Oh to be young again!
The teenage years are wonderful, carefree times for most of us. It’s the time that we discover our independence, enjoy our freedom and indulge in the hobbies that will create memories for the rest of our lives.
But it’s also a period in time when our actions can have implications for the rest of our lives. From our own experiences, we probably all know of a time when we look back and realise that we should have taken more care of ourselves.
Whether it’s attending rock concerts, going to festivals or nightclubs, playing in a band or riding motorcycles, teenagers and young people are often exposed to loud sounds for prolonged periods, and often aren’t aware of the need to wear hearing protection.
From personal experience, this author knows to his cost the need to wear hearing protection. I do now, but as a youth I had no idea of the need to look after my ears. Ignorance was bliss. As a teenager I raced speedway, a raw form of motorbike racing that uses barely silenced 500cc single-cylinder motorcycles. Unlike riding road motorcycles (where the high frequency wind noise can cause tinnitus) it was the warming up of the bikes in the pits which caused the damage. Bikes of the time generated around 125db from the laughingly titled ‘silencer’, a racket similar to drums being played. With 14 bikes being warmed up simultaneously, it’s no wonder that I quickly found myself with a permanent ringing in my ears…
It’s only the older, wiser, version of myself that realised my mistakes, which is why I am keen to ensure that my own children are aware of the dangers of exposure to loud noises, and the preventative measures they can take. My 10 year old son plays the drums, and he is very much aware of the need to protect his hearing when he plays an acoustic kit.
Health and safety experts generally consider that hearing protection should be worn at decibel levels of 85dB and above in the workplace. This is the level at which hearing damage can occur, albeit when exposed for a number of hours, but as the decibel scale is logarithmic, each increase of 10dB does not represent a small increase but is actually ten times louder. Therefore exposure to that sound of 125dB was actually 40 times louder than the recommended level for wearing hearing protection, and I wasn’t wearing any!
Typically, loud activities, such as going to a nightclub or concert, can expose a teen to up to 130dB, and playing drums up to 100dB. At that level, permanent hearing damage can occur in just minutes – a lifetime of damage for just a moment of pleasure.
The good news is that there is a solution. As we become more aware of the damage loud noises can cause, there are solutions out there which allow you to enjoy your noisy pastimes, and protect your hearing.
One of the objections to wearing traditional foam ear plugs is that they block out too much noise. After all, who wants to pay £50 to go to a rock concert, only to be unable to hear it properly? And how can you play your trumpet or percussion instrument perfectly when the sound is muffled by solid ear plugs?
That’s why Auritech developed our patented filtered hearing protection. The design allows the noise levels to be reduced, while the tuned ceramic filter allows for safe levels of crystal clear sound to pass through to the ear, enhancing the enjoyment of your pastime. With a range of seven products to suit specific pastimes (such as music, shooting, work, watersports and motorcycling) and each with their own dedicated filter, there’s an Auritech ear plug for every occasion. The universal product’s unique tapered design also means that they fit pretty much everyone, including teens who may still be growing.
Many of us discover the need to wear hearing protection after the initial damage has been done. For teenagers and young people involved in loud activities, the time to take action is now.
For more details on the Auritech range, and to order a pair online, visit http://www.auritech.co.uk/universal-fit-earplugs