Entertainment places where you can risk your hearing health

Entertainment places where you can risk your hearing health.


There are entertainment places where, if preventive actions are not taken, your hearing health can be at risk, because in these places high noise levels  can irreversibly damage your hearing. Among these places we find: Bars, musical concerts, extreme sound movie theaters, shooting ranges, gymnasiums, parties, gunpowder games and even children's parties.


Although there is legislation in Costa Rica that regulates the noise levels that can be issued, for residential, commercial and industrial areas, this legislation is little known and less respected. In addition, there is no national awareness campaign against noise and the danger it represents for hearing health. As a consequence of the foregoing, there is little or no culture against noise and in favor of environments noise pollution free.


The regulator of noise in Costa Rica is the Ministry of Health, which has the function of receiving and responding to complaints that citizens can interpose, if the noise levels exceed tolerance and healthy coexistence. In addition, it is necessary to initiate a national campaign against noise pollution and in favor of improving the hearing health of Costa Ricans.


Some tips to take care of your hearing health and to prevent irreversible disorders caused by the daily exposure to noise are:


Avoid attending places with noise levels exceeding 85 decibels. A simple way to determine that you are in a place where the noise level can be harmful, is to perform the following test, if to maintain a normal conversation a meter away, it is necessary to raise your voice, that place has a noise of background of a very high and dangerous level. There are now also free applications, which can be downloaded to any brand of Android or IOS smartphone, which allow an approximate measurement of the noise level in decibels.


Get a hearing review a year. Consult with the audiologist, who is the professional in Hearing Health, specialized in the prevention and identification of hearing problems, who can do, with advanced equipment, a comprehensive review of hearing and provide recommendations to care for or maintain optimal hearing health.


Use hearing protection. If you intend to attend a concert, party, practice shooting, sports, recreational or any other entertainment where you can be exposed to high noise levels, the use of hearing protectors is recommended. The audiologist is the professional who can provide advice on the best type of hearing protector, according to your needs, in a personalized way.


Hearing aids to hear music with noise reduction. Remember that music players and smartphones are capable of producing very high sound levels, and this can damage your hearing. It is highly recommended to use the sound limiter of the device, use hearing aids that have noise reduction in English and not exceed the use of the device for more than 60 minutes, at 60% of maximum volume, making rest periods.


Do not use sound amplifiers. There are in the market, available online and in television sales, devices called telephone amplifiers, or equipment to spy conversations. Many people acquire these devices, without noticing that they can put hearing at high risk, since these devices are capable of increasing the level of sound and damaging the ear irreversibly. The correction of hearing loss is strictly managed by the audiologist, who is the ideal professional to recommend the amplification that your ears need and can tolerate