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). As more of these activities return to something like normal, the crowds, and the noise levels, are getting larger.
But sometimes this can bring about problems. Because let’s be honest: this isn’t the first outdoor concert that’s left you with ringing ears. That ringing is often called tinnitus, and it could be an indication of something bad: hearing damage. And as you keep exposing your ears to these loud sounds, you continue to do further permanent damage to your hearing.
But it’s ok. With the correct hearing protection, you’ll be able to enjoy those summer experiences (even NASCAR) without doing lasting damage to your ears.
So, you’re at the air show or enjoying an amazing concert, how much attention should you be paying to your ears?
Because, naturally, you’ll be pretty distracted.
Well, if you want to avoid significant injury, you should be looking out for the following symptoms:
This list isn’t exhaustive, obviously. There are tiny hairs inside of your ears which are responsible for picking up vibrations in the air and excessively loud noises can harm these hairs. And once an injury to these tiny hairs occurs, they will never heal. That’s how fragile and specialized they are.
And the phrase “ow, my little ear hairs hurt” isn’t something you ever hear people say. That’s why you have to look out for secondary signs.
You also may be developing hearing loss without any apparent symptoms. Any exposure to loud sound will lead to damage. The longer you’re exposed, the more severe the damage will become.
You’re getting your best groove on (and everyone 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 hanging too close to the speakers? How should you know how loud 100 decibels is?
Well, you’ve got several options, and they vary when it comes to how effective they’ll be:
So when you need to protect your ears for a short time period at a concert, disposable earplugs will be fine. But if you work in your garage every day fixing your old Chevelle with power tools, or if you have season tickets to your favorite football stadium or NASCAR, or you go to concerts nightly, it’s not the same.
In these situations, you will want to take a few more serious steps to protect your hearing. Those steps could include the following:
It might be a mixed metaphor but you get the point: you can enjoy all those great summer activities while still protecting your hearing. You just have to take steps to enjoy these activities safely. You need to take these steps even with headphones. Knowing how loud is too loud for headphones can help you make better choices about your hearing health.
Because if you really love going to see an airshow or a NASCAR race or an outdoor summer concert, chances are, you’re going to want to keep doing that as the years go on. If you’re not smart now you could end up losing your hearing and also your summer fun.
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/decibel-levels
1455 W. Court St.
Kankakee, IL 60901
815 939 2024
Mon & Wed: 9am-4:30pm (Staff only)
Tue & Thu: 8:30am-5pm (Doctor sees patients)
Fri: 9am-1pm (Staff only)
Fri: 2pm-5pm (Doctor sees patients)
Closed for lunch 12pm-1pm
29 West 34th St.
Steger, IL 60475
708 756 1767
Mon & Wed: 8:30am-5pm (Doctor sees patients)
Tue & Thu: 9am-4:30pm (Staff only)
Fri: 8:30am-12pm (Doctor sees patients)
Fri: 1pm-4:30pm (Staff only)
Closed for lunch 12pm-1pm