Are you looking for a hearing aid near Alma, MI? 

Did you know that your summer activities could be harming your hearing? 

What are some of your favorite summertime activities in Michigan? Concerts? Boating? Tigers games? 

We love our outdoor activities in the summer, maybe a little too much. That ringing in your ears after a loud concert or rowdy ball game is a symptom of potential ear damage. Most people will get over a short exposure in a few days and the ringing will go away. But long-term exposure or sudden intense sounds, like an explosion, can cause permanent hearing loss. If you can’t hear the sounds of summer anymore, you might need a hearing aid.

How long and how often your ears are exposed to loud sounds can affect how much your hearing is damaged. Noise that measures over 85 decibels (dB) can permanently damage your hearing. 

What does that mean? 

According to Michigan Medicine, here are the approximate decibel levels of some common summer activities: 

• An average noise level at home — 40 dB
• Heavy traffic, a lawn mower — 80-89 dB
• ATV — 96-100 dB
• Chainsaw, leaf blower — 106-115 dB
• Sports crowd, rock concert — 120-129 dB
• Stock car races, like at MIS — 130 dB

Even common daily activities like lawn care and driving through road construction can be loud enough to damage your hearing. You might even be exposed to several potentially damaging activities in a single summer day. Summer can be hard on your hearing!

How can you prevent hearing loss? 

You don’t have to give up your summer fun to keep your hearing healthy, but you can help prevent ear damage and the need for a hearing aid in the future.

1. Inform yourself – Learn what noises in your daily life might cause hearing damage, and what you can do to protect your hearing in those situations.
2. Protect yourself – Take earplugs to loud events, and keep noise canceling headphones available for loud activities like lawn mowing. Whenever possible, limit your exposure to loud noises. Spread out your yard work so your ears have a break between edging and mowing, for example.
3. Undergo Auditory Training with a hearing professional — Athletes make use of coaches, so why shouldn't you!

What to do if you wear hearing aids

You should protect your ears even if you’re wearing hearing aids. You can wear noise canceling headphones over your hearing aids. You can even take them out and wear earplugs, just make sure you keep them safe! If necessary, you can adjust the maximum volume on your hearing aids, but remember that properly fitted hearing aids should not make loud sounds louder. If they do, call us to have your hearing aids checked.

And always remember that even if you can’t hear a sound, it can still damage your ears. Taking your hearing aids out is not a safe way to avoid loud sounds, unless you also wear earplugs.

We want you to hear what you’ve been missing!

Millions of adults could improve their hearing with hearing aids, but don’t. Are you one of them? Hearing aids aren’t right for everybody, but they aren’t the only treatment for hearing loss. Our hearing care specialists can diagnose your hearing loss and help you understand the causes, treatment options, and steps you can take to improve your quality of life and keep you hearing the sounds of summer.

Two convenient mid-Michigan locations

We have two convenient locations serving St. Johns, Alma, Maple Rapids, Owosso, Ithaca, Ovid-Elsie, Dewitt, Laingsburg, and the surrounding communities.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment:

St. Johns – (989) 796-4555 – Monday, Thursday, and Friday (inside Michigan Psychological Care)

Alma – (989) 292-3572 – Tuesday and Wednesday (inside Michigan Psychological Care)

Schedule your appointment today! You should hear what you’ve been missing!