Summer is finally here, and it’s time for all those things we’ve been getting excited about: swimming in the pool, visiting the beach, and a few activities that could injure your hearing. You may find yourself in environmental situations or exposed to other loud sounds this summer that can be hidden dangers to your hearing. Any noises over 80 decibels can injure your ears, while swimming in pools or other bodies of water can lead to lasting loss of hearing. To keep your hearing safe this summer, you need to be aware of your environment and take precautions. Keep on reading to identify the summer’s 6 hidden risks to your hearing.
At Concerts, Wear Hearing Protection
Whether you’re at an indoor stadium or an outdoor show venue you still need to use ear protection during live music. Concerts can have volumes over 90 decibels, even at outside shows, which is within the danger zone of hearing loss. That’s why it’s definitely a good plan to use earplugs regardless of whether you’re seeing a show outdoors or indoors. Earplugs reduce the sound while still enabling you to hear and get into the music. If you’re taking young kids to a performance, consider getting them a heavy duty set of earmuffs since their ears are much more vulnerable than those of adults.
Fireworks Are More Than Just Loud
Honestly, there are a lot of reasons to avoid fireworks in the summer. It’s not only the 4th of July shows that are professional that can hurt your hearing, we mean the backyard fireworks which every summertime cause hundreds of accidents. In addition to causing hand injuries, blindness, and home fires, backyard fireworks can also cause serious harm to your ears since they’re known to achieve decibel levels of 155. This year, on the 4th of July, enjoy the show from a little further away and leave the fireworks to the professionals.
Lawnmowers Can Bring About Hearing Loss
If you care about your lawn, your edger, trimmer, and mower are your best friends. But the muffled sensation in your ears is a signal that your ears have been harmed. That’s because the lawn tools, which are constantly loud, impact your hearing over time. If you’ve ever noticed landscapers, you most likely have noticed them utilizing ear protection, you should take a hint from them and use earmuffs or earplugs next time you take care of your yard to make certain your ears stay healthy.
Here’s How to Safeguard Your Hearing When You Take a Swim
Huge numbers of people suffer from swimmer’s ear each summer, which occurs when bacteria-loaded water gets stuck in your ear canal. The bacteria then infects the ear, triggering painful earaches and swelling. These bacteria are usually found in rivers and lakes but sometimes also live in pools and hot tubs if the water isn’t thoroughly managed. No irreversible injury should take place if you get your hearing assessed by a hearing expert. To be safe, when your swimming in your pool, use special swimmers earplugs and keep the chemical balance correct to minimize the possibility of getting swimmers ear.
Boats and Other Water Sports
Summertime is a taste of freedom for those individuals who love to be in a boat on the water, taking in the fresh lake breeze or the salty air of the ocean. But, jet ski and boat engines can be noisy,we’re talking over 100 decibels. Continual exposure to that much noise for around 15 minutes can lead to irreparable hearing damage. In this circumstance also, using a pair of throw away foam earplugs is a smart idea.
Car Races Can Hurt Your Ears
It doesn’t matter what type of auto racing you like, stock cars, midgets, motorcycles, drag racing, Formula 1. If you attend a lot of auto-races this summer, they all present a peril. 120 dB is well within the danger zone for hearing impairment and a number of races go way above this. As pointed out earlier, your children should use muffs while you should use earplugs at least. Otherwise, you may not get to enjoy the sound of those engines as you get older.