Summertime has some activities that are simply staples: Air shows, concerts, fireworks, state fairs, Nascar races, etc. The crowds, and the noise levels, are growing as more of these activities are getting back to normal.
But sometimes this can bring about issues. Because let’s be honest: this isn’t the first outdoor concert that’s left you with ringing ears. This ringing, known as tinnitus, can be a sign that you’ve sustained hearing damage. And the more damage you experience, the more your hearing will wane.
But it’s ok. With the correct hearing protection, you’ll be able to enjoy those summer experiences (even NASCAR) without doing permanent damage to your ears.
How can you know if your hearing is taking a beating?
So, you’re at the air show or enjoying yourself at an incredible concert, how much attention should you be paying to your ears?
Because you’ll be fairly distracted, naturally.
You should watch for the following symptoms if you want to avoid serious injury:
- Tinnitus: This is a buzzing or ringing in your ears. It’s an indication that damage is happening. You shouldn’t necessarily ignore tinnitus just because it’s a relatively common condition.
- Dizziness: Your sense of balance is generally controlled by your inner ear. So if you’re feeling dizzy at one of these loud events, especially if that dizziness coincides with a rush of volume, this is another sign that damage has happened.
- Headache: If you’re experiencing a headache, something is probably wrong. And when you’re attempting to gauge hearing damage this is even more pertinent. A pounding headache can be triggered by excessively loud volume. If you find yourself in this scenario, seek a less noisy setting.
Needless to say, this list isn’t exhaustive. Loud noise leads to hearing loss because the extra loud volume levels harm the tiny hairs in your ear responsible for sensing vibrations in the air. And once these tiny hairs are destroyed, they never heal or grow back. They’re that specialized and that delicate.
And it’s not like people say, “Ow, the tiny hairs in my ear hurt”. That’s why you need to watch for secondary signs.
It’s also possible for damage to happen with no symptoms whatsoever. Damage will happen whenever you’re exposed to excessively loud sound. And the damage will get worse the longer the exposure continues.
What should you do when you experience symptoms?
You’re getting your best groove on (and everyone is digging it), but then, you start to feel dizzy and your ears start ringing. How loud is too loud and what should you do? And are you in the danger zone? How should you know how loud 100 decibels is?
Here are a few options that have different levels of effectiveness:
- Find the merch booth: Some venues will sell disposable earplugs. So if you don’t have anything else, it’s worth checking out the merch booth or vendor area. Your hearing health is important so the few bucks you pay will be well worth it.
- You can get out of the concert venue: Honestly, this is likely your best possible option if you’re looking to safeguard your hearing health. But it’s also the least enjoyable option. It would be understandable if you’d rather stay and enjoy the show using a different way to safeguard your hearing. But you should still think about leaving if your symptoms become extreme.
- Keep a pair of cheap earplugs with you: Cheap earplugs are, well, cheap. They aren’t the ideal hearing protection, but they’re somewhat effective for what they are. So there’s no reason not to keep a pair with you. Now, if the volume starts to get a bit too loud, you simply pull them out and pop them in.
- Use anything to cover your ears: When things get noisy, the goal is to protect your ears. So if you don’t have any earplugs and the volume levels have taken you by surprise, consider using anything around you to cover and safeguard your ears. It won’t be the most efficient way to reduce the sound, but it will be better than nothing.
- Try distancing yourself from the origin of the noise: If you detect any pain in your ears, distance yourself from the speakers. Put simply, try moving away from the source of the noise. Perhaps that means giving up your front row seats at NASCAR, but you can still enjoy the show and give your ears a necessary break.
Are there more effective hearing protection strategies?
So, disposable earplugs will do when you’re mainly concerned with protecting your hearing for a couple of hours at a show. But it’s a little different when you’re a music-lover, and you attend concerts every night, or you have season tickets to NASCAR or football games, or you work in your garage every evening restoring an old Corvette with loud power tools.
In these cases, you will want to take a few more profound steps to safeguard your hearing. Here are some steps in that direction:
- Come in and for a consultation: We can perform a hearing test so that you’ll know where your hearing levels are right now. And after you have a recorded baseline, it will be easier to detect and record damage. You will also get the extra advantage of our personalized advice to help you keep your ears safe.
- Professional or prescription level hearing protection is recommended This could include personalized earplugs or over-the-ear headphones. The degree of protection increases with a better fit. You can always take these with you and put them in when the need arises.
- Use a volume monitoring app: Most modern smartphones will be able to download an app that monitors the ambient noise. These apps will then warn you when the noise becomes dangerously high. In order to safeguard your ears, keep an eye on your volume monitor on your phone. This way, you’ll be capable of easily seeing what decibel level is loud enough to damage your ears.
Have your cake and hear it, too
Alright, it’s a bit of a mixed metaphor, but the point holds: you can safeguard your hearing and enjoy all these fabulous outdoor summer activities. You just have to take steps to enjoy these activities safely. And that’s true with anything, even your headphones. Identifying how loud is too loud for headphones can help you make better decisions about your hearing health.
Because if you really love going to see an airshow or a NASCAR race or an outdoor summer concert, chances are, you’re going to want to continue doing that in the future. If you’re not sensible now you may end up losing your hearing and also your summer fun.
References
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/what_noises_cause_hearing_loss.html
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/decibel-levels
