{"id":7358,"date":"2022-02-03T12:49:02","date_gmt":"2022-02-03T19:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/?p=7358"},"modified":"2022-06-07T12:40:09","modified_gmt":"2022-06-07T19:40:09","slug":"hunting-hearing-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arizonahearing.com\/hunting-hearing-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Hunting & Hearing Loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sounds that are louder than 85 dB \u2013 which is about the volume of passing highway traffic or a busy restaurant \u2013 can cause permanent damage to your auditory system with enough exposure. Sounds between 140 and 190 dB \u2013 about the loudness of a gunshot \u2013 are loud enough to cause immediate damage<\/a> after one-time exposure. Therefore, it\u2019s important to protect your hearing while hunting in places such as designated areas around Coronado National Forest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What the Research Shows\"Backside<\/h2>\n

A research team at the University of Wisconsin conducted a study<\/a> on hunters and target shooters to determine their risk level for noise-induced hearing loss<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After surveying 3,753 men ages 48 to 92, they found that those who hunted regularly had a much higher risk of developing high-frequency hearing loss compared to those who didn\u2019t. This risk increased 7% for every five years each man had been hunting.<\/p>\n

Perhaps even more alarming, the research team uncovered that 38% of target shooters and 95% of hunters reported never wearing hearing protection during the previous year.<\/p>\n

How Hunting Affects Your Hearing<\/h2>\n

Hunting is associated with high-frequency hearing loss, which means consonant sounds like \u201cs,\u201d \u201cth\u201d and \u201cv\u201d are most affected. This can cause trouble discerning between similar-sounding words. Many people with high-frequency hearing loss report being able to hear, but not understand, what is said.<\/p>\n

For those that shoot right-handed, the left ear tends to suffer more damage since it is closer to and more aligned with the muzzle, and because the right ear is partially protected by head shadow.<\/p>\n

How to Protect Your Hearing<\/h2>\n

Some tips for protecting your hearing<\/a> while hunting include:<\/p>\n