Most people love to go to concerts. As humans, we are incredibly connected to sound and rhythm. Which makes one of the greatest pleasures in life being surrounded by live musicians and music.
We love to watch them live in front of our eyes and create the best moments. We want to hear their music loud and clear.
But sometimes, it just gets too loud. And this kind of exposure to sound can be bad for hearing.
So, can concerts cause hearing loss? Should you avoid going to concerts to not put your hearing at risk?
These are both good and important questions that our article will provide the answers to.
Can Concerts Cause Hearing Loss?
Yes; it is possible that going to a concert may cause damage your hearing.
However, this does not mean that every concert you go to will harm your ears. Hearing loss is only possible if the music, audience, or both, is too loud.
Prolonged exposure to loud noises, such as attending a concert without ear protection, can wreak havoc on the ear’s delicate structures. Additionally, this can result in a ringing in the ears, referred to as tinnitus.
How to Tell if You Experience Hearing Loss from Concerts
If you’ve ever been to a concert and thought the music was simply too loud, this does not necessarily mean you’ve grown out of tune with that particular music. Rather, this response may be your body’s way of alerting you to potential hearing loss.
If you have tinnitus or are unable to hear as well as usual for a couple of days following the show, you have most likely experienced NIHL – noise-induced hearing loss.
This can occur even after brief exposure to loud noises, as loud sounds can cause structural damage to the small hair cells that detect auditory signals in the interior of the ear and transmit them to the brain for translation into sounds.
Noise-induced hearing loss caused by a single exposure to extremely loud noise or music is typically temporary and should resolve within a few days.
How to Understand the Extent of Your Hearing Loss
Two factors determine the extent of hearing damage caused by exposure to extremely loud sounds – first, the volume of the sounds and second, the duration of your contact with them.
The loudness of sound is measured in decibels, a scale that is somewhat illusory due to its logarithmic nature. In other words, each increment of ten on the scale equals twice the volume.
Prolonged exposure to noise levels greater than 85 decibels (dB) can result in hearing loss. Concerts are typically around 115 dB or louder, depending on the situation. The louder the sound, the faster noise-induced hearing loss occurs.
While the average concert goer may only experience symptoms for a few hours, anyone who regularly listens to live music may develop tinnitus for longer periods of time if they do not take steps to treat or prevent the damage.
In these cases it’s recommended to wear protective gear like generic or custom made earplugs. And if you do experience hearing loss, it’s highly recommended you get checked out by an audiologist.
So can concerts cause hearing loss? Yes, going to a concert may indeed hurt your ears. But not all the time, so enjoy and be safe. Your ears will thank you later!