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When it’s loud, wear hearing protection. Every single time.

Everyone should wear ear plugs or ear muffs designed for hearing protection when they go to concerts or any loud event. If you are in a band and there’s a drum set or loud amps at rehearsal, if you are at a theme park and attend a parade or live event, if you are using loud equipment like a lawn mower, in these situations you should wear hearing protection every single time.

I think it is our responsibility as piano teachers to education ourselves as well as our students about protecting our hearing. Most people don’t realize that even a single event can cause hearing damage. Once you have permanent hearing damage, you cannot get it back. Unlike many injuries, hearing will not simply heal and return to normal. Our hearing is essential to our lives. It is a source of pleasure and it allows us to communicate. Being able to hear is precious and we need to protect it.

Talk to your students and parents about hearing protection

I tell all of my students and the parents of my students to use hearing protection at any loud event like a concert or band practice. For young children, hearing protection ear muffs designed for kids are likely the best option. You can also find protective ear muffs designed specifically for babies. Everyone should wear hearing protection at loud events.

If you are a musician, carry around ear plugs with you.

You can buy reusable musician’s ear plugs that have a small case you can keep in your pocket or a bag. You never know when you will find yourself in a situation that is too loud. You might go to an event you expect to be quiet but it turns our they have a DJ with a sound system.

If you have sudden hearing loss, seek immediate medical attention.

If you suddenly have hearing loss, you should see an Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctor (ENT) as soon as possible to assess you and give you appropriate medical treatment. You should also see an Audiologist to get your hearing tested. If you have sudden hearing damage from an loud event or a virus, it’s possible your hearing can be recovered with steroid treatments but this must be started within two weeks of the sudden hearing loss. So treat it as a medical emergency. Once the hearing loss is permanent you cannot get it back and it will not heal. If you wait months after having sudden hearing loss, it is too late to treat it.

Tinnitus can result from hearing loss.

Tinnitus is the perception of a sound that is produced by the brain and not from an external sound. It may sound like ringing, whooshing, or other sounds. This condition is commonly associated with hearing loss, but has other causes as well and can be the result of a multitude of factors. Hearing loss, ear infections, viral infections, teeth clenching, head trauma, ear wax build up, and brain tumors can all cause temporary or chronic tinnitus.

For many people with tinnitus, it is constant. Having non stop ringing in your ear can make it hard to sleep and concentrate. It can cause you to feel depressed and anxious. There are things you can do to help you cope with it but there is currently no cure.

To cope with tinnitus, many people sleep with a noise machine in their room that plays rain sounds, ocean sounds, or white noise. Reducing stress and eliminating alcohol and caffeine may also help with the severity of symptoms. An audiologist will have more options to help you deal with the condition. There are therapeutic techniques to help you manage the sound, and depending on your condition you could benefit from a hearing aid. There is also Lenire, which is a device designed to basically retrain your brain to pay less attention to the tinnitus. It does not cure tinnitus but may help reduce the severity of its perception. It’s also expensive, typically costing over $5,000.

It’s better to avoid hearing loss and avoid getting tinnitus if you can. If you do develop tinnitus, see an ENT and audiologist as soon as possible.

When it’s loud, wear hearing protection. Every single time.

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