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Although you may have heard of it, we emphasize it again: loud noises can lead to permanent hearing damage. Unfortunately, many of our recreational activities include loud sounds, such as attending live concerts or watching fireworks.
When exposed to only short sessions of loud noises, however, the risk of hearing damage is quite limited. You need to watch out more for prolonged exposure, as this can increase that risk massively. In fact, the World Health Organisation has considered NIHL (noise-induced hearing loss) to be most frequently caused by loud noises, plaguing the younger population.
That said, reading this may worry you about your plans to attend a live concert. Fortunately, there’s a way to protect your ears without compromising on the exciting experiences that concerts offer!
Before we get into that, however, let’s talk about the ways concerts can damage your hearing ability:
Because concerts are places you expose yourself to incredibly loud volumes, this can lead to ruptured eardrums. Exposure to prolonged loud noises can significantly damage the eardrums and hurt the delicate outer hair cells that help you hear. This can cause symptoms like tinnitus (ringing in the ears) or lead to muffled sounds that reduce your hearing capacity.
When talking about earplugs, the first thing you might think of is those cheap memory foam earplugs that block out the majority of sounds. This isn’t the type of earplugs we are talking about.
If you did not know, there are many types of earplugs available in the market. Some are made for sleeping, others for swimming and more for cancelling noise necessities. Others are specially made for musicians, designed to lower the surrounding sounds without completely blocking the music.
The type of earplugs we are recommending to you are custom earplugs that only lower the volume of the outside world to a safer level without compromising on the quality of music. These earplugs are custom built to the shape of the ear to maximize performance and offer a discreet look. The best part about this is that you can reuse them over and over again— no matter how many times you attend concerts!
Why should you invest in custom earplugs, however? For one, they have proven to be incredibly effective. According to a study, individuals who wore earplugs when attending an event have shown to be five times less likely to experience post-concert hearing loss compared to those who didn’t wear them. In other words, these little implementations work well at protecting your hearing ability.
Remember, you only have one set of ears. You can’t replace them once they’re damaged, and hearing loss is usually a permanent condition. Protect your ears by wearing earplugs whenever you plan to attend loud events like concerts and festivals. Not only will you protect your delicate eardrums, but you can still enjoy all the music around you without having to fear that hearing loss will follow.
That said, if you do run into hearing issues, we highly recommend visiting a hearing specialist right away. Doing so allows you to quickly address any hearing problems and get the necessary treatment that will hopefully restore your hearing ability.
Fraser Valley Beltone is a hearing aid clinic in Abbotsford, offering high-quality hearing care to help patients take control of their hearing and make the most out of it. If you have any hearing-related issues, book an appointment with us today and get the care you deserve!