We’ve been getting excited about summer fun all year: going to the beach, relaxing by the pool, and injured hearing? That’s right, summer holds a few unseen dangers to your ears, either from loud noises or the external situations you may find yourself in. Any noises above 80 decibels could injure your ears, while swimming in pools or other bodies of water can lead to lasting loss of hearing. To keep your ears safe and sound this summer, you need to be mindful of your surroundings and take preventative measures. Read on to identify the summer’s 6 hidden threats to your ears.
When You Travel to Concerts, Put on Hearing Protection
Whether you’re at an indoor stadium or an outdoor show venue you still need to use hearing protection during live music. 90 decibels is inside the danger zone for hearing damage and live music reaches this volume even when you’re at outdoor venues. So whether you’re going to outside or inside shows, it’s a good plan to use earplugs. Earplugs reduce the sound while still allowing you to hear and enjoy the music. If you’re bringing young kids to a performance, think about buying them a heavy duty pair of earmuffs because children have more sensitive ears than adults.
Your Ears Can be Damaged by Fireworks
Honestly, there are a lot of reasons to avoid fireworks in the summer. We’re not talking about the specialized 4th of July displays, we mean the backyard fireworks that trigger hundreds of accidents throughout the summertime. Home fireworks get to decibel levels of nearly 155 which can damage your ears as well as causing hand problems, blindness and home fires. This 4th of July, leave the fireworks to the professionals and enjoy the display from a protected and sound distance.
Loss of Hearing Can be Brought About by Lawnmowers
If you love to take care of your lawn, your edger, trimmer, and mower are your best friends. But that muffled sensation in your ears is a sign that your ears have taken damage. That’s because the constant noise from your lawn tools impact your hearing over time. You may have noticed landscapers using some kind of hearing protection, you should take a cue from them and use earplugs or earmuffs next time you work on your yard to ensure your hearing doesn’t get injured.
Hears How to Safeguard Your Hearing When You Take a Swim
Millions of people suffer from swimmer’s ear each summer, which happens when the ear canal traps water which has to much bacteria. Painful earaches and swelling result when the ear gets infected by the bacteria. These bacteria are usually found in lakes and rivers but could also live in hot tubs and pools if the water is not thoroughly managed. But if you have your ears treated by a hearing professional you will probably be fine, and no lasting loss of hearing will occur. To be safe, when swimming in your pool, wear special swimmers earplugs and keep the chemical balance correct to minimize the likelihood of getting swimmers ear.
Water Sports And Boats
If you enjoy the water, the summer season is beach and boating time for you. But, jet ski and boat engines are usually noisy,we’re talking over 100 decibels. Permanent hearing damage can be the result after only 15 minutes of exposure to that kind of noise. In this circumstance also, wearing 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 love, stock cars, midgets, motorcycles, drag racing, Formula 1. If you go to many auto-races this summer, they all pose a peril. It’s calculated that volume levels can go over 120 decibels at certain races, which is certainly inside the danger zone for hearing damage. Earplugs are your best bet at these races, although your children should probably wear the earmuffs we mentioned earlier. Because you might not be able to enjoy the sounds of any races in the future if you don’t.