Summertime is a season abuzz with fun and exciting events – parties, weddings, graduations, fairs, and festivals. During all of these events, there is one feature that takes center stage – music!
Now everyone knows that music can make (or break) a party, but music can also break something else – our hearing! Loud music can have the same effect on our ears as using power tools and heavy equipment without hearing protection, even though it’s certainly more enjoyable.
Loud Noises And Our Ears
Our inner ears contain nerve endings, that move in response to sound vibration and change sound into electrical impulses that to travel to the brain. When our ears are exposed to loud sounds, these stereocilia are bent and moved to extremes. Over time, the stereocilia become permanently damaged, and can even break off, causing hearing loss and the distortion of sound. People usually associate this with damage due to working around loud machinery – but a typical rock concert can range between 110 -120 dB – the same as working with a jackhammer!
Even if you do not typically attend concerts or loud public events, personal music players and headphones can still reach levels that are dangerous to our hearing. Earbuds can reach 105 dB at full volume – the same as a running lawnmower! At this level, ears should not be exposed to this amount of sound without hearing protection for more than 15 minutes. Furthermore, people are often listening through headphones and earbuds for hours at a time, which is a lot of noise, especially in young ears.
Minimize The Effects Of Loud Music
Don’t worry – there are still ways to enjoy your music while keeping your ears safe! Wearing earplugs at concerts and shows can help bring the music down to a safe level. If you don’t have earplugs, taking “listening breaks” and getting out of the area for a little while can help limit the damage and prevent hearing loss. For musicians and audiophiles, custom musician’s earplugs will provide hearing protection without muffling or distorting the music.
On your personal audio device, there are sound limiting apps and volume locks to warn you when the volume is getting to an unsafe level. Using noise-canceling earbuds or headphones can remove the temptation to turn the music up to compensate for other noise.
By practicing good listening habits now, you can help your ears stay healthy and enjoy your music worry-free well into the future!
If you’re having hearing loss issues, ASC’s audiology and hearing aid services can help. Our audiology practice is in the Fairfield County, CT towns of Danbury, New Milford, Norwalk, and Ridgefield.
– Melissa Lev AUD