Finally, it’s summer!!
This summer season offers tons of fun. But before you go to the beach, the concert, or the backyard cookout, remember to protect your hearing.
When you’re out enjoying summer, remember that your hearing can be damaged by loud noises. So it’s important to take steps to safeguard your ears, particularly during the summer months when you’re more likely to experience loud noises.
Here are a few activities that are best enjoyed with earplugs.
Going for a swim
Even in clean pools, there can be parasites and bacteria that can lead to swimmer’s ear. You can prevent infections by keeping water out of your ears and earplugs can help you do this.
While pool-borne infection is rarely serious, polluted water getting inside of your ear canal can have unhealthy effects. Temporary hearing loss, pain, and swelling can be the result.
The eardrum and also the fragile inner workings of the ear can be damaged by neglected infections.
It’s impossible to completely avoid 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 fun, especially in the summer months. But live concerts are usually really loud.
You might be exposed to more than 120dB of volume depending on where you’re standing. These volume levels can instantly trigger hearing loss that can be permanent.
Earplugs will stop some of that sound but won’t distort it. The degree 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 at a concert with 120dB of sound, it will be lowered to 100dB.
But that amount of sound can still potentially damage your hearing.
The closer you are to a speaker, the higher NRR you’ll need to protect your ears and prevent permanent hearing damage. Even if you acquire the highest level of hearing protection, you will still be exposed to sounds loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage within 15 minutes. Use earplugs and stand at a distance from the speakers for optimum protection.
This doesn’t just apply to concerts, it’s also relevant for things like festivals, movies, plays, sporting events, and any other event where sound will be boosted through speakers.
property maintenance
You do it every week, but the grass keeps growing. You take steps like edging flower beds and weeding the gardens so your yard looks nice. Then you keep the long grass in check with a weed-whacker.
Power tools and other yard tools can be really loud, and sustained exposure can and will harm your hearing. Earplugs will help lessen the noise from these tools and safeguard your hearing.
If you’re mowing without earplugs, you’re slowly damaging your hearing and it will become more apparent over time.
Independence Day
They’re an essential aspect of Independence Day. When July comes around, it’s time to celebrate the independence of our nation. But fireworks have a negative side. They can create up to 175dB of noise. If you fired a gun right near your head it would be about this volume.
If you’re going to a display in which the fireworks are thunderous and repeating, you’ll definitely need earplugs. You should get 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 significant to seek help. Most people probably won’t even realize that their hearing is slowly going until it’s too late, and regrettably, there’s no cure. Get your hearing checked routinely by us to determine your risk level.