Now that we’re all settling into the busy fall season (and still daydreaming of those summer vacations), it’s important to remember to protect your ears. For those who have received our September newsletter, you’ve seen that each part of the ear (outer, middle, and inner) serve to detect and interpret sound. The vibrations and waves that result can – if gone unprotected – cause damage to one’s hearing. So this week we’d like to remind you of some hearing protection tips so that you can be hearing your best at all times, and don’t have to miss out on those loud football games and fall concerts!
Imagine that you’re seeing your favorite band for the first time in ages, and you’ve got front-row seats. You’re so close you can practically feel the drums; the amplifiers are a mere couple feet from your ears – every bit of the music is coursing through you at full volume. Sure, it might be a bit shocking to your senses at first, but after a few minutes you’ve adjusted to the sounds, and you’re ready to enjoy the next hour or two-hour long show (three hours if you’re seeing the Eagles!) to the fullest.
Except – when you leave the show, you can’t help but notice what a hard time you’re having hearing. Everything – your friends’ voices, the sound of the crowd spilling out of the place, even the cars revving up in the parking lot – seems muted somehow. You find yourself saying, “What?” repeatedly to your friends; you have to lean in close just to make out what they’re saying. But you’ve experienced this before, you’ve been to loud shows as a young-in, and you’ve survived! You know you’ll wake up the next morning able to hear normally again, so you’ll get through the night without worry.
But – did you know that you may actually be affecting your hearing long-term? Direct exposure to loud noise can actually cause damage in the future. It may not be immediately apparent, but the actions you do or do not take to protect your hearing now will have a profound effect on your hearing later in life. You can experience gradual hearing loss without immediate awareness. And here’s another thing to remember: you can’t grow “used” to loud noise, no matter how well-adjusted you feel while you’re at that concert. It’s therefore best to look for some ‘danger’ signs at loud events:
1. Do you have to shout to speak to your friends?
2. Are your ears ringing or hurting? (This can be a sign of tinnitus, which can become permanent)
3. Do you have difficulty hearing for several hours after the noise exposure? If you find yourself noticing said signs, take precautions – consider ear plugs, opt for a more distant seat, or simply limit the amount of time you’ll be exposed to the noise (the longer you sit there with your ears pounding, the more damage your ears can take).
So what’s the good news about all this? Even if you’ve been subjected to lots of noise, your hearing loss can be reduced or further prevented if you simply take some precautions. Hearing protection devices can decrease sound intensity when it reaches the eardrum. Earplugs, for example, sit in the outer ear canal to reduce noise without cutting it off entirely (unless this is desired). They can be custom fit and adjusted to your liking.
Some tips to protect your hearing:
1. Turn down your appliances. You don’t need to listen to the car radio so loud that everything’s booming and shaking, do you?
2. Stand back from the sound source – if you’re close to a speaker at a party or event, for example, and you find yourself thinking, “jeesh, this is really loud,” take a few steps back.
3. Consider purchasing ear protection – then you can stay as close to the speakers, amps, microphones, etc. as you want! Plus, it will make any loud (but necessary) work safer and easier on the ears. Got to mow the lawn? Using a jackhammer? Going hunting? Seeing the next Pats game, and not keen on muted hearing for the next few hours? Pop in your protective molds.
Hearing Solutions offers many different types of hearing protection – including custom fit monitors and custom fit ear plugs. Both can help you protect your hearing without muting sound when you’re in a noisy environment.
