‘Tis the Season to Protect Your Hearing
Musician and singer Huey Lewis was recently forced to cancel all performances due to hearing loss. While doctors have not confirmed exactly what caused Lewis’s hearing loss, the start of Jazz Fest and music festival season in New Orleans is a good time for us to reiterate how important it is to protect your hearing. Sitting too close to loudspeakers at concerts or live performances can cause lasting damage.
It’s an established medical fact that hearing loss puts you at risk for more serious medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. Diminished hearing can make you a fall risk and a recent study showed that people suffering from hearing loss are at greater risk of having an accident.
If you are headed to Jazz Fest or attending a live performance of any kind, CNC Hearing and Balance Center offers these tips to protect your hearing:
- Position yourself at least 10 feet or more away from speakers.
- Take breaks in quieter areas. Limit your time around noise.
- If you are in a high-volume area, it’s worth it to move to a quieter spot
- Drinking excessive alcohol can numb you to the pain louder sounds can cause
- Give your ears a rest from high volumes for 24 hours if your ears have been exposed to loud noises
It should come as no surprise that rolled-up napkins or tissues do almost nothing to protect your ears at concerts.
There are two types of earplugs that can offer some real protection.
1) Foam or silicone earplugs help reduce noise and can be purchased at drugstores and retail outlets. They will muffle sounds and voices but may fit poorly.
2) Custom ear plugs by Westone can be fitted by CNC Hearing and Balance Center audiologists. They fit better than foam or silicone ones and do not change the sound quality. We highly recommend custom fitted earplugs for anyone working around loud noises such as musicians or construction workers.
