Summertime has some activities that are simply staples: Outdoor concerts, fireworks shows, state fairs, air shows, and NASCAR races (look, if you like watching cars go around in circles, no one’s going to judge you). The crowds, and the noise levels, are getting larger as more of these events are going back to normal.
But sometimes this can bring about problems. Because let’s be honest: this isn’t the first loud concert that’s caused your ears to ring. That ringing is often called tinnitus, and it could be a sign of something bad: hearing damage. And the more damage you do, the more your hearing will diminish.
But don’t worry. With the correct ear protection, you’ll be able to enjoy those summer activities (even NASCAR) without doing lasting damage to your ears.
How can you tell if your hearing is taking a beating?
So, you’re at the air show or enjoying an incredible concert, how much attention should you be paying to your ears?
Because you’ll be rather distracted, naturally.
Well, if you want to avoid significant damage, you should be on the lookout for the following symptoms:
- Tinnitus: This is a ringing or buzzing in your ears. It’s an indication that damage is happening. You shouldn’t necessarily ignore tinnitus just because it’s a fairly common condition.
- Dizziness: Your inner ear is largely responsible for your ability to remain balanced. 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 taken place.
- Headache: If you have a headache, something is probably not right. And when you’re trying to gauge hearing damage this is even more relevant. Too many decibels can trigger a pounding headache. If you find yourself in this situation, seek a less noisy setting.
Needless to say, this list isn’t complete. There are little hairs in your ears which are responsible for picking up vibrations in the air and excessively loud noises can damage these hairs. 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 you’ve ever heard anyone say, “Ow, the little hairs in my ear hurt”. That’s why you have to watch for secondary symptoms.
You also could be developing hearing loss without any detectable symptoms. Damage will happen anytime you’re exposed to excessively loud noise. The longer that exposure continues, the more significant the damage will become.
What should you do when you detect symptoms?
You’re rocking out just amazingly (everybody sees 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. How loud is too loud and what should you do? And are you in the danger zone? How are you supposed to know how loud 100 decibels is?
Here are a few options that have different degrees of effectiveness:
- Cover your ears with, well, anything: When things get loud, the aim is to safeguard your ears. Try using something near you to cover your ears if you don’t have earplugs and the high volume suddenly surprises you. Even though it won’t be as efficient as approved hearing protection, something is better than nothing.
- Find the merch booth: Disposable earplugs are available at some venues. Go to the merch booth for earplugs if you can’t find anything else. Usually, you won’t have to pay more than a few bucks, and when it comes to the health of your hearing, that’s a deal!
- You can get out of the venue: Truthfully, this is most likely your best possible solution if you’re looking to safeguard your hearing health. But it’s also the least enjoyable option. So if your symptoms are severe, think about leaving, but we get it if you’d rather pick a way to safeguard your hearing and enjoy the concert.
- Try moving away from the source of the noise: If you notice any pain in your ears, back away from the speakers. To put it bluntly, distance yourself from the origin of the noise. Maybe that means giving up your front row seats at NASCAR, but you can still have fun at the show and give your ears a needed break.
- Bring cheap earplugs around with you: Cheap earplugs are, well, cheap. They aren’t the best hearing protection in the world, 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 little too loud, you just pull them out and pop them in.
Are there better hearing protection strategies?
So when you need to protect your ears for a short time period at a concert, disposable earplugs will do. 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 noisy power tools.
In these situations, you will want to take a few more serious steps to safeguard your hearing. Those measures could include the following:
- Use a decibel monitoring app: Ambient noise is usually monitored by your smartphone automatically, but you can also download an app that can do that. 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.
- Speak with us today: You need to identify where your current hearing levels are, so come in and let us help. And it will be much easier to identify and record any damage after a baseline is established. You will also get the added benefit of our personalized advice to help you keep your hearing safe.
- Wear professional or prescription level hearing protection. This could include custom earplugs or over-the-ear headphones. The degree of protection increases with a better fit. When need arises, you will have them with you and you can simply put them in.
Have your cake and hear it, too
Alright, it’s a bit of a mixed metaphor, but the point stands: you can safeguard your hearing and enjoy all these fabulous outdoor summer events. You just have to take steps to enjoy these activities safely. And that’s relevant with everything, even your headphones. You will be able to make better hearing choices when you recognize how loud is too loud for headphones.
Because if you really enjoy 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 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
