Hearing Damage From Concert - 6 Hacks to Stop It

Written by the Nano Hearing Aids Team
Reviewed for Accuracy by Nano Hearing Aids.

6 Hacks to Avoid Hearing Damage From A Concert

Who doesn’t love music and concerts?

Mostly, everyone loves it!

And if your favorite band is on the stage, then you'll definitely be enjoying the most of it. 

No matter what the genre is, attending these live events is a fun experience many tend to enjoy. It has been estimated that 32 million people go to at least one music festival in the US each year. 

But one of the significant issues that many people might start to face is developing hearing damage from concerts. 

Although the effects are temporary in most cases, they can also get permanent if precautions are not taken. 

Therefore, in this article, I'll be telling you all the ins and outs of how you can protect your ears while enjoying your favorite music. 

So, keep reading to know all the protection tips.

Concert Hearing Protection: 6 Useful Tips to Follow

Now, it's pretty natural if you are at a concert where there are loud noises everywhere, chances are you might damage your ears.

So, if you’re one of those who loves loud concerts and music, follow these six simple tips to protect your hearing while you're enjoying your favorite bands.

1. Use Headphones or Earplugs

Getting exposed to intense and loud noises can indeed hurt your ears, and it can also result in permanent damage to your inner ears.

The noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) can take place at a volume of about 85 decibels (dB), and the chances of risks increase as these sounds get louder. 

With concerts equalizing between 100 and 120dB, always try to use ear protection like earplugs and headphones to reduce the noise reaching your ears. 

If you are going to a concert with your friends, try picking up some extra earplugs which you can share. You can even choose inexpensive foam earplugs or invest in high-quality music earplugs. 

It entirely depends on you. But the main point is, you make sure to grab an extra pair of earplugs whenever you go for a concert.

2. Take Frequent Breaks From Those Noises

I know you must try to listen to your favorite bands sing; you simply don't want to take even the slightest of breaks. But here's the fact the more these high-intense sounds keep entering your ears, the more chances that you might end up damaging your inner ears.

Therefore, you must try taking slight breaks from those sounds during the performance or concert and consider giving rest to your ears. When you take short breaks from those continuous sounds, you are less likely to experience NIHL. 

A thumb rule for this hearing protection tip is not to try to get exposed to this loud music for more than an hour at a time. 

Especially when you are at a rock concert, then this break becomes a must. The best way to take these breaks is to go to the washroom or even wander around, but your main aim is to stay away from these loud noises. If you want, you can also go for a snack break!

3. Stay At a Distance From The Speakers

I know it truly feels great to stay at the frontline; although being at the front of the crowd or in front of a speaker can surely give you an adrenaline rush, there are high possibilities of you raising the risk of damaging your hearing. 

So if you decide to stay in front of those speakers, you'll slowly notice that your ears are ringing, painting, or you might have lost some of your hearing; that’s a sign you’re too close to the speakers. Therefore, immediately move back to help protect your hearing.

4. Choose Outdoor Venues Rather Than Indoors

Outdoor concerts can be pretty gentler on the ears because the sound gets dispersed compared to indoor venues. 

But beware that some bands may amplify their sounds and music even more by turning the volume up louder when they perform outside. 

Therefore, stay safe and follow the ear protection tips which I've mentioned in this article. 

5. Give Rest to Your Ears Before The Week of The Concert

Damage from noise exposure is gradual but long-lasting, so if you know you’ll be attending a loud event over the weekend, try to be gentle to your ears just the week before. 

If you listen to podcasts or music through earphones, ensure you turn the volume down. This will help you during the big event.

6. Limit The Use of Alcohol

Alcohol in the events is a common nature among many youngsters. But this is one of the habits that can have severe issues to your health. 

Because consumption of alcohol increases the blood flow into your inner ear and therefore raises your blood pressure. These effects are linked to tinnitus (a ringing sound in your ear). Learn in more details about alcohol and hearing loss.

So, I'll highly recommend you to stay away from consuming alcohol during any event.

Take Professional Advice If You See Any Symptoms

Suppose you’re experiencing any symptoms like pain in your ear or muffled hearing after a concert or event. Do make sure to see an audiologist. 

They are professionals and know all the ins and outs regarding your problem. And they will also perform an exam and accurately measure any level of hearing loss. And then can suggest better treatment in your case. 

I hope this article will help you know how you can enjoy your music concerts with proper ear protection!

(Great American companies, like NANO Digital Hearing Aids support American Veterans - do consider buying American: we've been on the market for ages and are trusted by millions) 

Frequently Asked Question:

Q. Can you permanently damage your hearing from a concert?

Ans: Most likely not. The difficulty in hearing one experiences after a concert is due to a "temporary threshold shift" which usually goes away after 16 to a max of 48 hours. 

 

Sources:

Nano Hearing Aids has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We avoid using tertiary references. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial privacy policy.

Thurston FE. The worker's ear: a history of noise-induced hearing loss. Am J Ind Med. 2013;56:367–377

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4988324/

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