Tips to Avoid Tinnitus
This is an update from a published Exaggerated Features “Health-a- Chure” article Winter, 1996, page 10.
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: The writer is not a physician or a health care professional. Please seek qualified medical advice for all your health care needs.
Article Transcript
A survey was conducted in February/ March 1996 of caricaturists at a caricature convention, to see what their top health concerns were in terms of doing live caricatures at parties or gigs. Loud music was sited as one of the top five concerns. And with good reason. A hired caricaturist (or team of caricaturists for a large corporate event) may set up early in a ballroom. Then the hired band or DJ may set up later. Most younger people unfortunately are not concerned about excessive noise or loud music which can cause temporary or chronic damage to the human ear. So when the caricaturists hear the music get cranked up, they could lose the ability to concentrate to draw guests. But based on how loud the music becomes, it could even cause chronic tinnitus, which is when a very annoying sound is ‘heard’ in your head, when there is no external sound present.
That is why it is so important for all caricaturists to guard their own health at a gig. This “Health-a-Chure” article focuses on hearing safety tips.
Per the American Medical Association (AMA), loud music is proven to risk hearing injury, causing some pain or tinnitus at 95 decibels (db) or above. But a sign that your hearing health might be under attack is when you are sitting in front of your guests, and you can’t hear them clearly. Or at all.
Another sign is when your guests begin to put their fingers in their own ears to avoid loud music. Look for that as a warning for everyone.
Days before the event, ask to speak to the house or ballroom manager. Pinpoint exactly where you or your drawing team will be placed.
In my experience, many times the room manager didn’t accommodate enough space for me to draw and a few guests who may be waiting for a caricature. So the early phone call or e-mail is a smart bet. Ask to be placed away from the band. And further away from their speakers. In the above photo on the right, I was recently placed in the right corner of a ballroom away from the DJ on the left.
At the event, ask to speak with the band or the sound board engineer and say you need to avoid the risk of a serious hearing injury. Let them know you mean business. Your health and well being are on the line.
Some DJ speakers are mounted on stands. The speakers can be simply pivoted away from you. That could be the beginning to take the edge off loud music exposure.
Let’s say at the event, the music becomes louder and louder. After speaking to the band or sound board engineer, your next best bet is personal hearing protection.
Audio engineers who work in stage and auditoriums have a big jar of foam plug hearing protectors on hand for their roadies. “ZEE E.A.R.®” yellow dense foam ear canal plugs, by Calbot Safety Corporation in Indianapolis, IN. is a good example. When properly inserted, they achieve a 29 decibel (db) attenuation for continuous (not pulse or drumming) sound. This could reduce loud music to about 60 db at the ear drum itself (theoretically). It may even help you concentrate again, to do that magical skill of drawing caricatures. Be thankful if the sound board engineer can give you a spare pair of hearing protectors.
Parts of the ear are very sensitive. The ear drum can rupture if presented with a sound pulse that is too loud for it to mechanically handle. Anyone who shoots at a shooting range knows about hearing protection equipment. The cochlea and the organ of Corti in the inner ear have delicate parts and four rows of tiny nerve endings.
These nerve endings have tiny hairs that sway in the fluid of the cochlea. When they sway, a signal is sent by the acoustic nerves to the left and right sides of the brain. The brain then creates “sound” that we hear. Unfortunately, as we get older, the tiny hairs get stiff and prone to damage. They can break from a very loud sound or noise, like a hammer bending a nail. When this happens, an electrical signal is continuously sent to the brain that it converts to a sound or “ringing in the ears.” If the damage is severe enough, that sound may not go away for a very long time. Imagine hearing a sound constantly on top of your daily routine. Do you want to risk poor mental health? Or even depression caused by chronic tinnitus? There is treatment and counseling for tinnitus. But no cure as of yet.
See a Youtube video (“Ear Safety Tips to Avoid Tinnitus”) I made to show the parts of the ear that can be affected.
Be as proactive as possible about your own comfort and ergonomic safety while you draw away the hours and dozens of guests at an event. See the photo of myself drawing guests when everything is set just right. Everyone is happy. And you are smart and safe.
Check out Dave’s “Health-a-Chure” videos on his YouTube Channel, Bippy55.
This Navigation box may not show up on mobile browsers. Please see Exaggerated Features Issue 2011.3 for the full contents of this issue if the navigation box does not display.
 |
| | |
| |||
| |||
