Ear Plugs: A Worthwhile Investment in Your Hearing Health

Protecting your hearing doesn’t mean skipping activities you love; learn how to get the most out of your concert experience.

Let’s face it: today’s world has become increasingly loud, yet people do not think about their ears when attending concerts. They may say, “I’m paying to hear the music, why would I plug my ears?” Well, there is plenty of research to suggest that loud noises damage your hearing, the most alarming is the fact that the average live concert clocks in at 100 decibels at the back of the venue. If you move closer to the stage, you not only are closer to the speakers but also the fans screaming all around you.

Your hearing health is integral to your overall well-being. While you could get away with using disposable foam earplugs that you buy in mass quantities of neon colors, there are earplugs that have been specifically engineered for music-goers. Rather than suffocate all noise reaching your ear, these earplugs use filters with a nearly flat frequency which dials back the volume rather than muting the audio. As you can expect, these plugs cost more than your bargain plugs you get at the drug store, but they are well worth the cost of hearing music without sacrificing your long term hearing health.

National Public Radio’s (NPR) Tiny Desk is an intimate concert series where artists play for an audience in a small, office-sized studio. The trick to these performances is that no musician plays louder than the singer can project their voice without amplification, ensuring a clear and balanced sound. Sound engineers are able to create this because the studio is a small space. However, when sound engineers need to balance a venue bigger than a typical office that balance goes out the window. As we know, the louder the sound is, distortion also increases. If you prefer to be close to the performance, being closer to the speakers inevitably can lead to hearing loss.

Hearing loss is an extremely common condition, especially as we age. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders states that prolonged exposure to sounds can damage the cells in the inner ear and cause noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and tinnitus. Any extended contact with noise of 85 decibels (sounds of heavy city traffic) can and will damage your hearing. Makes sense right?

If you or a loved one have experienced hearing loss, schedule a completely free appointment today.

To read full story, click here.

Ronna Fisher

Dr. Ronna Fisher, AuD, CCC-A, FAAA is the founder and president of Hearing Health Center, which she established in 1984 in memory of her father, who suffered from untreated hearing loss and died at 53. That personal loss has shaped her entire career. Under her leadership, Hearing Health Center has been voted the best hearing practice in Illinois three years in a row by Hearing Review. In 2005, she expanded her mission by founding the Fisher Foundation for Hearing Health Care, a nonprofit dedicated to making auditory care more accessible. Dr. Fisher earned her doctorate in audiology from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology (CCC-A) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology and a member of the Academy of Dispensing Audiologists.

See Full Bio