Summer is here!
That means it’s time to get out and enjoy all the exciting experiences that the season has to offer. But keep the health of your hearing in mind before you head out for a day on the beach, a rocking concert, or perhaps an enjoyable backyard get-together.
When you’re out enjoying summer, do keep in mind that your hearing can be harmed by loud noises. So it’s essential to take measures to safeguard your ears, especially during the summer months when you’re more likely to experience loud noises.
One of the most important steps is using earplugs, particularly under certain conditions.
Swimming
Parasites and bacteria love water and can even live in fairly clean pools potentially resulting in swimmer’s ear. Earplugs will help keep your ears dry and prevent infection.
While pool-borne sickness isn’t usually serious, polluted water getting into your ear canal can have harmful effects. It can cause swelling, pain, and even temporary hearing loss.
Left unaddressed, infections can result in damage to the eardrum and the fragile inner workings of the ear.
It’s impossible to completely stay away from all pathogens in hot tubs or pools, but wearing swimming earplugs will help safeguard your ears.
Live performances and concerts
Attending a concert is always fun, particularly during the summer. But live concerts are usually very loud.
You might be exposed to over 120dB of sound depending on where you’re standing. That’s enough to trigger immediate and permanent hearing loss.
Earplugs are designed to reduce sound, not distort it. Earplugs have an NRR rating with a range of 20 to 33, which determines the strength of the protection. An NRR of 20 will reduce the sound by 20 dB. So a 120-dB concert will be reduced to around 100 dB.
However, that’s still a potentially harmful level.
Safeguarding your hearing will mean utilizing a higher NRR the closer to the speakers you will be standing. Even if you acquire the highest level of hearing protection, you will still be exposed to sounds loud enough to trigger irreversible 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, barbecues, celebrations, or other events where sounds are being boosted through speakers.
Yard work
The grass is going to keep growing so mowing will be necessary pretty much weekly. You regularly edge the flowerbeds and weed the steps to keep your yard from looking messy. Then you use a weed-whacker to touch up around the trees.
Power equipment and other yard tools can be really loud, and prolonged exposure can and will damage your hearing. The noise from this equipment can be reduced and your ears can be protected by using earplugs.
If you’re mowing without earplugs, you’re slowly damaging your ears and it will become more evident over time.
Independence Day
They’re an essential aspect of Independence Day. When July comes around, it’s time to celebrate the independence of our nation. But fireworks have a dark side. They can generate up to 175dB of noise. If you fired a gun right next to your head it would be around this volume.
If you’re attending a show where the fireworks are thunderous and repeating, you’ll absolutely need earplugs. If you’re near to the action, the highest NRR rating is advisable. You’ll protect your hearing from damage and the fireworks will still be loud enough.
Protecting your hearing is important
Don’t wait until your hearing loss is extreme to get help. Hearing loss related to loud noise can’t be corrected and since it happens so slowly, most people don’t realize they’re harming their hearing. Have your hearing assessed regularly by us to determine your risk level.