Some activities are just staples of summertime: Outdoor concerts, fireworks shows, state fairs, air shows, and NASCAR races (look, if you like watching cars go around in circles, nobody’s going to judge you). The crowds, and the decibel levels, are getting larger as more of these events are getting back to normal.
But sometimes this can bring about issues. Let’s face it: you’ve had ringing in your ears after attending a concert before. This ringing, known as tinnitus, can be a sign that you’ve sustained hearing damage. And as you continue to expose your ears to these loud sounds, you continue to do further irreversible damage to your hearing.
But it’s ok. With the proper hearing protection, you’ll be able to enjoy those summer experiences (even NASCAR) without doing long-term damage to your ears.
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 concert or air show?
Because you’ll be fairly distracted, naturally.
You should watch for the following symptoms if you want to avoid serious injury:
- Dizziness: Your inner ear is generally responsible for your ability to keep yourself balanced. Dizziness is another indication that damage has happened, particularly if it’s accompanied by a change in volume. So if you’re at one of these loud events and you feel dizzy you could have injured your ears.
- Headache: In general, a headache is a strong indication that something isn’t right. And when you’re attempting to gauge hearing damage this is even more pertinent. A pounding headache can be caused by excessively loud volume. If you find yourself in this scenario, seek a less noisy setting.
- Tinnitus: This is a ringing or buzzing in your ears. It’s an indication that damage is happening. Tinnitus is pretty common, but that doesn’t mean you should neglect it.
Obviously, this list isn’t exhaustive. Loud noise causes hearing loss because the excessively loud volume levels damage the tiny hairs in your ear responsible for sensing vibrations in the air. And once an injury to these delicate hairs occurs, they will never heal. They’re that specialized and that delicate.
And the phrase “ow, my tiny ear hairs hurt” isn’t something you ever hear people say. So looking out for secondary signs will be the only way you can detect if you’re developing hearing loss.
You also could be developing hearing loss with no detectable symptoms. Any exposure to loud noise will produce damage. The longer that exposure continues, the more significant the damage will become.
When you do detect 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. How loud is too loud and what should you do? Are you hanging too close to the speakers? How are you supposed to know how loud 100 decibels is?
Here are a few options that have various degrees of effectiveness:
- Check the merch booth: Disposable earplugs are available at some venues. Check out the merch booth for earplugs if you don’t have anything else. Usually, you won’t need to pay more than a few bucks, and when it comes to the health of your hearing, that’s a deal!
- You can leave the concert venue: Truthfully, this is most likely your best possible option if you’re looking to safeguard your hearing health. But it’s also the least fun solution. It would be understandable if you’d rather stay and enjoy the concert utilizing a different way to safeguard your hearing. But you should still consider leaving if your symptoms become significant.
- Bring cheap earplugs around with you: Cheap earplugs are, well, cheap. For what they are, they’re relatively effective and are better than no protection. So there’s no reason not to keep a set in your glove box, purse, or wherever else. Now, if the volume begins to get a little too loud, you simply pull them out and pop them in.
- Try distancing yourself from the origin of the noise: If your ears begin to hurt, make sure you’re not standing next to the stage or a big speaker! Essentially, distance yourself from the origin of the noise. Maybe that means letting go of your front row NASCAR seats, but you can still have fun at the show and give your ears a necessary break.
- Block your ears with, well, anything: The goal is to safeguard your ears when things are too loud. Try using something around you to cover your ears if you don’t have earplugs and the high volume suddenly takes you by surprise. Although it won’t be as effective as approved hearing protection, something is better than nothing.
Are there more effective hearing protection strategies?
So, disposable earplugs will do when you’re mostly concerned about protecting your hearing for a couple of hours at a show. But it’s a bit different when you’re a music-lover, and you go to concerts every night, or you have season tickets to NASCAR or football games, or you work in your garage every night restoring an old Corvette with loud power tools.
In these cases, you will want to take a few more profound steps to protect your hearing. Here are some steps in that direction:
- Wear professional or prescription level hearing protection. This may include custom earplugs or over-the-ear headphones. The better the fit, the better the hearing protection. When need arises, you will have them with you and you can just put them in.
- Come in and for a consultation: You need to know where your current hearing levels are, so come in and let us help. And it will be a lot easier to identify and record any damage once a baseline is established. Plus, we’ll have all kinds of individualized tips for you, all tailored to keep your ears safe.
- Get an app that monitors volume levels: Ambient noise is normally monitored by your smartphone automatically, but you can also get an app for that. These apps will then alert you when the noise becomes dangerously loud. Monitor your own portable volume meter to ensure you’re safeguarding your ears. This way, you’ll be able to easily see what decibel level is loud enough to harm your ears.
Have your cake and hear it, too
Okay, it’s a bit of a mixed metaphor, but the point stands: you can protect your hearing and enjoy all these fabulous outdoor summer events. You just have to take measures to enjoy these activities safely. You need to take these steps even with headphones. Understanding 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 continue doing all of your favorite outdoor summer activities. If you’re not smart now you could 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
