Concerts are great. If you listen to one piece of advice from your House Clinic Los Angeles audiologist, it would be to wear hearing protection while enjoying the show. If you don’t, seeing that epic guitar riff won’t be your only lasting memory of the show.
How Loud Music Causes Hearing Loss
Any sound over 85 dB can cause permanent damage to the intricate workings of your inner ear. To put this number into some perspective:
- A normal conversation is about 60 dB
- Heavy traffic in Los Angeles is about 85 dB
- A lawn mower is about 106 dB
- A jackhammer is about 130 dB
Now, simply walking by someone who is mowing their lawn won’t cause hearing loss. Noise induced hearing loss occurs when you are exposed to something really loud (like an explosion) or are exposed to loud sounds for an extended period of time. Exposure to sound over 85 dB can cause damage within 8 hours. Exposure to sound over 100 dB can cause damage within 15 minutes and exposure to sound over 120 dB can cause damage instantly.
A loud rock concert is typically measured at 120 dB.
Can A Concert Cause Tinnitus?
In addition to hearing loss, tinnitus can also be caused by noise-induced damage to the inner ear.
Inside the inner ear, there are small hairs. Sound waves cause these hairs to move; their movement sends an electrical signal through the auditory nerve to your brain where it is interpreted as sound. If these hairs become damaged, from loud noises, earwax blockage or even age-related hearing loss, they can randomly send electrical impulses to your brain, causing tinnitus.
Protect Your Hearing
Fortunately, your House Clinic Los Angeles audiologist wants you to attend all the concerts you want. In order to attend them safely, they recommend visiting their office to be fitted for earplugs.
There are a wide variety of earplugs on the market; the best set are the ones that are expertly fitted to your ear. For concerts, you’ll want musician’s earplugs. They are specifically designed to reduce sound levels evenly so music and speech sound clear. These plugs prevent dangerously loud sounds from entering the ear but still keep the integrity of the music intact.
Don’t let the concert of a lifetime leave you with a lifelong condition. Contact your House Clinic Los Angeles audiologist for more information.