Some activities are simply staples of summer: Air shows, concerts, fireworks, state fairs, Nascar races, etc. As more of these activities go back to something like normal, the crowds, and the noise levels, are growing.
And that can be an issue. Let’s face it: you’ve had ringing in your ears after attending a concert before. This ringing, known as tinnitus, can be an indication that you’ve sustained hearing damage. And the more damage you experience, the more your hearing will deteriorate.
But it’s ok. If you use effective hearing protection, all of this summer fun can be safely enjoyed.
How can you tell if your hearing is taking a beating?
So how much attention should you be putting on your ears when you’re at that air show or concert?
Because you’ll be rather distracted, naturally.
Well, if you want to prevent severe injury, you should be on the lookout for the following symptoms:
- Dizziness: Your inner ear is largely responsible for your ability to stay balanced. Dizziness is another indication that damage has happened, particularly if it’s accompanied by a spike in volume. So if you’re at one of these noisy events and you feel dizzy you may have injured your ears.
- Headache: In general, a headache is a good indication that something is wrong. This is certainly true when you’re attempting to gauge injury to your hearing, too. A pounding headache can be triggered by overly loud volume. And that’s a good indication that you should seek a quieter setting.
- Tinnitus: This is a ringing or buzzing in your ears. It means your ears are sustaining damage. You shouldn’t automatically disregard tinnitus just because it’s a fairly common condition.
This list is not exhaustive, obviously. There are tiny hairs inside of your ears which are responsible for picking up vibrations in the air and excessively loud sounds can damage these hairs. And when an injury to these delicate hairs occurs, they will never heal. They’re that specialized and that fragile.
And it isn’t like people say, “Ow, the little hairs in my ear hurt”. So looking out for secondary signs will be the only way you can know if you’re developing hearing loss.
You also may be developing hearing loss without any apparent symptoms. Any exposure to loud noise will result in damage. And the damage will get worse the longer the exposure continues.
What should you do when you experience symptoms?
You’re rocking out just awesomely (everyone notices and is immediately entertained by how hard you rock, you’re the life of the party) when your ears begin to ring, and you feel a bit dizzy. What should you do? How loud is too loud? And are you in a dangerous spot? (How loud is 100 decibels, anyhow?)
Here are a few options that have different degrees of effectiveness:
- You can leave the concert venue: If you actually want to safeguard your ears, this is really your best option. But it’s also the least fun solution. It would be understandable if you’d rather stay and enjoy the show using a different way to protect your hearing. But you should still think about getting out if your symptoms become severe.
- Try moving away from the origin of the noise: If you notice any ear pain, back away from the speakers. Put simply, try moving away from the origin of the noise. You can give your ears a break while still enjoying yourself, but you may have to give up your front row NASCAR seats.
- Bring cheap earplugs wherever you go: Cheap earplugs are, well, cheap. For what they are, they’re moderately effective and are better than no protection. So there’s no excuse not to keep a pair with you. This way, if things get a bit too loud, you can just pop these puppies in.
- Check the merch booth: Disposable earplugs are obtainable at some venues. So if you don’t have anything else, it’s worth trying the merch booth or vendor area. Your hearing health is important so the few bucks you pay will be well worth it.
- Cover your ears with, well, anything: When things get loud, the aim is to safeguard your ears. So if you don’t have any earplugs and the volume levels have caught you by surprise, consider using anything you can find to cover up and safeguard your ears. Although it won’t be as effective as approved hearing protection, something is better than nothing.
Are there any other methods that are more reliable?
So, disposable earplugs will work when you’re mainly concerned with safeguarding your hearing for a couple of hours at a concert. But it’s a bit 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.
You will want to use a bit more advanced methods in these situations. Here are a few steps in that direction:
- Speak with us today: We can do a hearing assessment so that you’ll know where your hearing levels currently are. And after you have a recorded baseline, it will be easier to observe and record damage. Plus, we’ll have a lot of personalized tips for you, all designed to protect your ears.
- Use a volume monitoring app: Ambient noise is normally monitored by your smartphone automatically, but you can also get an app for that. These apps will then notify you when the noise becomes dangerously loud. Monitor your own portable decibel meter to ensure you’re protecting your ears. Using this method, the precise volume level that will harm your ears will be obvious.
- Wear professional or prescription level ear protection. This may mean over-the-ear headphones, but more likely, it will mean personalized earplugs. The better the fit, the better the hearing protection. You can always take these with you and put them in when you need them.
Have your cake and hear it, too
It may be a mixed metaphor but you get the point: you can safeguard your hearing and enjoy all these fabulous outdoor summer activities. You will enjoy those activities safely by taking a few simple steps. You need to take these steps even with 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 a NASCAR race or an airshow or an outdoor summer concert, chances are, you’re going to want to continue doing that in the future. Being smart now means you’ll be able to hear your favorite band years from now.
References
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/what_noises_cause_hearing_loss.html
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/decibel-levels