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Clubs Are Loud!

I am 23 years old, currently in my third year of university. However, last night was the first time my friends were able to drag me to a club. I have avoided parties like the plague because they are just not my cup of tea, but they were so insistent that I followed them to the nearest club to my campus. Needless to say, I regretted it almost immediately. The weather was nice, so we decided to walk and I could hear the music blasting from the place when we were still two blocks away. The moment we walked in, I could feel the music pulsing everywhere. I only stayed for about an hour before I left early, while my friends stayed.

After this experience, I realized that the staff at clubs also have an extremely high risk of developing hearing loss. As I mentioned in this post, the maximum decibels that workers are allowed to be exposed to during an 8-hour work day is 85 dB, but club music can easily reach 110-115 dB, which far surpasses the limit. We should only be exposed to such high levels of noise for less than an hour each day, yet the staff in clubs work for hours on end. Even patrons of the clubs sometimes stay for hours. This can be very damaging to the hearing of these individuals.

The high volume of music at these dance clubs is often to pump up the visitors and get them to dance, but it can have the opposite effect as well (refer to this post to find out about negative effects of loud music on the body). The loud music also makes it impossible for anyone to converse without yelling into each other’s ears, which can affect their voices as well. As I mentioned previously, musicians are also exposed to risk of hearing loss, but there is not much awareness about it because of the nature of music. Either way, musicians should still protect themselves as best as possible. The same should apply to those working in the entertainment industry, especially those working in dance clubs. Just because it is not the annoying, disruptive noise of construction tools does not mean that it has any less potential to cause damage.

The problem with hearing loss is that there is not much awareness surrounding it. The majority of the population believe that hearing loss will happen to them only when they are well into their years, walking into the territory of old age. However, raising more awareness of this issue can prevent individuals from getting any degree of noise-induced hearing loss. Many young adults, especially university students, believe that they are on the top of the world and that nothing can defeat them. They visit these clubs again and again to seek fun, not knowing that they could be damaging their hearing. Therefore, I think that club owners should take the responsibility of warning their patrons, and especially their staff, about this danger.

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Musicians and Hearing Loss

Hello everyone! Here’s another post that my fellow musicians may find very intriguing. Have you ever wondered why the players in symphony orchestras are seated the way they are? Well, part of the reason has to do with protecting the musicians’ ears! As I mentioned in this post, musicians can actually suffer a lot of damage to their hearing.

First of all, although I suggested wearing ear protection, you may understand why this is less than ideal during a rehearsal. A large part of a working together effectively as an ensemble comes from the musicians’ attentive listening to the other parts and adjusting their own playing to match. Although wearing earplugs may help them protect their ears, it would distort the sounds and cause the performance to be unbalanced.

This is where the seating arrangement of a symphony orchestra comes into play. The softer instruments, such as the woodwinds and the violins, sit at the front where the audience can hear them better. The brass and percussion instruments, which can be very loud, are situated at the back, where they can still be heard by the audience. This ensures a balanced sound for the audience, but what about the musicians? It can be especially brutal for the poor musicians who happen to be seated directly in front of the timpani or the trombones. This is why Plexiglass shields are sometimes placed in front of these players so that the sound is directed away from the players in front. This is a less popular choice, of course, but earplugs are always an option. Some symphony orchestras also make use of risers, elevating the back rows, and therefore the louder instruments. This way, the sound can travel over the musicians in front of them, rather than right into them. This also provides more space in between the players.

Music is regarded as a beauty and an art rather than mindless, disruptive noise, so to think that it can cause damage to us is hard to perceive. Although it is a hard truth to accept, musicians do have a high risk of being exposed to hearing loss. This is an issue that is difficult to work around. However, musicians continue on this path to bring music to life; pieces such as Verdi’s Requiem, Shostakovich’s 4th symphony, The Rite of Spring, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 are incredibly loud, but that is part of the piece, and we can’t simply take it away just to preserve our ears. However, we are incorporating ways to lessen the strain in the musicians in these ensembles.

If you’re a musician, hopefully you’ll find this information useful, and if not, I hope you’ve enjoyed it anyway. Until next time!

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Loud Noises Are Bad For You!

Hello everyone! Sorry it’s been a while since my last post, but university has been rather hectic lately. This will be a short post, but I hope you find it interesting nonetheless.

