The best places to sit to prevent hearing loss

by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition

Photo credit: Helena Lopes

The New York Post ran an article about the best places to sit in a restaurant, and on a plane, train or bus to prevent hearing loss. Reporter Tracy Swartz correctly notes that one easy way to prevent hearing loss is to reduce exposure to loud noise. Unfortunately, for many if not most of us, it’s impossible to find a quiet seat in a restaurant, or on a plane, train or bus. The quietest seats in airplanes are in the front of the cabin, which in most commercial planes is costly first or business class. Most trains and buses are noisy regardless of where one sits. My experience has been that even when my wife asks for a quiet table in a restaurant, what the restaurant host thinks is quiet is far too noisy for me.

I have some quibbles with some other things Swartz writes.  She talks about hearing loss being part of normal aging, using the term “presbycusis,” but the evidence strongly suggests that most hearing loss with age is the cumulative effect of excessive noise exposure. She also quotes an audiologist about where is best to sit in a restaurant, but it’s hard to find a quiet restaurant anywhere, especially in Manhattan.

My advice is: If it sounds loud, it’s too loud and your auditory health is at risk. Carry earplugs or noise-canceling headphones when you plan to go somewhere. In a restaurant, ask the manager to turn down the background music from rock concert levels. If it’s really loud, just turn around and walk out, although that doesn’t work when one is meeting friends. You can insert your earplugs, which I do often. Better yet, use an app like SoundPrint to find a quiet restaurant where you can enjoy both the meal and the conversation with your dining companions.

As Swartz noted, an easy way to prevent noise-induced hearing loss is to reduce exposure to loud noise.