Finally, it’s summer!!
This summer season offers tons of fun. But keep the health of your hearing in mind before you go out for a day on the beach, a rocking concert, or perhaps a great backyard get-together.
When you’re out enjoying summer, do keep in mind that your hearing can be damaged by loud noises. In the summer you’re much more likely to be exposed to loud sounds, so it’s very important to take the right steps to safeguard your hearing.
One of the most important steps is utilizing earplugs, especially under certain conditions.
Swimming
Even in clean pools, there can be bacteria and parasites that can lead to swimmer’s ear. Earplugs will help keep water out of your ears and prevent infection.
While pool-borne illness is rarely serious, polluted water getting inside of your ear canal can have harmful effects. It can cause inflammation, pain, and even short-term hearing loss.
Left untreated, infections can lead to damage to the eardrum and the delicate inner workings of the ear.
It’s impossible to totally avoid all pathogens in pools or hot tubs, but using swimming earplugs will help protect your ears.
Live performances and concerts
Attending a concert is always a good time, especially in the summer months. But live concerts are typically really loud.
Depending on where you’re standing at the venue, you may be exposed to as much as 120dB of sound. That’s enough to trigger immediate and lasting 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. An NRR of 20 will reduce the sound by 20 dB. So a 120-dB concert will be lowered to around 100 dB.
However, that’s still a potentially harmful level.
The closer you are to a speaker, the higher NRR you’ll need to protect your ears and prevent irreversible hearing damage. Within 15 minutes, you can develop permanent hearing damage even if you use the highest level of protection. For the best protection, stand far away from the speakers and wear earplugs.
The same goes for indoor concerts, sporting events, plays, movies, cook-outs, celebrations, or other events where sounds are being amplified through speakers.
Yard work
You do it every week, but the grass continues to grow. You take steps like edging flower beds and weeding the gardens so your yard looks great. Then you use a weed-whacker to touch up around the trees.
Your hearing will definitely be damaged by the loud volume of yard equipment. Earplugs will help reduce the noise from these tools and safeguard your hearing.
If you’re mowing the lawn without earplugs, you’re gradually damaging your hearing and it will become more obvious over time.
Independence Day
They’re an essential aspect of Independence Day. When July arrives, it’s time to celebrate the birth of our country. But fireworks have a dark side. They can generate up to 175dB of noise. That’s as loud as a pistol being fired right beside your head!
If you’re attending a display in which the fireworks are thunderous and recurring, you’ll absolutely need earplugs. You should get the highest NRR rated earplugs, especially if you’re close. You’ll still be able to hear the fireworks and they’ll still be loud, but you’ll be protecting your ears from future hearing loss.
It’s important to safeguard your hearing
Seek help before your hearing loss becomes extreme. Hearing loss caused by loud noise can’t be corrected and since it happens so gradually, most people don’t realize they’re damaging their hearing. Get your hearing assessed routinely by us to identify your risk level.
