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1. 11/26/2019 How To Protect Your Ears During Concerts, According To Top Otolaryngologists
https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/05/14/how-to-protect-your-ears-during-concerts-according-to-top-otolaryngologists/#43d6d9fb340f 1/4
3,191 viewsMay 14, 2018, 02:14pm
How To Protect Your Ears During Concerts,
According To Top Otolaryngologists
Consumer Tech
Quora Contributor
How do you protect your ears during concerts? originally appeared on Quora: the
place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better
understand the world.
Answer by Keck Medicine of USC, 500+ internationally renowned doctors
at a leading academic medical center, on Quora:
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2. 11/26/2019 How To Protect Your Ears During Concerts, According To Top Otolaryngologists
https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/05/14/how-to-protect-your-ears-during-concerts-according-to-top-otolaryngologists/#43d6d9fb340f 2/4
4 Tips for Protecting Your Hearing During Concerts
You can’t get your hearing back — so it’s worth protecting. Read on for a few
tips to take with you to that next music festival.
Today In: Tech
There’s nothing like seeing your favorite band or DJ perform live (which explains why
music festivals are an annual pilgrimage for fans these days). And it usually doesn’t get
much better than a front-row spot. But being that close to Chance the Rapper or Arcade
Fire can do serious damage to your hearing, especially if you’re going to concerts on a
regular basis.
Hearing loss is significant because it’s hard (if not impossible) to restore it. Typically,
the best you can do is minimize damage in the first place — and that’s a tough ask when
you’ve paid for a ticket and have been looking forward to the concert ever since.
One good tip-off that you need to step up your hearing protection: Ringing in your ears.
If you experience it after you left your last concert, it’s a sign of damage. And though the
ringing may subside over time, that sort of damage can last, even once your hearing
seems to go back to normal. Over time, and with constant exposure, that damage can
add up, eventually becoming noticeable. It could even turn into tinnitus, in which that
ringing becomes constant.
“Noise-induced hearing loss is a major cause of hearing loss across the country,”
saidCourtney Voelker, MD, PhD, assistant professor of clinical otolaryngology – head
and neck surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “We live in a society where we
are all exposed to loud noises. Concerts, weddings, movie theaters, restaurants, night
clubs, places of worship etc. These are all examples of places where we are exposed to
too much noise. Permanent damage to the inner ear can occur after one extremely loud
noise exposure or repeated exposure over time.”
But that doesn’t mean you can’t join your friends at that Drake concert or take a date to
your favorite jazz club. With a few precautions, you can enjoy a live concert and protect

3. 11/26/2019 How To Protect Your Ears During Concerts, According To Top Otolaryngologists
https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/05/14/how-to-protect-your-ears-during-concerts-according-to-top-otolaryngologists/#43d6d9fb340f 3/4
your hearing. Here are a few ways to get started.
Stock up on earplugs
Earplugs are an easy (and relatively affordable) way to protect your hearing. Don’t worry
— you’ll still be able to hear the music. Just opt for musician-grade earplugs, which
lessen the sound intensity while keeping the quality intact.
“The number one thing that you can do to protect your ears from damage, is to use ear
plugs,” said Dr. Voelker, who also is an ear specialist at Keck Medicine of USC.
Stay in the back
Forget the first row. Standing close to the speakers exposes your hearing to a higher
volume of sound — and, the closer you are to the noise, the more intense it is. This might
seem great in the moment (after all, you’re there to hear the music), but it can leave your
ears ringing.
Take breaks
Enjoying two solid hours of loud music sounds like a dream — but it also means your
ears don’t get a break. During a lull in the music, step outside for five minutes to let your
ears adjust to normal noise levels. It’s better than nothing.
Go on a noise diet
So you went to the concert and pushed your way to the front, hearing be damned.
There’s still hope! After a night of loud music, go on a 24-hour “noise diet.” This entails
avoiding loud sounds as much as you can, turning down the volume of your headphones
(if you use them at all) and giving your ears a break from the noise of daily life. It’ll give
your hearing a chance to recover — which, bonus, will help with any residual ringing in
your ears.
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