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Noise-induced hearing loss is a common issue we see here at Echo Hearing Center, with many of our patients expressing the regret that they didn’t protect their hearing better.

But when you think of protecting your hearing, do you consider the sporting events you’re attending to be one such scenario? Beside shooting guns or using loud power tools, stadium seating and large, cheering crowds can also cause damage to your hearing.

##### Dangerous Decibels Can Be Reached At Denver Sporting Events

A big part of the appeal of attending a live pro sporting event, rather than watching at home, is to enjoy the energy of thousands of other fans. But the excitement of those other fans can be damagingly loud for your ears to process, leading to permanent hearing loss.

It is not unusual for crowds to reach 100 decibels and above as the sporting event heats up. For context:

- Normal conversations generally occur around 60-65 decibels (dB).
- Sound reaching 90 dB can damage your hearing with prolonged exposure. A lawn mower outputs about 90 dB.

So, if you are serious about protecting your hearing, you will need to take steps before you attend your next sporting event to prevent noise-induced hearing loss.

##### How To Protect Your Hearing At Pro Sports Games

Denver is the proud home to many kinds of athletic pursuits and four professional sports teams call our city home base:

- NFL – Denver Broncos at the Mile High Stadium

- MLB – Colorado Rockies at the Coors Field

- NBA – Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center
- NHL – Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center

There are several ways you can protect your hearing while you attend one of these pro sporting events:

- Establish a hearing baseline – Before you can adequately protect your hearing, it is important to know if you already have some level of hearing loss. As hearing loss can be progressive, it is essential that you have an early intervention to prevent further loss. By having a hearing evaluation, you can learn what condition your hearing is in, and our audiologist can counsel you on what steps you need to take to prevent hearing loss.
- Use disposable earplugs – A simple set of inexpensive foam earplugs can be enough to protect your ears while attending your next sporting event. If you have particularly sensitive hearing, you may want to choose impulse earplugs, which help passively dampen sharp, loud sounds like screaming sports fans.
- Take breaks from the noise – Rather than sit through the halftime show, take the opportunity to give your ears a break and go for a stroll. These breaks can help prevent your ears from feeling strained.
- Avoid bringing young children – While this step doesn’t necessarily protect your hearing, it will protect the hearing of your children. Young children have better hearing than any adult, and they may find it incredibly painful to attend a noisy sporting event. If you do take your children, make sure they have appropriately-sized earplugs or headphones.

If you are ready to start taking your hearing protection seriously, contact us. With the help of our audiologist, you can take a hearing evaluation to establish a baseline for your hearing and receive tailored advice on how to best protect your hearing from noise-induced hearing loss.

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