Editorial

Loud noise damages your hearing

Do you frequent noisy nightspots? Be warned, you stand to damage your hearing. If you are in a noisy environment, you are advised to take a couple of trips outside

  • PublishedNovember 30, 2011

Do you frequent noisy nightspots? Be warned, you stand to damage your hearing. If you are in a noisy environment, you are advised to take a couple of trips outside or move to a quite area as high noise levels over a lengthy period of time can damage your hearing. The noise levels in crowded popular nightspots can easily surpass 85 decibels (by comparison, a human whisper is about 20 decibels; an ambulance siren measures over 120 and a loud discothèque will be close to that or higher). Just a few minutes of quiet time every so often while in a noisy place can minimize the damage from spending an evening in a loud environment. At volumes of over 85 decibels, cells in the inner ear can be destroyed and this can cause permanent hearing loss. The damage can occur over time, or if the noise is loud enough, after only one long evening of noise exposure. Being in a noisy place is also anti-social. You can’t hold conversations without shouting or asking your companions frequently to repeat what they just said.

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