Finally, it’s summertime!!
This summer season offers a lot of fun. But before you go to the beach, the concert, or the backyard barbecue, remember to take care of your hearing.
Loud noises can harm your hearing, even if you don’t think they’re that loud. So it’s important to take measures to safeguard your ears, especially during the summer months when you’re more likely to be exposed to loud noises.
One of the most important steps is utilizing earplugs, especially under certain conditions.
Going for a swim
Parasites and bacteria love water and can even live in fairly clean pools potentially leading to swimmer’s ear. You can stop infections by keeping your ears dry and earplugs can help you do this.
While pool-borne illness is rarely serious, contaminated water getting inside of your ear canal can have harmful effects. Short-term hearing loss, pain, and swelling can be the outcome.
The eardrum and also the fragile inner workings of the ear can be damaged by neglected infections.
It’s impossible to totally avoid all pathogens in pools or hot tubs, but wearing swimming earplugs will help safeguard your ears.
Live performances and concerts
Summer is the best time for an evening of live music. But live concerts are usually very loud.
Depending on the spot that you’re standing at the venue, you could be exposed to as much as 120dB of sound. That’s enough to lead to instant and lasting hearing loss.
Earplugs will stop some of that sound but won’t distort it. The amount of sound that can be stopped by earplugs will be determined by an NRR rating of between 20 and 33. An NRR of 20 will reduce the sound by 20 dB. So if you’re attending a concert with 120dB of sound, it will be lowered to 100dB.
But that amount of sound can still potentially damage your hearing.
Safeguarding 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 highest level of protection, stand a distance 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 boosted through speakers.
Yard work
The grass will continue o grow so mowing will be necessary pretty much every week. You take measures 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 certainly be compromised by the loud volume of yard equipment. The noise from this equipment can be decreased and your ears can be safeguarded by wearing earplugs.
If you’re not using earplugs when you run the mower, over time, you will be observably causing hearing loss.
Independence Day
They’re an essential part of Independence Day. On the 4th of July, we will all be celebrating our nation’s independence. But there’s a dark side to fireworks. The noise they create can be in excess of 175 dB. If you fired a gun right next to 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 get the highest NRR rated earplugs, especially if you’re close. You’ll safeguard your hearing from damage and the fireworks will still be loud enough.
It’s important to protect your ears
Get help before your hearing loss becomes profound. Most individuals most likely won’t even realize that their hearing is gradually going until it’s too late, and regrettably, it’s irreversible. Get your hearing assessed routinely by us to determine your risk level.
