January 31, 2010

Brush, Floss... and Turn Down the Earphones!

I was surprised, some years ago, to read that when researchers asked folks up in their 90s what it was, over the course of their lives, that they regretted most and would do differently if they had the change-- the surprise answer was, 'Take better care of my teeth.'


While teeth and gum loss is serious, and I whole-heartedly agree with the wisdom of these sages-- wishing to keep my teeth as long as possible, and with as little pain as possible-- I'm going to add to their 'brush and floss' mantra.


The big four, plus one.

The main four proven keys to strength and reserves in fighting stress, illness and aging are: proper food, rest, and exercise-- plus maintaining positive attitudes and relationships.

That's four. One more?-- Turn down those earphones!

Have you ever lost your hearing for a short time or had a loud buzzing in your ears after being too close to a loud noise? Now, imagine if the hearing loss or buzzing continued-- forever. Millions are threatened with this kind of damage-- and not just rock musicians.


The biggest culprits are the little earphones buds.


Playing music loud enough to block out traffic noise means tinnitus or permanent hearing loss. A really loud noise for a shorter time or a just a bit too loud noise for a longer time can mean hearing loss, tinnitus or both.

I have moderate hearing loss and a constant ringing (tinnitus), in a variety of pitches and tones-- irritating, to say the least. Although I'm not entirely clear how this came about for me-- there are various causese for hearing loss-- it's basically: too loud for too long.


How loud is too loud? 

Listening at 75 decibels or lower for extended periods is considered safe. How to gauge 75 decibels? It's a comfortable level in a quiet room. A washing machine's noise is about 75 decibels, so if your music is drowning out the washing machine, it's too loud.

Suggestions? Use noise-canceling and/or full, well-fitted earphones to block outside noise-- so you don't have to crank it up.

Take care!

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