How to Enjoy Summer Concerts and Festivals with Your Hearing Aids

One of the most exciting things about the summer would be the big lineup of activities. You have vacations, trips out in nature such as national parks, going swimming, and BBQs, but you can’t forget about the major lineup of concerts and festivals that are out there! While a lot of time should be dedicated to having fun with friends, eating wacky dishes from food trucks, and dancing til nightfall, one thing you can never neglect, no matter the time of year, is your health.

This goes for your hearing health too. While a lot of people know to wear earplugs throughout the duration of a festival or concert, what about those who wear hearing aids? It’s also going to be very loud, so what sort of an impact would hearing aids make during a loud event like this? Well, here’s what you need to know to enjoy both summer concerts and festivals while you’re wearing your hearing aids!

Can Concerts and Festivals Damage Your Hearing?

During these events, loud music is often present, and you can say the same for the screaming fans that you’re surrounded by. This can have the potential to cause damage to your ears over time, and sometimes it’s more immediate. A typical outdoor music festival has sound volumes ranging from 90-100dBs, which means that your ears could be at risk of permanent hearing damage within just eight hours.

Even if you already have hearing damage from past events or even age-related, you’re not immediately off the hook, as you can still sustain more hearing damage.  Overall, these are very loud events from the crowds all the way to the performances on stage, so you have to be cautious, and you’ll need to watch over this carefully.

Should You Wear Hearing Aids During a Concert?

Most audiologists are going to recommend that you remove your hearing aids before going to a concert or a music festival. Instead, you should wear something protective for your hearing, such as wear plugs.  While it’s going to depend on the size of the concert or festival, where you’re standing, and the genre of music, for the most part, you can expect still expect to hear the music and the crowd even without the assistance of hearing aids.

Depending on your hearing aid, you can still make the choice of lowering the volume if you decide to wear them while going out. But overall, your best bet is to just consult your hearing health professional, as they’ll give you the best advice.

How to Enjoy Concerts and Festivals with Hearing Loss

Can you enjoy concerts and festivals while experiencing hearing loss? Absolutely! First and foremost, if you wear hearing aids, you should still pack them with you when going to a concert or festival. Even if you’re not going to wear them, you’ll still need to need them safe from damage or potential theft. So ideally, avoid putting them in pants pockets.  You might also want to check if your hearing aids are compatible with music, such as picking up both high-pitch and low-pitch noises.

If you need to wear hearing aids, just keep this in mind, as not all hearing aids are made the same. Concerts run about one hour to 90 minutes, and festivals can last a few hours ranging up to all day depending on your schedule and the lineup, so make sure to put these in mind too. But overall, make sure to have some high-quality ear-molded plugs to help protect your ear canal and the ear hairs. Even if you have hearing loss, you still need to think about your ear health.

Reach Out to the Venue Regarding Accessibility Services

If you can, before going to your concert or festival, try to reach out to the venue that’s hosting the event. Most venues are going to have accessibility options that will help audience members who have mobility issues, unable to hear or see clearly, or have other impairments that could get in the way of having a good time at the event. Some include special seating, caption services, as well as other offers. While it all depends on the venue itself, it’s best to go ahead and reach out and ask to see what they can do for you.

Overall, going to these events can be a lot of fun, and your hearing doesn’t need to get in the way of this whatsoever. For more information or to get an appointment with an audiologist, you can reach Peninsula Hearing in Poulsbo at 360-697-3061 or Port Townsend at 360-379-5458. Someone from our team will be more than happy to assist you!