In September 2022, Johns Hopkins has launched the ‘Know Your Hearing Number’ campaign to (inter)nationally address hearing loss. This new approach to educating the public about hearing health also coincides with the US Food & Drug Administration recently releasing its long-awaited regulations for over-the-counter hearing aids. This marks a huge step towards raising public awareness of hearing loss and the consequences it can have for the individual and social life of a person if it remains unrecognized.
A retrospective, propensity-matched cohort study published in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery in 2019, found that hearing loss was significantly associated with an increased 10-year risk of dementia, depression, falls, and myocardial infarction. To be able to prevent and treat hearing loss, the Johns Hopkins ‘Know Your Hearing Number’ campaign introduces the Hearing Number as a simple, but effective way to raise awareness for hearing health and its relation to wellbeing.
What is the Hearing Number?
The Hearing Number is a metric that can help you better understand your hearing and how it changes over time. Your Hearing Number reflects how loud speech must be for you to hear it. The number typically ranges from about 0 to 100 decibels (dB), with higher numbers indicating louder sounds are necessary.
Why you should know your Hearing Number
As the Hearing Health specialists of Johns Hopkins explain, knowing your Hearing Number is a step toward taking control of your hearing health now and throughout your life. Knowing your Hearing Number will help you to better understand your own hearing with an objective metric that you can monitor over time. Your Hearing Number can also support you in knowing when to adopt communication strategies or hearing technologies that will improve your hearing and overall quality of life. It also has the potential to raise awareness whether you may be at greater risk for adverse health outcomes that are linked to hearing loss, such as dementia and depression.
Hearing strategies based on your Hearing Number
Knowing your Hearing Number might also help you to feel empowered and more comfortable talking about your hearing with loved ones and health care professionals.
Monitor your hearing with the free Mimi Hearing Test App
Mimi Hearing Test is a free digital hearing test app. The user-friendly test is easy to complete and is the perfect application if you want to monitor your hearing health. You will be guided through a hearing test and can perform it in the comfort of your own home. It takes just a few minutes, and can be done on a smartphone or tablet. After completing the test you will receive individualized results about your hearing.
Let (the) hearing wellbeing begin
Start your hearing wellbeing journey today and test your hearing with the free Mimi Hearing Test App. Find out more about the Johns Hopkins ‘Know Your Hearing Number’ resources and take a deep dive into the topic with ‘Hearing Loss for dummies’ by Frank Lin and Nicholas Reed from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
