We’ve been looking forward to summer activities all year: swimming in the pool, visiting the beach, and other activities that could harm your ears. You could find yourself in external scenarios or exposed to other loud sounds this summer that are hidden dangers to your ears. Any noises over 80 decibels could lead to harm to your ears, while lasting loss of hearing can happen in swimming pools or other bodies of water. You have to take precautions and be mindful of your environment in order to protect your hearing this summer season. Read on to identify the summer’s 6 hidden threats to your ears.
Wear Hearing Protection at Concerts
Summer is concert time, but even if you go to a venue, you still should attend to your hearing. Concerts can have volumes over 90 decibels, even at outdoor concerts, which is inside the danger zone of hearing loss. That’s the reason why it’s definitely a good strategy to wear earplugs whether you’re going to a show indoors or outdoors. You can still hear the sounds with earplugs it’s just dampened a little bit. If you’re going to a performance with young children, consider getting them a heavy duty pair of earmuffs because children have more vulnerable hearing than adults.
Your Ears Can be Damaged by Fireworks
Honestly, there are a lot of reasons to avoid fireworks in the summer. This is not about the skilled 4th of July displays, we mean the backyard fireworks that trigger hundreds of injuries during the summer season. Home fireworks reach decibel levels of over 155 which can damage your ears as well as causing hand problems, loss of sight and backyard fires. This year, on the 4th of July, enjoy the fireworks from a little further away and leave the fireworks to the pro’s.
Mowers Can Cause Hearing Loss
If you love to take care of your yard, your edger, trimmer, and mower are your best friends. But the muffled sensation in your ears is a sign that your hearing has taken damage. That’s because the lawn tools, which are constantly loud, impact your hearing over time. No doubt you’ve noticed landscapers using some form of hearing protection, you should take a cue from them and wear earmuffs or earplugs next time you take care of your lawn to ensure your ears doesn’t get injured.
Beaches And Pools, What You Should do to Protect Your Ears
Millions of people suffer from swimmer’s ear every summer, which happens when bacteria-laden water gets trapped inside your ear canal. Swelling and painful earaches are the result when the bacteria infects the ear. These bacteria are generally found in lakes and rivers but could also be found in pools and hot tubs if the water isn’t properly treated. As long as you have your ears treated by a hearing expert you will probably be fine, and no irreversible loss of hearing will occur. To be safe, when your swimming in your pool, use special swimmers earplugs and keep the chemical balance correct to decrease the likelihood of getting swimmers ear.
Water Sports And Boats
Summertime is a taste of freedom for the people who love to be out on the water, smelling the salt air from the ocean or the fresh breeze of the lake. But, jet ski and boat engines can be noisy,they can get up to more than 100 decibels. Continual subjection to that much noise for a period of about 15 minutes can result in long-term hearing damage. In this case also, putting on a set of throw away foam earplugs is a smart strategy.
Your Hearing Can be Damaged by Car Races
It doesn’t matter what type of auto racing you love, stock cars, midgets, motorcycles, drag racing, Formula 1. If you attend many auto-races this summer, they all present a risk. It’s estimated that sound levels can exceed 120 decibels at many races, which is certainly inside the danger zone for hearing injury. As mentioned earlier, your children should wear muffs whereas you should wear earplugs at least. If you don’t, you might not get to enjoy the sound of those engines in the future.