Did you know that, when you’re exposed to loud sounds, not only are your ears affected, but other parts of your body are affected as well? For example, your heart may be thrown into atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular heartbeat that can lead to serious complications like blood clots, stroke, or even heart failure. Also, your body produces more cortisol, the stress hormone, which increases your blood pressure and blood sugar, while decreasing the effectiveness of your immune system and therefore its ability to fend off infections and illness. Your brain may also be affected; the nerve endings between the hair cells in your ears and your brain can be damaged, which can lead to inflammation in your brain! Loud sounds can also cause your brain to become overstimulated, preventing you from getting the rest that you need. You also tend to be more irritable and anxious, finding it more difficult to focus.

Wow, that’s a lot of negative effects! Other than protecting your hearing, avoiding loud sounds can also make sure that the rest of your body is in top shape. I hope you’ve learned something today. Until next time!

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Hearing Aids

Hello everyone! Today, I will be explaining how hearing aids work to help those who are hard of hearing. A hearing aid is a small electronic device worn in or behind the ear. Its purpose is to amplify sounds so that people with hearing loss can still communicate with others and carry out their daily activities.

The hearing aid has 3 basic parts. The microphone receives sound and converts the sound waves to electrical signals. The amplifier, as its name suggests, amplifies the signals, which are then sent to the ear by the speaker. Hearing aids are most effective for people whose hearing loss is caused by damage to the hair cells in the inner ear. If you remember my last post, this would be noise-induced hearing loss (if not, worry not; read it again here). The hearing aid allows the remaining functional hair cells to detect the magnified sound waves and convert them into neural signals that can be passed to the brain.

There are two basic types of hearing aids. The analog type converts sound waves into electrical signals that are then amplified; this type is usually less expensive. Meanwhile, the digital type converts sound waves into numerical codes before amplifying them. The code also includes information about a sound’s pitch and loudness, which makes it more expensive.

I hope you were able to learn something new from this post. Until next time!

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Age vs. Noise

Hello everyone! Although this blog first started because of Beethoven, he was actually a rare case of deafness; in fact, the causes of his deafness are still unknown. The lack of technology during his time means that he’s not sure either. However, I was thinking about his hearing loss and I decided to look into this topic a little bit. Hearing loss usually comes about in one of two ways: induced by noise or related to age. Of course, both of these types of hearing losses can cause disturbances to daily life!

Age-related hearing loss, or presbycusis, usually occurs to most people as they age, hence it affects mainly older or elderly people, while noise-induced hearing loss can affect all age groups. Age-related hearing loss is usually gradual and occurs in both ears, which are affected equally. Noise-induced hearing loss, on the other hand, can be immediate or gradual, and it can affect one or both ears. It can also be temporary or permanent, although it can still leave long-term damage even if it goes away.

Age-related hearing loss is usually caused by changes in the inner ear or middle ear as we age. Changes along the nerve pathways between the ear and the brain can also contribute, as well as some medical conditions or medications. For example, high blood pressure, diabetes, and chemotherapy drugs can all play a part. Currently, there are no known methods to prevent this type of hearing loss.

Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by a one-time exposure to a very high-intensity sound, or continuous exposure to loud sounds over an extended period of time. This includes constantly listening to music at high volumes with headphones, loud concerts, lawn mowers, woodworking tools, and much more. It mostly occurs due to damage to the hair cells in the inner ear (refer to this post), causing their eventual death. Sudden loud noises, such as gunshots or explosions, can cause immediate and permanent hearing loss due to a ruptured eardrum or damage to the bones in the middle ear. Noise-induced hearing loss can occur alongside tinnitus, which is the ringing or buzz in the ears or head. This type of hearing loss is definitely preventable!

Here’s a quick summary of the two types of hearing loss.

Age-related:

Gradual

Affects mainly older/elderly people

Usually affects both ears equally

No known ways to prevent it

Noise-induced:

Immediate or gradual

Temporary or permanent

Can affect all age groups

Can affect one or both ears

Preventable!

With that being said, here are some ways to prevent noise-induced hearing loss and make sure that you can still listen to your favourite music for many years to come! Be aware of which noises can cause damage; this is very obvious, but definitely try to avoid loud sounds! Wear earplugs or earmuffs or other protective devices whenever possible. However, these are usually targeted for activities involving loud construction or woodworking tools, so if this is not possible, try to put some distance between you and the source of the sound. If you work in a profession where you are constantly exposed to loud noises, try to take breaks so that your time of exposure can be broken into smaller chunks. The most important points here are to avoid loud sounds whenever possible, and if not, to wear ear protection!

I hope this can help some of you. Until next time!

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Numbers! (Pt.2)

Hello everyone! Lots of people seemed to like my last post, so here’s a part 2, for my fellow musicians out there!

