Finally, it’s summertime!!
That means it’s time to go out and enjoy all the exciting activities that the season has to provide. But before you hit the beach, the concert, or the backyard barbecue, remember to take care of your hearing.
When you’re out enjoying summer, remember that your hearing can be harmed by loud noises. During the summer you’re a lot more likely to be exposed to loud sounds, so it’s really important to take the appropriate steps to safeguard your hearing.
Here are a few activities that are best enjoyed with earplugs.
Swimming
Parasites and bacteria love water and can even live in fairly clean pools potentially leading to swimmer’s ear. You can prevent infections by keeping water out of your ears and earplugs can help you do this.
Contaminated water getting inside of your ears, while usually not a serious problem, can have some unwanted consequences. Short-term hearing loss, pain, and swelling can be the consequence.
Left unaddressed, infections can cause damage to the eardrum and the delicate inner workings of the ear.
It’s not possible to completely stay away from all pathogens in pools or hot tubs, but using swimming earplugs will help protect your ears.
Live performances and concerts
Summertime is the perfect time for a night of live music. Because the performers are trying to reach such a large audience, however, noise levels are often off the charts.
Depending on the spot that you’re standing at the venue, you could be exposed to as much as 120dB of sound. These volume levels can immediately trigger hearing loss that can be permanent.
Earplugs are designed to decrease sound, not distort it. Earplugs have an NRR rating with a range of 20 to 33, which identifies the strength of the protection. 20dB of sound will be stopped by earplugs with a 20 NRR rating. So a 120-dB concert will be lowered to around 100 dB.
But that amount of sound can still potentially harm your hearing.
Protecting your hearing will mean using a higher NRR the closer to the speakers you will be standing. Within 15 minutes, you can experience irreversible hearing damage even if you use the highest level of protection. For the best protection, stand far away from the speakers and wear earplugs.
This doesn’t just pertain to concerts, it’s also relevant for things like festivals, movies, plays, sporting events, and any other event where sound will be amplified through speakers.
property maintenance
You do it each week, but the grass continues to grow. You take measures like edging flower beds and weeding the gardens so your yard looks great. Then you use a weed-whacker to clean up around the trees.
Your hearing will definitely be damaged by the loud volume of yard equipment. Earplugs will help lessen the noise from these tools and protect your hearing.
If you’re mowing without earplugs, you’re slowly damaging your hearing and it will become more noticeable over time.
Independence Day
They’re an essential part of Independence Day. When July comes around, it’s time to celebrate the independence of our nation. But fireworks have a negative side. They can generate up to 175dB of noise. If you fired a gun right near your head it would be about this volume.
You’ll definitely want earplugs if you’re going to a large fireworks show. 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 safeguarding your hearing from future hearing loss.
It’s important to protect your hearing
Don’t wait until your hearing loss is profound to get help. Hearing loss related to loud noise can’t be reversed and since it occurs so slowly, most people don’t realize they’re damaging their hearing. Give us a call right away so we can help you identify any risks you may have.