How to Protect Hearing at Concerts

Your hearing is a precious and valuable tool that most people take for granted. While it may be in perfect shape right now, chances are that by the time you hit 40 you may already notice a significant difference in your ability to hear. Fortunately, you can help protect your hearing by making some smart choices before attending loud events such as concerts or raves.

Things You'll Need

• A box of earplugs
• N-Acetyl Cysteine (if desired)

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Instructions

• 1

  Earplugs are easy to get a hold of and pretty inexpensive, so there's absolutely no excuse to go to a concert without them in hand. They come in both foam and silicone varieties and are easy to insert. Be sure to roll them between your fingers as tightly as possible before sliding them into your ear. If you are unable to find the right angle the first time, try again until the earplugs are fitted securely into your ears. They will not work as well if they are not being used correctly. Most disposable earplugs reduce sound by somewhere between 26 and 33 decibels, so not all earplugs are created equal. "Quiet! Please" foam earplugs reduce noise by 29 decibels and are easy to find in most drug stores. However, for maximum protection, order a box of Howard Leight Max plugs, which will lower the sound by 33 decibels.

• 2

  N-Acetyl Cysteine, or NAC, is a powerful antioxidant that has been proven to protect against hearing loss when it is taken before or shortly after exposure to damaging noise. In fact, the U.S. government uses it to protect the hearing of soldiers who go out into combat. It is available for order online and can even be found in certain drug and health food stores. However, this is not necessarily meant to take the place of earplugs. It would be smarter to use the two in conjunction with each other.

• 3

  If you have the option, you should always choose an outdoor concert or rave over an indoor one. Indoor concerts can be significantly louder than outdoor concerts because the noise does not have all the open space to escape to and builds up within the confines of the walls.

• 4

  In the case that there is no assigned seating or you have lawn seats, pay attention to where the speakers are placed. The majority of the time, people pay absolutely no attention to where they are in relation to the speakers, but there is a world of difference between sitting 10 feet and 100 feet from them.

• 5

  If you are a musician performing at a loud event, but disposable earplugs interfere with your ability to hear certain frequencies that are necessary to your ability to perform, you should probably go to a hearing device specialist or an audiologist and have a pair of custom made musicians' earplugs created for you. They can be customized to block out certain frequencies more than others, and are easier to insert than disposable earplugs because they are molded specifically to your ears. They run between $150 and $200, but are well worth the investment.