Why protecting your ears at gigs is important | Music News

Have you ever come home from a gig with a ringing in your ears? Or everything's sounded a bit muffled after getting stuck by a speaker stack at the club? Usually, it's a temporary feeling that sorts itself out after a good sleep, but what if it didn't go away? Could you damage your hearing for life?

In a word, yes. Being around loud sounds, music or environments for extended periods of time causes our ears to ring – more clinically known as tinnitus – and it's a symptom that can't be cured.

For some people it comes and goes, usually a high-pitched ringing sensation or a humming that nobody else can hear. But for others, especially those who have repeated exposure to loud environments, it can be a permanent condition.

The hair cells in the inner ear get irritated by continuous exposure to loud noises. The sound waves reach the inner ear without getting absorbed over time, and this results in damage to the hair cells. The symptoms show up just before bedtime, when the person is in a quiet environment. In this case, they may hear noises and beeps in their ears. It takes a while for things to calm down after an incident like this, depending on how long and loud the noise was.

A study by Hearing Australia found that up to 70 per cent of Australians between 18 and 35 have experienced tinnitus in their lives, with 16 per cent of them experiencing it more than once a week.

There's a way to take care of your ears (and one of your five main senses) so you're not giving yourself damage that can possibly stay with you for the rest of your life – earplugs.

"We say at about 85 decibels, which is the scale we use to measure loudness, at 85 decibels you've got roughly eight hours of safe listening before you could potentially be doing hearing damage," said Audiologist Brooke Rose from Audiology Australia.

"Most festivals are going to come in at 105 [decibels]. Really high sound levels, depending on how close to the speakers you are.

"So you should be using earplugs, for sure, when you're in places like that."

It's a bit of a myth that wearing earplugs will completely dull the sound of the band or block the music out entirely. While some cheaper styles will drop the decibel level down around 20db, others will use acoustics to filter the higher frequencies out (which do more damage) and keep the lower ones audible, preserving the quality of the music.

Think of it like turning the volume dial down on your radio or sound system. It doesn't change the quality of the music play, but it does make it more enjoyable to listen to – and doesn't blow out the speakers.

Audiologist Elizabeth Kolberg told Health.com that a good indicator is how hard it is to have a chat with your friend next to you at a gig.

"A good rule of thumb is to wear hearing protection if you have to shout or significantly raise your voice to be heard, or if you can't hear someone about an arm's length away," she said.

If you're struggling to hear someone right next to you, then you should be wearing hearing protection.

Tinnitus is often caused by psychological factors. If you are still hearing a ringing sound days after experiencing an auditory stimulus, like attending a concert or going to a disco, you can help reduce the noise by whistling softly. Experts recommend giving your ears some time off and letting the irritated hair cells in your inner ear recover from overstimulation. This will restore their normal function and eventually eliminate the ringing sensation.

Your hearing works with the ear's sensory centre – the Organ of Corti – which is covered in tiny hair-like sensors called stereocilia that pick up vibrations and help your brain turn them into sound. Being around loud music and sounds can damage and destroy your stereocilia and unlike hair, they don't grow back.

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Source: https://www.homebrewed.au

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