Basic Ways to Safeguard Your Hearing This Summer

Man trimming bushes with electric trimmer while wearing hearing protection.

Summer has finally arrived!

This summer season has a lot of fun. But don’t forget about your hearing’s health before you head out for a day on the beach, a rocking concert, or perhaps an enjoyable backyard barbecue.

Loud noises can harm your hearing, even if you don’t think they’re very loud. In the summer you’re much more likely to be exposed to loud sounds, so it’s very important to take the appropriate steps to protect your hearing.

Here are a few activities that are best enjoyed with earplugs.

Swimming

Bacteria and parasites love water and can even live in relatively clean pools potentially resulting in swimmer’s ear. You can prevent infections by keeping your ears dry and earplugs can help you do this.

Polluted water getting inside of your ears, while normally not a serious problem, can have some negative repercussions. It can cause inflammation, pain, and even temporary hearing loss.

Left unaddressed, infections can cause damage to the eardrum and the fragile inner workings of the ear.

It’s impossible 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

Going to a concert is always a good time, especially in the summer months. But live concerts are usually really loud.

Depending on where you’re standing at the venue, you might be exposed to as many as 120 decibels (dB). These volume levels can immediately cause hearing loss that can be permanent.

Earplugs will block 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. 20dB of sound will be blocked by earplugs with a 20 NRR rating. So a 120-dB concert will be reduced to around 100 dB.

But that amount of sound can still potentially harm your hearing.

Protecting your hearing will mean utilizing a higher NRR the closer to the speakers you will be standing. Within 15 minutes, you can develop 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.

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 required pretty much every week. You take steps such as edging flower beds and weeding the gardens so your yard looks nice. Then you keep the long grass in check with a weed-whacker.

Your hearing will definitely be damaged by the volume level of yard equipment. Earplugs will help decrease the noise from these tools and safeguard your hearing.

If you aren’t using earplugs when you run the mower, over time, you will be noticeably doing hearing loss.

Independence Day

It wouldn’t be Independence Day without them. On the 4th of July, we will all be celebrating our country’s independence. But fireworks have a dark side. The noise they make can exceed 175 dB. If you fired a gun right near your head it would be about this volume.

If you’re attending a show where the fireworks are thunderous and repeating, you’ll definitely need earplugs. You should acquire the highest NRR rated earplugs, particularly if you’re close. You’ll still hear the fireworks and they’ll still be loud, but you’ll be safeguarding your ears from future hearing loss.

Protecting 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 happens so gradually, most people don’t recognize they’re harming their hearing. Call us right away so we can help you identify any risks you might have.

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.