If you’re going to Reading or Leeds Festivals this weekend, or any other festival for that matter, reading this article could save your hearing from permanent damage.
There’s nothing we love more than a good festival, but spending too long listening to loud live music can wreck your ears for good.
A decibel, is the unit used to measure the intensity of a sound. 85dB and above is the level at which noise becomes unsafe without the use of hearing protection. If you stand near the stage or the speakers your ears will be exposed to noise levels of around 112 decibels – maybe even more. So, without hearing protection, you could damage your hearing after just 66 seconds!
If you’ve ever had dullness of hearing or ringing in the ears after listening to loud music, you’re already experiencing the first signs of hearing damage. Usually your hearing will get back to normal the next morning or within a few days. But the more exposure you have to loud music the higher the risk of permanent damage.
So how do you know if the noise level is too loud? Well if you can't talk to someone 2 metres away without shouting, it could be doing your ears some damage.
How do I protect my hearing at a festival?
Don’t worry! You don’t have to miss out on listening to your favourite bands this summer by staying in you tent. Just wear some earplugs.
You can get earplugs that have been specially designed for clubs and live music that don’t muffle the sound, they just make it quieter. Meaning you hear the music the way it should be, but at a lower level. There are different earplugs to suit everyone, from affordable and reusable one-size-fits-all plugs to custom moulds used by musicians and DJs.
Anyone's hearing can be damaged by loud music. And once your hearing has gone, it’s gone forever. So if you want to carry on enjoying listening to your favourite bands at festivals for years to come, don’t stand too close to the speakers, take regular loud noise breaks and invest is some earplugs.
But don’t just take our word for it. Plug’em is a British Tinnitus Association (BTA) campaign to raise more awareness of the need to wear earplugs in loud places – such as gigs, clubs, at festivals etc. Their ambassadors include DJs, producers and musicians including; Mark Ronson, Simone Butler – bass player for Primal Scream and Eddy Temple-Morris.
You can also check out the advice on noise on the Glastonbury website from “Deaf Geoff” Markson, ex-sound engineer to the stars.
Web design by Tribal Systems