Concerts are a way for students to unwind, party and rock on with their favorite musical artists. However, many people may not realize being exposed to so much thunderous excitement could one day mean an end to being able to hear at all.
Tori Gustafson, an audiologist at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, said it is possible for people to damage their hearing by listening to loud music either at a concert or a private setting.
Gustafson said people can be exposed to 90 decibels, a lower volume than the noise of a vacuum cleaner, for up to eight hours and not cause much damage to their hearing. It is not likely that students abstain from cranking up the volume on stereos and portable CD players.
"It depends how loud it is and how long you're in it," she said. "It's kind of a trade off."
The average rock concert emits about 120 decibels, she said. To come away from that amount of sound safely, one would have to leave after seven and a half minutes.
"If you leave and your ears are ringing, that was too loud," she said. "You're damaging your ears."
Tinitus, or ringing in the ears, is correlated to hearing loss but does not necessarily cause it. Stress, large amounts of saturated fat and an increase in salt intake also can cause one's ears to ring.
Jennifer Landry, a freshman from San Antonio, is a substitute disk jockey for KTXT. She said she enjoys frequently attending hard rock concerts. She said it depends on the band she sees, but she often stands as close to the stage as possible.
"There was one concert where I really couldn't hear for a couple of days," she said. "I have some friends who can't hear high-pitched sounds because they listen to so much loud music."
"Loud" is anything about 85 decibels. For every 5 decibels, a person should reduce the amount of time they are planning to spend in a loud setting by half.
Gustafson said musicians playing on stage are at a greater risk of hearing loss. She said musicians often take precautions such as wearing special earplugs that decrease the intensity of sound but do not distort pitch. She said concert fans should try not to stand directly in front of speakers.
Landry said she does not wear earplugs.
"I have a friend who's a drummer, and he usually wears earplugs," she said.
Dr. Amyn Amlani, an audiologist at HSC, teaches courses related to hearing aids. He said it is wise for people engaging in everyday activities involving loud noise to wear earplugs to conserve their hearing.
"You can go to the drug store and buy little yellow ear plugs that cost 50 cents," he said. "Clean and simple, it's the best way to do it."
Mowing the lawn, shooting a gun, sustaining a head injury or suffering through a cold can also cause hearing loss. Cotton swabs also are dangers to one's hearing because they tend to push wax build up further into the ear rather than eliminating it.
"Shooting guns is more likely to cause hearing loss than loud music because it makes a transient, or fast, sound," he said.
Amlani said people, especially those who work in a loud environment, should get their hearing checked annually. He said having one's hearing evaluated is as important as keeping up with vision assessment.
"Most people who have a hearing loss don't realize it until it's too late," he said. "You're going to lose your hearing; it's part of the aging process. We're trying to prevent the acceleration of hearing loss."
Amlani said alcohol and other drugs could increase the rate of hearing loss when combined with noise exposure.
"Alcohol increases the temporary threshold shift, leaving you with a ringing in your ears," he said. "The ringing usually lasts for about 12 to 24 hours, but if you consume alcohol, it can last for up to 72 hours."
People with early hearing loss often raise the volume of the television higher than normal, notice they hear better with one ear over the other while talking on the telephone or are unable to hear things others hear.
"Most people have some noise that's constant in their house," he said. "If you can't hear it but someone else can, or vise versa, you probably have hearing loss."
Amlani said it is essential to preserve hearing abilities for as long as possible, because though technology has improved the lives of many living with hearing loss, nothing is as good as the real thing.
"People think that hearing aids will restore normal hearing. I can tell you for a fact they don't," he said. "The normal hearing you have now can't be restored through an electrical device."
For more information about noise induced hearing loss, visit www.hearnet.com.
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