Man trimming bushes with electric trimmer while wearing hearing protection.

Finally, it’s summertime!!

This summer season offers tons of fun. But keep the health of your hearing in mind before you head out for a day on the beach, a rocking concert, or maybe a great backyard barbecue.

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

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 relatively clean pools potentially leading to swimmer’s ear. Earplugs will help keep water out of your ears and prevent infection.

While pool-borne sickness is rarely serious, polluted water getting into your ear canal can have harmful effects. Short-term hearing loss, pain, and inflammation can be the consequence.

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

It’s impossible to totally avoid all pathogens in pools or hot tubs, but using swimming earplugs will help safeguard your ears.

Concerts and live performances

Summer is the perfect time for an evening of live music. But live concerts are usually really loud.

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

Earplugs will stop some of that sound but won’t 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 blocked by earplugs with a 20 NRR rating. So a 120-dB concert will be lowered to around 100 dB.

But that degree 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. Even if you get the highest level of hearing protection, you will still be subjected to sounds loud enough to trigger irreversible hearing damage within 15 minutes. For the highest level of protection, stand a distance from the speakers and wear earplugs.

This doesn’t just apply to concerts, it’s also true for things like festivals, movies, plays, sporting events, and any other event where sound will be amplified through speakers.

Yard work

The grass will continue o grow so mowing will be required pretty much weekly. You regularly edge the flowerbeds and weed the steps to keep your yard from looking like a mess. Then you keep the long grass in check with a weed-whacker.

Power equipment and other yard equipment can be really loud, and prolonged exposure can and will harm your hearing. The noise from this equipment can be reduced and your ears can be protected by using earplugs.

If you’re mowing without earplugs, you’re slowly damaging your hearing and it will become more obvious over time.

Independence Day

They’re an essential aspect 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. They can produce up to 175dB of noise. If you fired a gun right next to your head it would be around this volume.

If you’re going to a show where the fireworks are thunderous and recurring, you’ll certainly need earplugs. You should acquire the highest NRR rated earplugs, especially if you’re close. You’ll safeguard your ears from damage and the fireworks will still be loud enough.

Safeguarding your hearing is important

Get help before your hearing loss becomes extreme. Hearing loss related to loud noise can’t be reversed and since it occurs so gradually, most people don’t realize they’re harming their hearing. Have your hearing assessed routinely by us to determine your risk level.

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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.
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