Health & Medical Hearing

Ringing in My Ears After a Concert - Is This Normal?

Who doesn't love going to see their favorite musicians live in concert? Concerts can draw thousands and thousands of fans, and each of these fans is risking significant hearing damage, especially if they are sitting or standing close to the amplifiers.
If you have ever been to a concert, you know how loud they can be, and you have probably experienced ringing in your ears for a few hours after the concert has ended.
This is often a high pitched squealing sound, and it can even last as long as a day or two.
Although this is nothing overly serious or anything you should worry about, it is something that is incredibly annoying.
So, why do your ears ring after a loud concert? The reason for this is because the loud music has actually done a bit of damage to your inner ear.
The hair cells in the inner ear are now damaged, and this is what is causing the ringing noise, which you may hear in one or both ears.
Usually, these hairs produce nerve signals that go to the auditory part of the brain when you hear a sound, and they are only stimulated by sound.
When you are around loud noises, this is very traumatic to the cells.
But you don't have to stop going to concerts.
You just need to take steps to protect your ears.
For one thing, if you go to a lot of concerts, you may want to cut back and see fewer over the course of a year.
You should also take earplugs to concerts, and wear them when the music is playing.
You will have no trouble hearing the music, but your inner ears will be much more protected.
If you look closely at the band, you will probably notice a lot of them wearing earplugs themselves, because they understand just how much damage they are doing to their hearing.
It is also a good idea to not get your seats too close to the speakers.
Even though this is considered by many to be the "best" seat in the house, it is the worst when it comes to hearing damage and tinnitus.
You may not be able to see as well from farther away, but you are still going to get that concert experience, and be there to support your favorite musicians.
Usually, tinnitus caused by concerts tends to go away after a few hours or a few days, but sometimes, the damage is permanent, and you will find that you have a ringing in your ears for the rest of your life if the hair cells do not heal themselves due to having broken off completely.
It usually takes extended exposure to loud music to cause any permanent damage, but it is best not to take any risks in the first place.
So, how loud is too loud? If you are just two or three feet from someone, and have to yell to be heard, the music is way too loud.
Any sound levels higher than 110 decibels will cause hearing damage, and it is best to not listen to music that is louder than 85 decibels, which is about the loudness of a lawn mower.

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