Summer has arrived here in the UK, hurrah! With its arrival we have the return of music festivals! If you’re a regular festival goer, you’ll likely love the allure of loud music and a party atmosphere. The noisier, the better. Whilst this is great in-the-moment, you’ll often leave the event with a ringing in your ears (Tinnitus). It can disappear in a few hours and be forgotten about….However, the more festivals you attend without ear protection, the more damage you are doing and one day, the Tinnitus stays with you forever. You could also end up with noise-induced hearing loss. So, it’s best to protect your ears today, to ensure you can hear tomorrow. How to do this? By using earplugs of course!
Music festivals – How loud are they?
In short, festivals are very loud – it’s not just the live music, but all the people around you too. Noise is measured in decibels (dB), and anything over 80dB is going to cause damage to your hearing. Live music events tend to range from 90dB to 120dB – so you’re exceeding the safe zone throughout (unless listening from your garden down the road, which doesn’t quite count). There have even been some concerts which have hit over the 130dB mark, including Led Zepplin, which will really leave your ears throbbing!
It’s not just the festival attendees, it’s the performers too whose ears, when left unprotected, are very vulnerable. Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin said he started noticing hearing loss at age 25, as well as tinnitus. “There’s no doubt it’s been caused by years of being on stage and subjected to very loud decibels of music,” he’s said. So, if you’re working at a gig this summer, make sure your employer is providing you with hearing protection as part of your PPE.
Hearing damage is not age discriminate. From a 2016 survey of attendees of the Glastonbury music festival, the average age of a festival attendee is 39 years of age. While the 18-25 age range topped the survey’s attendee age range at 18%, many people will be surprised that the next age range of 41-50 represented 17.5% of the total attendees. That said, you’re never too young to protect your ears at music festivals.
How to choose earplugs for music events – what to look for
Hopefully you now appreciate that your ears need to be looked after. The way to do this is by using earplugs. What qualities should you be looking for to ensure you make the best purchasing decision?
1. Comfort – if you’re going to put something into your ears, it needs to be comfortable. Otherwise, you’ll just take it out, and you’ll be unprotected. For the ultimate level of comfort, you need a custom-fit. Made for your ears, SnugsShield Music ensure you can wear your earplugs for hours – they’ll fit so well, you’ll forget they are there
2. Filtered protection – if you don’t want to compromise on the sound and hearing itself, you need to use hearing protection with attenuated filters. These are very clever pieces inserted into the earplug which are designed to remove the damaging level of noise, but still allow you to hear. SnugsShield Music is supplied with DEC filters which are interchangeable, so you can pick the level of noise protection you prefer
3. Re-useable – there is a lot of waste and rubbish produced at festivals, and you don’t want to be adding to this by using disposable, one-time use earplugs. The eco-friendly choice is re-useable ones. SnugsShield hearing protection are made from a medical grade silicone which is easy to keep clean and re-use time and time again. Added bonus – a one-time investment means you’ll have hearing protection for all upcoming gigs, no need to keep purchasing new disposable pairs, creating you savings in the long term
If you’re looking to invest in some custom fit hearing protection for your next festival, then SnugsShield hearing protection with acoustic filter is the go-to choice. You can order some here.
Other Festival Essentials
We’ve highlighted some essentials below which you might want to consider when packing your bag for your next festival.
Sleep plugs
After a full day and evening of partying, you’ll want to get a few good hours sleep before starting again the next day. As tents have no sound insulation, you can pretty much hear anything and everything going on outside, including late night partiers. Pack your SnugsZen sleep plugs to quieten the outside noise and help get your much-needed sleep
Contraception
Portrayed perfectly in the Bridget Jones’s Baby movie, make sure you pack some contraception with you in case of unplanned (or planned!) extra-curricular activities (and your SnugsZen sleep plugs can come in handy if you’re in the tent next door!)
Sunscreen
The sun is by no means guaranteed in the UK, but you don’t want to be without it when it does shine. Sunburnt skin is no one’s friend when lying in your sleeping bag
Baby Wipes
Nothing fresher than a baby wipe when at a festival! Especially after a sweaty session in the dance tent followed by a night in a tog sleeping bag…
Toilet Roll
Always take some rolls with you as it is highly likely that supplies will run out at some point. Nothing worse than being caught short when you need some
EyeMasks
Festival camping in the summer = long evenings, light and early morning sun, both of which stream happily through your tent – best way to combat is with an eyemask in your kit bag.
Clothing for all weathers
The key trick for festival planning. The weather can always change so make sure you’re prepared for all outdoor elements with a range of clothes! Wellies, hat, sunglasses, shorts, rain jacket….it may seem excessive, but you’ll be laughing when you see others who didn’t plan as well
To conclude, festivals are great places to be but there are certain items you need to pack to ensure you look after your body. Your ears are essential to the enjoyment of a festival and if you do not look after them, you could find yourself regretting it one day when you can no longer hear. When is comes to our ears, use prevention, not cure.
Want to find out more on Tinnitus and how to manage it if you have it? Visit the British Tinnitus Association for help and support. Snugs are a corporate member – 2022.