Summer concerts are a mainstay in Sacramento, and there’s nothing like the energetic, dance-worthy environment of seeing an incredible live music performance. We’ve compiled a guide for all you music festival attendees on hearing protection: what works, what doesn’t and how to get the most out of the event without putting your hearing health at risk.
Earplugs
Earplugs are a fantastic hearing protection measure for events like concerts and festivals. The soft material absorbs sound waves and molds itself perfectly to the shape of your ear canal, creating a seal that keeps out excess noise. There are two main categories of earplugs.
Disposable
Disposable foam plugs are available almost everywhere. You can pick up an inexpensive pack of them at any supermarket or pharmacy. To put them in, roll the earplug between your fingers until it’s as compressed as you can get it. Insert this into your ear and release it; it’ll puff back up to its original shape, filling the contours of your ear canal.
For something widely accessible, they’re remarkably effective. When properly inserted, they can reduce incoming noise levels by up to 30 dB.
Custom
Custom earplugs take the effectiveness of disposable earplugs up a notch. It’s quite easy to insert disposable earplugs incorrectly; with custom earplugs, you don’t need to worry about that. And because you can be sure of a superior seal, you know you’re getting stronger protection.
Additionally, you can get high-fidelity musician earplugs that absorb and filter noise, meaning that you won’t get distorted sound quality. It will just sound like the concert’s volume was turned down without disproportionately affecting the higher frequencies.
Earmuffs
Earmuffs are another option, although they’re used less commonly than earplugs simply because they’re bulky and not as discreet. However, they’re very effective at reducing noise, especially crowd noise around you.
Control Your Exposure
In addition to using earplugs or earmuffs, we recommend making some adjustments to reduce your exposure to loud noise.
Stand far away from any speakers, as the sound will be at its most forceful there. Instead, find a spot to sit or stand that puts some distance between you and the speaker.
Next, take breaks. It’s hard to tear yourself away from the show, but loud noise exposure gets really dangerous when the exposure is continuous. Try to remove yourself from the loud environment for five to ten minutes every hour. Use this time to use the bathroom, get another drink or simply get some air away from the crowd.
Hearing Aids
Almost 30 million people need hearing aids, and you can be sure that a good number of them love live music. Hearing aids aren’t perfect hearing protection, but you can use volume controls on your devices to reduce the amplitude of the sound waves that enter your ear. Do take note that loud noise can also damage your hearing aids, so it’s a good idea to still take precautions.
When to See an Audiologist
If you notice any changes to your hearing in the days after the event, come see us at The Hearing Solution. We can discuss hearing protection and perform a hearing test to ascertain the extent of damage to your ears, if any. Call us today to set up an appointment.