Summer is here!
That means it’s time to get out and enjoy all the exciting activities that the season has to offer. But keep the health of your hearing in mind before you go out for a day on the beach, a rocking concert, or perhaps an enjoyable backyard barbecue.
Loud noises can damage your hearing, even if you don’t feel like they’re that loud. During the summer you’re much more likely to be exposed to loud sounds, so it’s really important to take the right steps to safeguard your hearing.
Here are some activities that are best enjoyed with earplugs.
Going for a swim
Even in clean pools, there can be bacteria and parasites that can cause swimmer’s ear. You can stop infections by keeping water out of your ears and earplugs can help you do this.
Polluted water getting into your ears, while normally not a serious issue, can have some negative repercussions. It can result in swelling, pain, and even temporary hearing loss.
The eardrum and also the delicate inner workings of the ear can be damaged by untreated infections.
It’s not possible to totally stay away from all pathogens in hot tubs or pools, but wearing swimming earplugs will help safeguard your ears.
Concerts and live performances
Summer is the best time for a night of live music. But live concerts are usually very loud.
You could be exposed to over 120dB of sound depending on where you’re standing. These volume levels can immediately cause hearing loss that can be permanent.
Earplugs are fashioned to reduce sound, not distort it. The amount of sound that can be stopped by earplugs will be established by an NRR rating of between 20 and 33. An NRR of 20 will lower the sound by 20 dB. So if you’re at a concert with 120dB of sound, it will be lowered to 100dB.
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. Within 15 minutes, you can experience permanent hearing damage even if you use the highest level of protection. For the best protection, stand a distance from the speakers and wear earplugs.
The same applies to indoor concerts, sporting events, plays, movies, barbecues, celebrations, or other events where sounds are being boosted through speakers.
property maintenance
The grass is going to keep growing so mowing will be necessary pretty much weekly. You take measures such as edging flower beds and weeding the gardens so your yard looks nice. Then you keep the long grass under control with a weed-whacker.
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 not using earplugs when you operate the mower, over time, you will be observably causing hearing loss.
Independence Day
They’re an essential part of Independence Day. When July arrives, it’s time to celebrate the birth of our nation. But there’s a dark side to fireworks. The noise they create can be in excess of 175 dB. If you shot a gun right next to your head it would be about this volume.
If you’re going to a show in which the fireworks are thunderous and recurring, you’ll certainly need earplugs. You should acquire the highest NRR rated earplugs, particularly if you’re close. You’ll protect your ears from damage and the fireworks will still sound loud enough.
Safeguarding your ears is important
Don’t wait until your hearing loss is severe to seek help. Hearing loss caused by loud noise can’t be corrected and since it takes place so gradually, most people don’t recognize they’re damaging their hearing. Get your hearing assessed regularly by us to identify your risk level.