Hearing experts are sharing their advice to help people enjoy music for years to come.
Research[1] shows that 70% of people say music takes them back to a key moment in their life and 79% say music also has the ability to change their mood. In fact, 82% say music is one of the most powerful mediums to evoke emotion.
However, 79% of people say they would be devastated if they could no longer listen to music. This is why to mark Music Day this week (June 21st ), Specsavers is highlighting the importance of protecting our hearing.
Specsavers stated: "Most people listen to music at home (64% ) or in the car (51% ) but many of them like to turn up the volume when doing so. When asked about their favourite way to listen to music, 26% answered loudly at home, 23% said loudly while driving and 16% said loudly in headphones. Yet, almost a fifth (18% ) said they should think about their hearing more when listening to music loudly."
Specsavers Ireland Audiology Chairperson, Martina McNulty, added: "Research shows that more than half of people (52% ) think they listen to music at a volume that could damage their hearing and almost a third (31% ) have said they have ignored the volume warning when listening to music on their phone.
"What people don’t realise is that these warnings are there for a reason, and once we damage our hearing, we cannot reverse it. That is why it is so important we do all we can to protect and preserve it.
"We can do this through having regular hearing checks, making sure we don’t listen to music or the TV too loudly and ensuring we wear hearing protection when we’re going to be surrounded by loud noises.
"When you’re listening to your headphones it is also important not to let the volume creep above 60%. It can be tempting to try and turn it up to cancel out background noise, but don’t do it as this could eventually lead to hearing loss or tinnitus."
Specsavers offers custom ear protection which provides an individual and unique fit with guaranteed levels of protection. Its audiologists can take a mould of your ear to get a good acoustic seal and ensure a perfect fit every time.
If you’re a music fan who has suffered hearing loss, the good news is many hearing aids are now fitted with Bluetooth technology, allowing you to stream music directly from a chosen device. To see the full range or to find out more information visit: www.specsavers.ie/hearing
[1] Survey of 2,000 people carried out by OnePoll on behalf of Specsavers in November 2021.
