Follow these hearing loss prevention tips when celebrating America’s birthday.
Colorful, vibrant firework and firecracker displays are iconic staples of 4th of July celebrations across the country. While these activities can be great fun for the whole family, the resulting sounds can get as high as 155 decibels, which may put you at risk of noise-induced hearing loss.
Follow these tips to protect your hearing during the joyous festivities:
- Use hearing protection
- Safely enjoy backyard festivities
- Watch from afar
- Measure the sound with an app
- Seek professional care for symptoms
Keep reading to learn more about each of these hearing loss prevention tips.
Use hearing protection
Choosing to wear a hearing protection gadget like earplugs or ZEM hearing protectors to the firework show helps reduce the effects of your exposure to damaging sounds. Foam earplugs are inexpensive and can be found at most drugstores and pharmacies. For younger children, experts recommend using earmuffs that fit over the ears.
Safely enjoy backyard festivities
While it’s best to stick to public firework displays put on by professionals, some people launch firecrackers in their backyard. If you’re planning personal festivities, be smart about your selections. This hearing loss prevention tip means choosing products with a quieter noise rating, such as fountains, wheels, and comets. While not completely silent, they crackle and whistle instead of making dangerously loud explosion sounds. Avoid loud fireworks such as rockets and mines that let off many blasts together – those are designed to produce as much noise as possible, which can damage your hearing.
Watch from afar
While you don’t want to miss a minute of the firework show, aim to enjoy the festivities from afar. If you’re watching at the park, keep a safe distance of 500 feet or more to protect your hearing. Even better, consider taking in the magic from a nearby backyard or viewing area. Not only will you reduce your exposure to sound, but you may also get a better view of the display.
Measure the sound with an app
If you aren’t sure whether the fireworks you’re viewing are loud enough to cause damage, take a moment to load a smartphone app like Sound Check on your device. This handy tool helps you measure the noise level of your surroundings. If it tells you that the current sound quality is dangerous, be sure to keep your distance and use hearing protection.
Seek professional care for symptoms
Our last hearing loss prevention tip for the Independence Day is to know when you need to seek care from a hearing loss professional. If you are experiencing any of these warning signs of hearing loss during or after the festivities, contact your doctor or audiologist immediately. They can work with you to identify the cause and provide the best treatment options for you.
These tips to protect your hearing on America’s birthday can keep you and your loved ones safe during the exciting – and noisy – weekend festivities. Discover even more CapTel phone captioning technology can help you stay connected to friends and family over the telephone, call 800.233.9130 today.
