We’re a bit into January of 2026 now, but it’s not too late to make your New Year’s resolution. One easy way to protect your health is to practice safe listening habits.
Why Should I Practice Safe Listening Habits?
An estimated 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of developing noise-related hearing loss. A significant portion of that risk comes from preventable sources, such as unsafe headphone use and loud nightclubs and venues. Luckily, while noise-related hearing loss is common and permanent, you can protect yourself against it with a few easy tips.
Tips for Safeguarding Your Hearing
Keep the following in mind to safeguard your hearing in 2026:
- Choose noise-isolating headphones. Headphone style affects listening safety. Over-ear headphones provide the best sound isolation, especially with active noise cancellation. By reducing background noise, they help you keep volumes lower. Earbuds and in-ear styles allow more outside sound in, which often leads to turning the volume up higher.
- Monitor your volume. Even with good headphones, volume matters. Many devices can exceed safe listening levels. Sounds around 80 dB are generally safe for longer periods, while higher volumes can cause damage quickly. Use volume limits in your smartphone’s safety settings to prevent the volume from getting too loud.
- Take listening breaks. If you wear headphones often, give your ears regular breaks. Removing headphones periodically helps reduce listening fatigue and protects your hearing.
- Grab earplugs. If you’re headed to a concert or nightclub, grab a pair of earplugs to minimize your risk of hearing loss. High-fidelity options are great for music lovers who want to keep their ears safe without sacrificing audio quality.
New Year’s resolutions don’t always go as planned, and that’s okay. Many goals unravel not because they aren’t important, but because we expect perfection from ourselves. For example, someone who hopes to exercise more might miss an evening run around Caras Park and assume the effort isn’t worth continuing, rather than seeing it as just an off night.
Allowing room for flexibility and self-compassion makes goals far more sustainable. If you spend a night listening to music and forget to keep the volume low, or you misplace your earplugs before a concert, don’t beat yourself up. Think of it as a reminder to practice hearing protection next time, rather than evidence that your goal is a lost cause.
Schedule a Hearing Test
If you spend a lot of time using headphones or going to concerts, you should schedule regular hearing tests. Contact Western Montana Hearing and Speech today for an appointment with one of our specialists.