Finally, it’s summer!!
That means it’s time to go out and enjoy all the fun activities that the season has to provide. But before you hit the beach, the concert, or the backyard barbecue, remember to protect your hearing.
When you’re out enjoying summer, don’t forget that your hearing can be damaged by loud noises. So it’s essential to take measures to protect your ears, especially during the summer months when you’re more likely to be exposed to loud noises.
Here are a few activities that are best enjoyed with earplugs.
Going for a swim
Even in clean pools, there can be parasites and bacteria that can cause swimmer’s ear. You can prevent infections by keeping water out of your ears and earplugs can help you do this.
Polluted water getting into your ears, while usually not a serious problem, can have some negative consequences. Short-term hearing loss, pain, and inflammation can be the result.
Left unaddressed, infections can cause damage to the eardrum and the fragile inner workings of the ear.
It’s not possible to totally avoid all pathogens in pools or hot tubs, but wearing swimming earplugs will help safeguard your ears.
Concerts and live performances
Going to a concert is always a good time, especially during the summer. But live concerts are typically very loud.
You may be exposed to over 120dB of volume depending on where you’re standing. That’s enough to trigger instant and permanent hearing loss.
Earplugs will stop some of that sound but won’t distort it. Earplugs have an NRR rating with a range of 20 to 33, which determines the strength of the protection. 20dB of sound will be blocked by earplugs with a 20 NRR rating. So a 120-dB concert will be lowered to around 100 dB.
However, that’s still a potentially harmful level.
The closer to the speaker you are, the higher NRR you’ll require to safeguard your ears and prevent irreversible hearing damage. Even if you acquire the highest level of hearing protection, you will still be subjected to sounds loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage within 15 minutes. For the highest level of protection, stand a distance from the speakers and use earplugs.
The same goes for indoor concerts, sporting events, plays, movies, cook-outs, festivals, or other events where sounds are being amplified through speakers.
Yard work
You do it each week, but the grass keeps growing. You take measures like edging flower beds and weeding the gardens so your yard looks nice. Then you keep the long grass in check with a weed-whacker.
Power tools and other yard equipment can be really loud, and prolonged exposure can and will harm your hearing. Earplugs will help lessen the noise from these tools and protect your hearing.
If you aren’t wearing earplugs when you use the mower, over time, you will be noticeably doing hearing loss.
Independence day
It wouldn’t be Independence Day without them. On the 4th of July, we will all be celebrating our nation’s independence. But fireworks have a dark side. The noise they make can be in excess of 175 dB. If you shot a gun right near your head it would be around this volume.
If you’re going to a display in which the fireworks are thunderous and repeating, you’ll definitely need earplugs. If you’re near to the action, the highest NRR rating is suggested. You’ll still hear the fireworks and they’ll still be loud, but you’ll be protecting your hearing from future hearing loss.
It’s important to protect your ears
Don’t wait until your hearing loss is severe to seek help. Hearing loss caused by loud noise can’t be reversed and since it occurs so gradually, most people don’t recognize they’re harming their hearing. Call us right away so we can help you identify any risks you might have.