A normal piano practice is around 60-70 dB

Chamber music performed in a small auditorium is 75-85 dB

A piano playing fortissimo is around 92-95 dB

A cello is 82-92 dB

A violin is 84-103 dB

A flute is 95-111 dB

A piccolo is 95-112 dB

A clarinet is 92-103 dB

A trombone (my instrument!) is 95-114 dB

Rolls played on a timpani or a bass drum is around 106 dB

The percussion section of a symphony orchestra can reach 130-140 dB

A rock music concert can reach 15 dB!

As you can see, these are music instruments that generally sound pleasing to the ear, but they can be rather damaging as well! Hearing loss is typically detected in 4-43% of Classical musicians and 13-30% of rock musicians! Out of the music ensembles, a symphony orchestra actually produces the least intense sounds, followed by a concert band and finally a marching band at the loudest! This was very surprising information for me, and I’ve started wearing earplugs whenever possible during rehearsals when I conduct. Please take care, everyone! Until next time!

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Numbers!

Hello everyone! It’s time for some numbers! Now, I’m a musician, so math is really not my strong suit. However, these were numbers that I thought everyone should know about! As I mentioned briefly in my last post, sound intensity is measured in decibels, or dB. So, here are some interesting dB levels you should know!

Normal conversation is around 60 dB

A fire alarm is around 85 dB

Hearing damage can occur at around 90-95 dB, with regular continuous exposure

Pain can be felt at 120-125 dB

And here, for my fellow Canadians, are the maximum levels of noise in dB in workplaces for 8 continuous hours:

For most provinces and territories: 85 dB

Canada (federal jurisdiction): 87 dB

Quebec: 90 dB

I found these numbers really interesting (and I can’t say that about many numbers), so I hope you did too! Until next time!

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Measuring Sound

Hello everyone! I found some new information recently that I thought was really interesting. Have you ever wondered how sound can be measured? Well, you’re about to find out!

There are many different instruments that can be used to measure sound, and each of them function in different ways, gathering different information. The first that I will introduce to you is the sound level meter, or SLM. It includes a microphone, electronic circuits, and a readout display. It picks up small variations in air pressure caused by sound waves and converts them into electrical signals. The electronic circuitry processes the signals and the display then shows the sound level in decibels (dB), the unit used to measure the intensity of a sound. This device shows the sound pressure level at one instant in a certain location.

The noise dosimeter is a small, light device that can be clipped to a person’s belt. It has a small microphone that can be attached to the person’s collar, near their ear. This instrument stores noise level information and averages it; therefore, it is used to measure noise levels where it varies in intensity and length of time of exposure, along with changes in location. It is usually worn over a complete work shift, and it then shows the person’s average noise exposure, or noise dose.

The integrating sound level meter, or ISLM, is similar to the noise dosimeter in that it shows equivalent sound levels over an extended time period, but only at a fixed location. Therefore, it does not show personal exposure since it is hand-held and not worn, displaying the equivalent sound levels at a certain location. Also, it only shows a single reading even if the noise level fluctuates during the measured time.

I hope you’ve found this interesting as I have. Until next time!

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How Our Ears Work

Hello everyone! Today, I will be telling you about how our ears function to help us hear sounds. What we see of our ear is really only a small part of what allows us to hear; this is the outer ear, and the middle ear and inner ear cannot be seen, but they are very important!

The outer ear consists of the pinna, which we can see, as well as the ear canal. The pinna is curved, with folds of cartilage and skin, so that it can better capture sound waves and direct them into the ear canal. The ear canal is the dark passageway that leads to the middle ear; it is slippery because it is lined with earwax, a substance secreted by glands to help protect the ear and keep out substances such as dirt and bacteria. Sound waves then reach the eardrum, a very thin membrane that acts as a tight barrier between the outer and middle ear, vibrating when sound waves hit it.

The middle ear is a chamber filled with air. It contains the ossicles, 3 bones called the malleus, the incus, and the stapes, which for a bridge across this space. Sound waves move the bones, causing them to vibrate. These, along with the eardrum, act to increase or decrease volume of incoming sound as necessary so that it can be heard comfortably. If the sound is too loud, the attached muscles contract so that the bones do not vibrate as much.

The most important part of the inner ear is the cochlea, which is snail-shaped. The outside is bone while the inside is made of fluid-filled membranes. As sound waves ripple through the liquid, they stimulate the tiny hair cells lining the cochlea walls. When the hairs move, a neurotransmitter is released, causing the auditory nerve to fire an electrical signal to the brain.

Wow, what a journey! Sound waves go through many different structures before your brain registers it as sound, but this is constantly happening in the blink of an eye. How amazing is that?

I hope you’ve been able to learn from this post. Until next time!