Potential Magazine March 2015 | Page 22

happy + healthy hearing loss SOUND ADVICE T U R N I T D O W N It only takes 15 minutes per week of listening at the maximum volume to cause permanent hearing loss! Loud volumes on iPods, cell phones and other personal devices are contributing to an increase in the number of children, teens and adults that suffer from noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) each year. Hearing loss is the third most common health problem in the United States and affects more than 36 million Americans. “Hearing loss in children has become a serious problem,” said Heather Baty, audiologist at Children’s of Alabama. “It is critical to a child’s safety and to the development of many social skills, speech and learning.” Fortunately, noise-induced hearing loss is 100 percent preventable. Here are some ways to prevent NIHL: According to the American Speech, [