Monday 14 May 2012

What?... I said look after you're ears

I've covered this subject before but I think it's important to talk about it and try to educate people about how they can protect their ears.
There have been a few things pop up in the media about Tinnitus so I thought I'd re-visit this subject and try to educate more people.
Recently Chris Martin and Plan B backed an earplug campaign
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17952110
If you don't look after your ears, you can go deaf, that's a harsh reality but.Tinnitus can seriously impede your Career.
Music Legend Gary Numan says he did not look after his ears and now he is in "Trouble".
"It's getting serious, to the point that I can't mix my music properly anymore, so it's majorly impacted on my career. If I'd just looked after them when I was younger then this would never have happened, so I very much regret it. I would often be at gigs, standing at the front next to the speakers, not wearing earplugs, thinking I'm cool and being manly, but that's just rubbish, it's stupid.
"So look after your hearing and wear earplugs."
Here is a short video that I found on YouTube (it's not the best quality). Here dance music producer Jody Wisternoff talks about his trouble with Tinnitus and about wearing ear plugs.


Here is some medical information from Channel 4's embarrassing bodies

http://www.channel4embarrassingillnesses.com/conditions/tinnitus/

"Sufferers of tinnitus can hear noise within their ear or head that is not coming from an outside source. It can be quite common amongst sufferers of colds, but can also be caused by exposure to loud music. Up to 10% of the population suffer from tinnitus and it can range from nothing more than an annoyance to a much more serious condition that can cause problems when sleeping or concentrating. Old age is the most common cause of tinnitus, but it can occur in any age group, and can be self-inflicted by over-indulgence in thrash metal. The most common cause is damage to the hearing nerves that causes a random series of signals to be received by the brain, and interpreted as sound. It can also be caused by ear wax, anaemia, and in rare cases by more serious medical conditions such as tumours. There is no cure for tinnitus, but there are various coping mechanisms that you can discuss with your GP"

10 Top Tips on How to protect your ears

There are many ways to protect your ears from loud noises:

• Turn the volume down on your mp3 player
• Be careful of using cheap nasty headphones and speakers. Yes I know I'm a music tech geek and I'll always say that i-pod earphones are naff but if you use cheap tacky headphones when listening to your mp3 player, you'll be likely to turn the volume up as the quality will not be there.
• Take regular breaks when producing music and practising your DJ sets. Your ears get tired so give them a break and let them recover, you'll notice the difference in sounds when your ears are tired and when they are fresh.
• When in a club, take regular breaks from the dance floor
• Similar to the last point but monitor your exposure to sounds over 85 dB and take regular 15-minute "silent" breaks, regardless where you are.
• Pay attention to signs such as “Caution! Loud Noise Hazard, Ear protection must be worn”.
• Don’t try to be cool by standing next to the speakers in clubs
• Avoid hazardous sound environments. This is a difficult one especially if your a DJ/Producer/Musician but bare this in mind if you have to raise your voice to be heard, you are in a potentially dangerous environment for your hearing. 
• If you can't avoid loud environments then wear ear protection. Google 'Buy ear plugs' and you'll be well away. If you're in the UK then you can buy custom made ear plugs from Specsavers. they are quite pricey... From £99 a pair at the time of writing this but for if you're like me than you'll agree that your hearing is priceless.

dB      Level Level of Exposure           Common Noise Source
140    Deafening                                 Jet Engine 25m away
130    Deafening                                 Jet Engine 100m away
120    Deafening                                 Loud Club
110    Deafening                                 Jet Engine 600m away
100    Very                                         Loud Pneumatic drill
90      Very                                         Loud Food blender
80      Loud                                        Police Siren
70      Loud                                        Vacuum Cleaner
60      Moderate                                  Busy Office
50      Moderate                                  Normal Conversation
40      Faint                                        Library
30      Faint                                        Whisper
20      Very Faint                                Rustling leaves
10      Very Faint                                Breathing

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