News and press releases

March 3 is World Hearing Day, an annual observance designated by the World Health Organization to raise awareness of hearing loss and promote hearing care. The theme for 2025 is "Changing mindsets: Empower yourself to make ear and hearing care a reality for all!"

Most people don’t think about their hearing until they begin to lose it. Hearing loss can be due to a variety of causes, including exposure to loud noises, diseases, genetics and aging. In the United States, about 1 in 8 people 12 years or older have hearing loss.

While hearing loss can affect people of all ages, it’s more common in those who are older. About 1 in 3 adults between the ages of 65 and 74 have hearing loss, and the numbers increase in people above 75.

Why hearing health matters

Although many people don’t think hearing loss is a big deal, it actually has a profound impact on a person’s life. Hearing loss can make it difficult to understand speech, especially in noisy situations. This means people with hearing loss may withdraw from social situations, have trouble participating at work, and may feel isolated and depressed.

People living with hearing loss can experience stigma, and misperceptions from others, such as people being unresponsive to them, unfriendly, or viewing people with hearing loss as unintelligent—furthering the difficulties for the person with hearing loss.

People with hearing loss also have a greater risk of falls, and of developing dementia. The greater the hearing loss, the higher the risk. However, even those with mild hearing loss have double the risk of dementia compared to those with typical hearing.

Ways to protect your hearing

It’s important to protect the hearing you have and to seek help if you think you may have hearing loss.

• Protect your ears when you are in loud places. Just as you wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun, it’s important to protect your ears from excessive noise. Bring earplugs if you do go to a concert or other loud place, and stand away from speakers. If you’ll be there a while, give your ears a rest by taking breaks in quieter areas. If you notice your ear ringing, this is an indication that some damage to your hearing has already occurred. Take these symptoms seriously and give your ears time to recover.
• Be mindful when you use headphones. Listening to music or even speech with headphones at a high volume can damage your hearing in a matter of minutes. Opt to listen at a lower volume. Audiologists recommend keeping the audio levels at or below 60 percent of the maximum volume. Between 65-85 decibels is considered a safe range; this is equivalent to the volume of typical human speech on the lower end and busy city traffic on the higher end.
• Monitor volume levels: If you’re at an event where you can control the volume, such as a party or a personal music player, keep the volume at a safe level. As with personal headphones, a good rule of thumb is to keep it at 60 percent of the maximum volume. There are many sound decibel meter apps available for smartphones, including the NIOSH Sound Level Meter App.
• If understanding speech is harder than it used to be, talk to your doctor. Hearing loss can sometimes occur suddenly, but most of the time, it happens gradually. If you’re having trouble understanding what other people are saying, especially in noisy situations, talk to your doctor. They can rule out causes like ear wax or a sinus infection and refer you to an audiologist for a hearing test. If you do have hearing loss, hearing aids can help you better understand speech.

  Your hearing is crucial for your overall mental, emotional and physical health. Take care of it today and every day!