“Protection” is a big buzz-word whenever summer rolls around. We need sunscreen to protect us from UV rays. We need hats to protect us from the sun’s heat. We need bug repellant to protect us from mosquitos. We need water on hand to protect us from dehydration. We need sunglasses to protect our eyes from a future of cataracts.
You get the idea. Protection is important.
One thing you don’t hear much about, however, is what you should be doing to protect your hearing while you’re out enjoying the season. Sure, you put some of that sunscreen on your ears, but the inside of your ears needs protection, too. You’ll be surprised to know just how vulnerable your hearing can be during summer and it comes down to two simple words: noise and water.
The world is a loud place, in general, but there’s a lot about summer that makes it even louder. It’s easy to find yourself with prolonged exposure to noises above the 85-decibel threshold at which hearing damage can begin.
Working around the house:The lawn mowers, weeders/edgers and blowers we use to take care of our lawns are quite loud, and we tend to use them for lengthy periods of time. Also, if you enjoy opening the garage doors and getting your power tools out for woodworking projects, you can be surrounding yourself with exceptionally loud noise in a fairly enclosed space (that kind of noise is dangerous outside the garage, too).
Going to concerts and fireworks displays:Loud music and the explosive bursts of fireworks, since they’re so much fun, can be a sneaky way for damaging noise levels to enter into your summertime fun.
Enjoying motor sports and cruising: Whether you’re riding the highway with the top down, cruising on a motorcycle, speeding along on a jet ski or on water skis behind a motorboat engine, you’ve got a lot of noise happening very close to your ears.
And with that mention of jet skis and motorboats, let’s move on to the subject of water.
Keep your ears dry:Dry your ears thoroughly after swimming or any other water-related activities. The water we recreate in, especially at lakes and in the ocean, can easily wash bacteria into our ears, while at the same time washing away the earwax that helps protect us from infections. That can lead to such things as a painful, swelling condition called “swimmer’s ear” which can close off the ear canal to sound.
The answer to preventing both noise-related and water-related hearing issues is to wear hearing protection. There are excellent choices out there, at very affordable prices—everything from soft earplugs that take the edge off loud music and fireworks, to earplugs specially-designed for swimming, to headphone-style protection you can wear while working outside.
While there are many easily-available and effective hearing-protection options out there, we have a selection that we can personally recommend without hesitation. Please, give us call. We’d love to have you come by and take a look at what’s available.
