Here And Now

If you’re heading to a festival this Summer you’ve probably gone through your list of everything you need to pack from clothes, to camping equipment but have you thought about taking hearing protection?

How Loud Are Music Festivals?

Music festivals are an enjoyable experience, but not so much when you’re left with ringing in your ears. The volume of music at a festival can be between 90-100dB outside, inside a festival tent or indoor venue it is likely to be between 95-110dB. As the decibels increase, the time frame you can be exposed to them safely decreases, for example you risk suffering from hearing damage if you stay in an 80dB environment for 8 hours, so being at a concert at 100dB you risk hearing damage in under 5 minutes!

How Does Hearing Damage Occur?

Noise induced hearing loss occurs when hair cells in the cochlea are damaged by being exposed to higher-than-normal noise levels. Noise induced hearing loss usually occurs in both ears and is the second most common cause of hearing loss.

How Do I Protect My Hearing?

Earplugs won’t hamper your enjoyment of live music, as the right earplugs will reduce the noise and not muffle the sound. Good quality earplugs have a noise reduction rating which tells you how much they reduce noise by. If you have earplugs with an NRR of 22dB they will reduce the volume of a 100dB concert to 78dB which is a much safer level of sound to listen to over a longer period. Some of the best earplugs are so good at filtering sound that you don’t even realise you’re wearing them.

Earplugs are also handy to help with sleeping well at festivals, with so much noise around they will help provide a good night’s sleep. 

Contact us today for more information about hearing protection or to discuss hearing loss concerns.