The Importance of Protecting Your Ears At Gigs

Gig season has begun!

There is no better feeling than heading to see one of your favourite bands, especially if you land a spot at the front. Events were on pause for quite a while with covid so it’s no surprise that they all seem to be sold out this year. It’s important to remember to protect your ears at gigs, especially if you’re going on a regular basis. 

If you experience tinnitus after a gig, it’s a sure sign you need to start using hearing protection. Although the ringing can decrease over time, that type of damage can last. Constant exposure to loud music over time can lead to permanent tinnitus. 

“Noise-induced hearing loss is a major cause of hearing loss across the country,” said Courtney Voelker, MD, PhD, assistant professor of clinical otolaryngology – head and neck surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. 

“We live in a society where we are all exposed to loud noises. Concerts, weddings, movie theatres, restaurants, night clubs, places of worship etc. These are all examples of places where we are exposed to too much noise. Permanent damage to the inner ear can occur after one extremely loud noise exposure or repeated exposure over time.”

Of course, noise is not the only source of hearing impairment and tinnitus, but it is one of the easiest causes to prevent. Prevention is better than treatment and that means educating people from a young age.

Awareness

Plug’em published an image of different types of loud noises and how long it is safe to listen to them for. One in particular that caught my eye was that a 112 dB live rock band is only safe for up to 66 seconds. 66 seconds!

I’ve attended concerts myself and I don’t recall hearing protection being available to buy on site. I kicked myself for forgetting to bring my own. Is this a major reason why more people don’t choose to wear hearing protection, because sometimes it is simply not available? If something is classed as not safe to listen to after a certain amount of time, how is it possible that no hearing protection is handed out or even available to purchase? 

 There are some well known people who are advocates for promoting healthy hearing such as Chris Martin, Plan B, Eric Clapton, Sting, and Paul Stanley which is absolutely fantastic. Plug’em also has some amazing ambassadors, such as Mark Ronson, who tell their personal stories about suffering from hearing loss or tinnitus, and how they wish they used hearing protection sooner. 

Three Simple Tips to Protect Your Ears

Where to stand

Consider how close you will be to the speakers and choose to stand or sit away from them. The front row is tempting but according to sound engineer Dave Swallow, the best place is just off centre in the venue and not too close to the stage. 

“You need a little bit of distance for all the wavelengths together to make a coherent sound,” Swallow said.

Not to mention it’s best for your ears to pick an appropriate spot. A concert can reach anywhere from 100 to 120 decibels. Just two minutes exposed to 110 decibels can damage your ears.

Wear hearing protection

There are many types of hearing protection available that still allow you to enjoy the sound around you. The best earplugs for loud events are designed to protect your ears while letting sound in. 

The team at Louder have put together a list of the best earplugs for concerts which you may find helpful.  

The number one thing you can do to protect your ears is this.

Take breaks

Make sure to take some quiet breaks away from the music, it’s important to rest your ears after exposure to loud noise. 

Two plus hours listening to loud music might fly by but stepping outside for even five minutes can help your ears adjust back to normal noise levels.

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts or tips. Do you attend gigs regularly? What steps do you take to protect your ears? Let us know on Twitter or by email info@lios-group.com