A Dissonant Chord: Half of All Music Fans Deal with Tinnitus

When was the last time you went to a concert? Coming home from the venue with ears ringing… We didn’t realize at the time what damage we were doing to our ears, but now, most of us are more conscious of noise-induced hearing damage.

However, according to a recent survey taken on in the UK, only one in every ten people wear earplugs to protect their hearing – even though a majority of those people reported ringing in their ears after attending a concert.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly half of all people ages 12-35 risk hearing loss challenges due to noise exposure – concerts, nightclubs, and other live events can cause a lot of damage over extended periods of time.

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) has become the second most common form of hearing loss, after presbycusis or age-related hearing loss. For dedicated music fans—and the performers themselves—NIHL is a very real condition to be aware of.

Tinnitus is twice as likely in the music industry; with proper hearing protection, like custom earmolds and earplugs, NIHL and tinnitus can be avoided without sacrificing the sound of music.

Safe Listening Matters

The question remains: How loud is too loud?

Concerts and festivals can reach well over 100 decibels (dB) – the way that we measure sound. Sounds above 85 dB are considered harmful to our hearing, especially when we’re exposed to them for long periods of time.

Concerts are typically one or two hours long, sometimes more… imagine all that sound damage!

“Even short gigs have the potential to cause irreversible harm such as deafness, tinnitus, oversensitivity to noise added to increased risks for early onset dementia and cognitive impairment,” says Clare Forshaw, the founder and director at the UK Hearing Convention Association.

With hearing protection, you can bypass that damage. Even foam earplugs, as rudimentary as they are, can provide some shielding from noise exposure that can cause tinnitus and hearing loss challenges.

A love of music should be accompanied by a dedication to your hearing health and protecting your ears. Even if you start tomorrow during your lunch break or at your next live event, it’s important to look after your hearing.

Concerned about Your Hearing?

At West Coast Hearing & Balance Center, we’re dedicated to helping you with any and all hearing loss challenges you may be facing. As registered tinnitus experts, we can examine your ears and see what your current range of hearing is to see what solutions will work best for you.