protect their hearing will most likely have some level of hearing loss in their life. This kind of noise induced hearing loss is completely preventable, and wearing the appropriate hearing protection can keep your hearing sharp.

Firearms are extremely loud, and sounds are very sudden. A gunshot can cause more damage to your hearing than a constant loud noise, and even a single shot can cause changes to your hearing health.

Hunters who don’t wear hearing protection are also more likely to suffer from tinnitus, that ringing or buzzing sound in your ears. Have you ever noticed a ringing in your ears just after you’ve taken a shot? That temporary tinnitus can become permanent. Tinnitus is often an early warning sign of hearing loss, and indicates that you have suffered damage to the cells in your ear.

Preventing Hearing Loss

Did you know that noise induced hearing loss is completely preventable? Wearing hearing protection is the best way to protect the cells in the inner ear, and prevent damage. Earmuffs or earplugs can reduce sounds to a safe level, and keep your ears healthy.

You can wear your hearing protection the whole time you’re in the woods, and be ready to fire at a moment’s notice. You can have hearing protection around your neck, and put them in your ears before taking the shot.

Types of Hearing Protection for Hunters

There are a number of types of hearing protection available to hunters. When at the shooting range, the best hearing protection is earmuffs. This substantial hearing protection will create a seal around your entire ear, reducing the sounds around you to safe levels.

An inexpensive type of hearing protection is foam earplugs. These can be easily inserted into the ear, and they reduce sounds by a moderate amount. Depending on the gun you use, foam ear plugs may not reduce sounds enough to effectively protect your hearing.
Digital hearing protection is another great solution for hunters. These custom molded earpieces are worn in the outer ear or the ear canal, and they analyze the sounds around you. Safe sounds are allowed to enter your ear canal normally, and digital hearing aids won’t make sounds seem muffled or hard to hear. As soon as the devices sense a dangerous noise, such as a gunshot, they’ll automatically reduce that sound, and protect your hearing.

Protect Your Hearing

It is important to protect your hearing to prevent future noise-induced hearing loss. If you have questions about hearing health and custom hearing protection, contact us today to learn more!