This document discusses the importance of using earplugs at concerts to prevent noise-induced hearing loss. Repeated exposure to loud noises at concerts and music festivals can seriously damage hearing over time according to the CDC. Untreated hearing loss can lead to issues like balance problems, depression, and cardiovascular diseases. The document recommends using earplugs that can filter loud noises at concerts, which can reach volumes of 115dB and higher, in order to protect one's hearing and allow them to continue enjoying concerts in the future.
Sound of Silence: The Case for Bringing Earplugs to Concerts
1. Sound of Silence: The Case for
Bringing Earplugs to Concerts
Peak ENT and Voice Center
403 Summit Blvd., Suite 204, Broomfield, CO, United States, 80021
(720) 401-2139
2. It cannot be stated enough that concertgoers and music fans alike need to use earplugs during
concerts. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, repeated exposure to loud
noise, such as those found in concerts and music festivals, can seriously damage one’s hearing. As
such, preventive measures, such as earplugs, ensure that an individual's concert experience is not
ruined by noise-induced hearing loss over the years.
The Hearing Loss Set List
Noise-induced hearing loss can happen instantly or gradually. The former occurs when an individual
is exposed to intensely loud sounds, such as gunfire or explosions. On the other hand, the latter
develops as the person is continually exposed to noise over a period of time. It can be caused by
listening to music loudly or through repeated, frequent exposures to loud sounds, such as in
concerts, clubs, or when one listens to media players such as an iPod. Occupational noise, such as
industrial sounds from construction and manufacturing, can also induce such kind of hearing loss.
According to research done by Johns Hopkins University's Nicholas S. Reed et al., untreated hearing
loss can cause multiple conditions, including balance issues, depression, dementia and even
cardiovascular diseases. The researchers noted that the after-effects of the hearing loss can be quite
costly when the said condition is left untreated.
3. For example, humans use their hearing to carefully position themselves as they go; it is why sight-
impaired people use sound, such as the tapping of a cane, to walk without stumbling. So, if one is
without hearing, they might be prone to falls, regardless of whether they can see or not because of
the balance issues said condition poses.
Preventing Hearing Loss
Considering how sustained exposure to sounds as loud as 90dB upwards can permanently damage
one's hearing, it is wise to use noise plugs and the like to filter the noise around. A rock concert, for
example, can get as loud as 115dB. At this level, listening without filtered noise plugs may cause
tinnitus, which causes ringing in the ears. Get 10dB higher and it may cause pain and discomfort.
One should visit an ENT or a clinic specializing in hearing before the condition worsens.
Health professionals emphasize how important aural hygiene is to prevent noise-induced hearing
loss. As such, when in unavoidable, noisy situations, one must be prepared at all times. Having a pair
of ear plugs or two can help keep one's hearing in peak condition at all times without taking away
the adrenaline-pumping experience of concerts and music festivals.
