National Save Your Hearing Day is a holiday observed every year on May 31st. It recognizes the importance of protecting your hearing and that of your family.

Hearing loss can result from environmental factors, illness, genetic factors, neurobiological disorders, accidents, and many other causes. That’s why it’s crucial for all of us to eliminate as many of these risk factors as possible to ensure that we can maintain our hearing throughout our lives.

Some Informative Facts About Hearing

Below are some facts about hearing that we believe everyone should be interested in learning. Let’s take a few moments to cover the following facts before we discuss how this day should be observed.

• In World War I, parrots were used on the Eiffel Tower in Paris to listen for enemy aircraft.
• By the age of 65, one in three adults will experience some form of hearing loss.
• Most hearing loss occurs in people under the age of 65.
• Wearing headphones for 60 minutes can increase the bacteria in a person’s ear by 700 times.
• Sound travels at about 761 miles per hour.
• The number one cause of hearing loss is exposure to sounds above 85 decibels.

Observing National Save Your Hearing Day

This day should serve as a reminder for everyone to have their ears checked regularly and to use ear protection when using noisy equipment or while in noisy environments.

People should also ensure they avoid listening to loud music, especially while wearing headphones. Finally, individuals should take the time to use the hashtag #NationalSaveYourHearingDay to spread the word about this holiday.