When you listen to loud music at a concert, this exposes the fine nerves in your inner ear to possible damage. The ringing that you hear after a concert is called tinnitus and is a sign that the nerves have been damaged to some extent.
You might recover quickly within hours or the tinnitus might last for longer. The longer it lasts the more likely you might have done some permanent damage.
The ringing in your ears can be a low buzz or a high pitched tone or a click. When you hear any noises in your ears, take it as a warning sign that you have listened to music that was too loud, for too long. You have to be careful that you aren’t doing permanent damage to your hearing.
Wearing earplugs at a loud concert will make the music a little softer, will prevent the ringing from happening and save your hearing.
Different people have different susceptibility to hearing damage from loud sounds. Not everyone will get ringing in their ears after a concert, but if you do it’s a sign that you are more likely to experience hearing damage so you need to take extra care.
AUTHOR: Professor Louise Hickson is Professor of Audiology and Head of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at The University of Queensland. She is also Co-Director of the Communication Disability Centre at that University. Professor Hickson has published over 180 research articles, books and book chapters with her main focus on the effects of hearing impairment on the lives of older people, how to measure outcomes in that population and the development of strategies and interventions that improve the uptake and outcomes of audiological rehabilitation.
