Hearing Protection (How many decibels is too loud?) | Sound Relief Tinnitus & Hearing Center

How many decibels are too loud? When should one start using hearing protection?

It's not only how loud things are but also how long you're exposed.

Your ear toughness is a lot like skin. For example, when two people go out into the sun. One person burns in 5 minutes, whereas the other person can be out there all day and not have any problem at all. Similarly, ears have different toughness depending on genetics and other factors.

You want to start wearing hearing protection around 85 dB – especially if you're in that environment all day.

The rule of thumb is at 85 dB, one can be in that situation for 8 hours per day and still be safe.

** Super important ** This decibel scale is logarithmic. Every time you go up 3 dB, you have to cut the time in half.

For example, at 88 dB, suddenly you don't have 8 hours anymore; you only have 4 hours, and every time you go up 3 dB, cut the time in half. By the time you get up to 100 dB, you only have 15 minutes.

People think 85 dB to 100 dB isn’t that much different, but it's a world of difference.

It's 8 hours of safe listening time versus 15 minutes of safe listening time.

So it’s not only how loud it is but how long you're exposed, and if you're around 85 dB start looking at some hearing protection.

Tinnitus, hyperacusis, and hearing aids in Arizona & Colorado:

Sound Relief Tinnitus & Hearing Center - Scottsdale, AZ 🌵
9465 E Ironwood Square Dr #102
Scottsdale, AZ 85258
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Sound Relief Tinnitus & Hearing Center - Centennial, CO 🌄
15450 E Orchard Road
Centennial, CO 80016
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Sound Relief Tinnitus & Hearing Center - Denver, CO 🏔
55 Madison St #550
Denver, CO 80206
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Sound Relief Tinnitus & Hearing Center - Fort Collins, CO ⛰
4703 E Boardwalk Dr # B2
Fort Collins, CO 80525
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Sound Relief Tinnitus & Hearing Center - Golden, CO 🏔
1030 Johnson Rd # 130
Golden, CO 80401
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Sound Relief Tinnitus & Hearing Center - Highlands Ranch, CO 🌄
200 Plaza Dr #110
Highlands Ranch, CO 80129
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Sound Relief Tinnitus & Hearing Center - Westminster, CO 🏔
12001 Tejon St #124
Westminster, CO 80234
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Sound Relief Tinnitus & Hearing Center - Mesa, AZ 🌵
4824 E Baseline Rd STE 102
Mesa, AZ 85206
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Sound Relief Tinnitus & Hearing Center - Peoria, AZ 🌵
16155 N. 83rd Ave #101
Peoria, AZ 85382
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[slydog]

It's a good idea to buy a decent sound meter, available for as little as $15. That will tell you how loud sounds actually are. I recently bought an electric string trimmer. I used my sound meter to see how loud it was while operating. I held it in the normal position and measured the dB at my ear. It was 110 dB! I returned it to the store and left a product review remarking on how loud it was and how it could damage one's hearing.

DB meters don't give the whole picture. It is a weighted average over the sound spectrum. A sound spectrum analyzer can give the dB of each frequency across the spectrum. It can be the case that there is a particular frequency which is very loud, but a standard dB meter will average it out and might not read loud at all. But your hearing at that particular frequency could still be damaged. There are phone apps that can analyze the entire spectrum. They might not be super accurate, but a big spike at a particular frequency shouldn't be ignored.

[jayrellafire]

I have a 120 dcb personal alarm will it damagw my ears ??

Because i want to use it but im worried it will damage my ears