Summertime in Sacramento is filled with live music events! There’s nothing like the energy of a concert or festival, everyone enjoying the music, and it’s exciting to see artists you know well and discover new artists, too. We at The Hearing Solution want you to get the most out of your concert experience, and that means discussing the effect concerts and festivals can have on your hearing.
How Loud Are Concerts and Festivals?
Sound is measured in decibels, or dB for short. It’s a common misconception that decibels indicate the volume—how loud or quiet—the sound is, but that’s not entirely accurate. While it is true that the higher the decibels, the louder the sound, decibels actually measure the amplitude of the sound wave, or how wide and forceful it is. But more on that in a moment.
Concerts and festivals can get incredibly loud. The instruments are loud on their own, but factor in the microphones they wear and the speakers placed throughout the venue, and it gets noisy. Not to mention the stage effects that many artists like to use when performing, like sparklers and fireworks.
Live music events can reach up to 110 dB. Your exposure might change depending on where you’re standing relative to a speaker, how many people are near you and whether the venue is indoor or outdoor. But the potential of dangerous noise levels is omnipresent.
How Does Loud Noise Damage Hearing?
Going back to decibels and how they measure amplitude, let’s discuss how loud noise can hurt the structures of your ears. The wide, forceful sound waves enter your ears like a powerful wind gust, physically flattening or damaging the delicate sensory cells that help you hear.
The higher the amplitude of the wave, the less time it takes to damage your hearing. Sounds at 120 dB trample your sensory cells almost instantaneously, causing immediate damage. Sounds at 85 dB, which is about the level of city traffic or your garbage disposal, are strong enough to harm the sensory cells, but it takes hours of continuous exposure for that to happen.
How Can I Protect My Hearing at Concerts?
Sound levels at 110 dB can damage your hearing in less than 15 minutes, so it’s critical to protect your hearing when you attend a live music event. Here are some strategies you can use to keep your ears safe while still enjoying the show:
- Don’t sit or stand next to the speakers
- Take breaks to interrupt continuous exposure
- When talking to people near you, don’t shout above the noise; you’re only making it louder and encouraging them to respond in kind
- Wear hearing protection
Hearing protection is the most effective method. Earmuffs and earplugs can go a long way in blocking or dampening the giant sound waves careening toward your ears. Take it a step further and consider custom earplugs to ensure they fit the shape and size of your ear canal, making the fit nice and snug so larger sound waves don’t leak in. There are also musician earplugs that are made specifically for listening to and playing music; they don’t distort sound.
When to Seek Help for Hearing Damage
If you’ve recently attended a concert and noticed ringing in your ears, muffled hearing or other changes to your hearing, don’t ignore the warning signs. While these changes may be temporary in the aftermath of the event, they still indicate that some amount of damage has been done to your ears. Call The Hearing Solution to schedule a hearing test and resolve to protect your hearing going forward. Remember your hearing protection when you go to your next festival!