Experts are calling for festivalgoers to protect their ears so they can enjoy music now, and into the future, as research has revealed that 81% of festivalgoers admit they often leave such events with their ears ringing, which could be damaging to their hearing.
Only 15% said that they would bring ear plugs to a festival, and even fewer said they would prioritise taking ear defenders. Ear protection was low on the list of festival essentials, behind water bottles (70%), sunscreen (67%), sunglasses (64%), wet wipes (55%) and a toothbrush (55%). Slightly less than half (46%) of respondents always pack a hat, while 53 percent never forget painkillers.
With 22% saying that there is nothing better than the feeling of the bass running through their bones, it’s not surprising then that almost half of those surveyed in the Specsavers research, are convinced that their hearing has been damaged because of such loud noise. It can take just five minutes for hearing damage to occur at a festival.
Simon Baker was a successful DJ/producer and had releases on labels such as Kompa Kt, Cocoon and Last Night On Earth. He developed tinnitus due to over-exposure to loud noise, and says he thought nothing of what the loud music atmosphere was doing to his hearing.
“I had what you could call a dream career. Working in the music industry as a touring DJ, music producer and sound engineer, I had been surrounded by loud music for years and never thought much of it. I wasn’t particularly taking that much care of my health in my early days, and I wasn’t too aware of the impact my lifestyle could have been having on my health, and then I developed tinnitus which led to a lot of stress.
“My tinnitus started low level but increased over time, it really made me worry about the impact it could have on my life and career. Now, I want to encourage everyone to be aware of how to prevent tinnitus. The most important things are to wear ear protection in loud places and get your ears tested regularly.”
