New research from the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) found that 58 per cent of young adults aged 18-28 have experienced hearing loss or tinnitus after listening to music.
It found a quarter of those polled expressed a willingness to wear earplugs if they were comfortable, free, and could still enjoy live music when wearing them.
While many venues around Edinburgh have earplugs available at the bar, students felt that few advertise this information effectively enough.
Despite it sometimes being “uncomfortably loud”, most students thought music in clubs shouldn’t be decreased, describing it as “part of the experience, part of the night.”
However, they felt it “made sense” given how often they receive notifications from their phones about how listening volumes cause harm to hearing.
One student also said, “when drunk it’s hard to tell how much damage you’re doing to your hearing”.
Exposure to loud sounds causes fatigue of our ears’ sensory cells, potentially causing temporary hearing loss and longer term damage.
The World Health Organisation recommends keeping personal device volume below 80dB, for a maximum of forty hours a week.
They also encourage limiting the time spent on noisy activities, giving your ears a break, using ear protection, and staying away from sources of sound.
Photo by A J. on Unsplash.
