Music is the soundtrack to our lives. Whether dancing to our favorite songs at a concert or relaxing to music at home, we find it hard to imagine life without it, right? Unfortunately, playing music at loud volumes can damage your ears and cause hearing loss. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that listening to music at loud volumes for more than 20 minutes, an hour or more every day, or listening to music at loud volumes several times a week can damage your hearing.
People who listen to music on a daily basis aren’t necessarily at any greater risk of developing hearing loss than those who don’t use headphones. However, listening to loud music at a concert where sound isn’t turned up to an even level or where the volume is not adjusted may lead to temporary or permanent hearing loss. There are steps you can take to lower your risk of damaging your ears, including taking breaks between songs or songs that are too loud.
How Does the Noise Actually Damage Your Ears?
You probably already know that excessive exposure to loud noise causes hearing loss, but how much damage it can do to the inner ear makes the noise so dangerous. The inner ear is an intricate network of microscopic hair cells, which vibrate when exposed to sound. When these hair cells vibrate, signals are sent to the brain, which interprets sound. The inner ear gets damaged when the hair cells die or become too weak to function properly.
Noise Can Also Damage Nerves in Your Ears
Did you know that long-term noise exposure can damage your hearing, even when you can’t hear all the noise? The hearing of musicians, who spend most of their day listening to music through headphones, is particularly at risk. Accurately gauging volume through headphones may be a challenge, leading to overexposure to noise, which can lead to hearing loss. It can also damage the inner ear of musicians and people exposed to loud noise.
Your ears are delicate organs, and loud noises can damage them as well as make them ache. The effects of loud noise on your ears are similar to the effects of nerves on muscles. Some nerves in your inner ear can get irritated by loud noise, and your balance can be thrown off. In some cases, loud noise may even damage your inner ear permanently. If you’re looking for additional treatment options for hearing loss, you can check out hearing loss clinical trials at Power.
Is Hearing Loss from Concerts Temporary?
Hearing loss from concerts can happen to anyone who has tinnitus. Noise-induced hearing loss is permanent, and hearing loss from concerts is no exception. Tinnitus is often caused by ear damage sustained from loud sounds, and the louder the sound is, the more impact it has on the ears. Prolonged exposure to loud noises can permanently damage the ears, causing hearing loss, tinnitus, and more.
Here Are 4 Tips for Minimizing the Risk of Hearing Loss After A Concert
Don’t stand close to the loudspeakers
Don’t stand close to the loudspeakers. Standing too close to loud, extended-frequency sounds and music can be bad for your ears. Because sounds travel in waves, and because sound waves need time to reach your ears, standing too close to a speaker shape filters out those very high sounds.
Use earplugs for concerts
Going to a concert can be fun, but it can also be dangerous for some people. Loud noises, especially when they’re sustained over extended periods of time, can cause damage to your hearing, which may be irreversible. And while using headphones with a built-in volume limiter, earplugs, or earmuffs can help protect hearing, it’s recommended that you don’t wear them for the entire time you’re at the concert. Instead, use them only when loud noises are present.
Take quiet breaks
Taking a break from loud music and taking in some fresh air can help alleviate the negative effects of high-volume sounds, assuming you do it safely. Concerts are meant to be the best part of a night out, but loud music can also be the enemy of your ears. Taking short breaks from your listening devices can make a big difference in protecting and preventing hearing loss.
Act in time
Going to a concert and experiencing your favorite artists live is a thrilling experience. You spend days, weeks, or even months looking forward to the concert, and you show up early, stake out your spot, and soak in the sights and sounds. After all, you’re there to experience music—to sing along and get lost in the chorus.
But you can’t enjoy a song if you’re distracted by the roar of the crowd, the loud music and screaming, and, most importantly, the ringing in your ears. In this situation, you may move away from the sound.