Summertime has some activities that are just staples: Air shows, concerts, fireworks, state fairs, Nascar races, etc. The crowds, and the decibel levels, are getting larger as more of these events are going back to normal.
But sometimes this can cause problems. 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 an indication that you’ve sustained hearing damage. And the more damage you experience, the more your hearing will decline.
But don’t worry. If you use effective ear protection, all of this summer fun can be safely enjoyed.
How can you know if your hearing is taking a beating?
So, you’re at the air show or enjoying yourself at an amazing concert, how much attention should you be paying to your ears?
Because, obviously, you’ll be fairly distracted.
You should watch out for the following symptoms if you want to avoid severe damage:
- Dizziness: Your sense of balance is generally controlled by your inner ear. So if you feel dizzy at one of these loud events, particularly if that dizziness coincides with a charge of volume, this is another indication that damage has occurred.
- Headache: Generally, a headache is a strong indication that something is wrong. This is definitely true when you’re attempting to gauge damage to your hearing, too. A pounding headache can be triggered by excessively loud volume. If you find yourself in this scenario, seek a quieter setting.
- Tinnitus: This is a ringing or buzzing in your ears. It means your ears are sustaining damage. You shouldn’t necessarily disregard tinnitus just because it’s a fairly common condition.
This list isn’t complete, of course. There are tiny hairs in your ears which are responsible for detecting vibrations in the air and excessively loud sounds can damage these hairs. And once these tiny hairs are damaged, they never heal or grow back. They’re that specialized and that fragile.
And the phrase “ow, my tiny ear hairs hurt” isn’t something you ever hear people say. So watching for secondary signs will be the only way you can know if you’re developing hearing loss.
You also could be developing hearing loss without any detectable symptoms. Any exposure to loud noise will result in damage. And the damage will worsen the longer the exposure continues.
When you do notice symptoms, what should I do?
You’re getting your best groove on (and everybody is digging it), but then, you start to feel dizzy and your ears start to ring. What should you do? How loud is too loud? Are you standing too close to the speakers? How should you know how loud 100 decibels is?
Here are a few options that have different degrees of effectiveness:
- Try distancing yourself from the origin of the noise: If you notice any pain in your ears, distance yourself from the speakers. Essentially, distance yourself from the origin of the noise. You can give your ears a rest while still enjoying yourself, but you may have to give up your front row NASCAR seats.
- Find the merch booth: Disposable earplugs are obtainable at some venues. Check out the merch booth for earplugs if you don’t have anything else. Usually, you won’t have to pay more than a few bucks, and with regards to the health of your hearing, that’s a bargain!
- Keep a set of cheap earplugs with you: Cheap earplugs are, well, cheap. They aren’t the ideal hearing protection, but they’re relatively 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 little too loud, you just pull them out and pop them in.
- You can get out of the venue: Honestly, this is probably your best possible solution if you’re looking to protect your hearing health. But it’s also the least fun solution. So if your symptoms are severe, think about getting out of there, but we understand if you’d rather find a way to protect your hearing and enjoy the show.
- Use anything to cover your ears: The goal is to protect your ears when things are loudest. Try to use something around you to cover your ears if you don’t have earplugs and the high volume suddenly surprises you. Although it won’t be as efficient as approved hearing protection, something is better than nothing.
Are there better hearing protection methods?
So, disposable earplugs will do when you’re mostly concerned with safeguarding your hearing for a couple of hours at a show. But if you work in your garage daily fixing your old Chevelle with power tools, or if you have season tickets to your favorite football team or NASCAR, or you go to concerts nightly, it’s a little different.
In these situations, you will want to take a few more significant steps to protect your hearing. Here are some steps in that direction:
- Speak with us today: We can do a hearing exam so that you’ll know where your hearing levels currently are. And it will be a lot easier to recognize and record any damage once a baseline is established. Plus, we’ll have all kinds of personalized tips for you, all designed to keep your ears safe.
- Use professional or prescription level ear protection. This may include personalized earplugs or over-the-ear headphones. The level of protection increases with a better fit. You can always take these with you and put them in when you need them.
- Use a decibel monitoring app: Most modern smartphones will be able to download an app that monitors the ambient noise. These apps will then notify you when the noise becomes dangerously high. Keep an eye on your own portable volume meter to ensure you’re safeguarding your ears. 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
It may be a mixed metaphor but you get the point: you can safeguard your hearing and enjoy all these wonderful outdoor summer events. You just have to take measures to enjoy these activities safely. And that’s relevant with anything, even your headphones. Identifying how loud is too loud for headphones can help you make better choices about your hearing health.
As the years go on, you will most likely want to keep doing all of your favorite outdoor summer activities. Being sensible now means you’ll be able to hear your favorite band decades from now.
References
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/what_noises_cause_hearing_loss.html
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/decibel-levels
