The holiday season is in full swing. We’re just a few days away from bidding farewell to 2019 and welcoming in the new year.
New Year celebrations often involve parties, music and fireworks! It’s a night of festivities that many of us look forward to with great anticipation. But for your hearing, the celebrations can leave a lasting impact. To help protect your hearing as you welcome 2020, here are our New Year’s hearing protection tips.
Fireworks
Fireworks are synonymous with New Years’ celebrations for many of us. As the clock strikes midnight, many of us look up in anticipation. Sparkling bright lights and the rumbling explosions signify new beginnings.
With fireworks, it seems like it’s the bigger, the louder, the better! But this can pose a threat to your hearing. It’s estimated that fireworks can reach up to 175 decibels. This is far higher than the safe-listening guidelines published by the World Health Organization (WHO).
If you will be enjoying a fireworks display, keep your hearing safe by:
- Staying a safe distance away from the display – Being up close and personal to the fireworks may feel more exciting, but it can leave a lasting imprint on your hearing. Keep your limit from the display and avoid any potential hearing damage.
- Wear hearing protection – You may want to consider investing in ear plugs, particularly if you are regularly exposed to dangerous levels of noise.
- Take breaks – If you are experiencing ringing or a feeling of fullness in your ears, give your ears a break in a quieter area.
Drink Responsibly
Alongside fireworks, popping a bottle of bubbly is a typical New Year’s tradition. The excess alcohol can leave you feeling fragile the next day, but did you know that prolonged alcohol consumption has been linked to negative changes to the auditory complex of the brain?
Researchers from the University of Ulm in Germany tested the brains of heavy and social drinkers to determine the impact that alcohol has on hearing. They looked at the level of damage that drinking had on the part of our brain that enables us to hear. Although further testing is required, the results indicated that drinking can impact our ability to hear.
By practicing safe-firework observation and drinking in moderation, you can help protect your hearing this New Year’s eve. Whatever you end up doing, we wish you a wonderful New Year! If you’d like to commit to better hearing in 2020, why not book a complimentary hearing assessment with the hearing professionals at Anderson Audiology? Call us today on 702-997-2964. Alternatively, click here to request an appointment online.