The ‘essential’ item everyone should pack for festivals and concerts this summer

This summer looks set to be a time packed with live music, from massive festivals like Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, P!nk's Summer Carnival and so much more.

And if you were lucky enough to get tickets for a live concert or festival this year, experts say there's one thing that you should always pack in your bag - and it's not sunscreen, your phone or tissues.

According to the pros, bringing and using this item could help you avoid potentially becoming unwell, which nobody wants while at a festival or a concert.

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Ear health is often overlooked compared to certain other things, but the average decibels of a music concert can range from 94 - 110 dB - a level which can cause long-term damage to a person’s hearing after just two minutes of exposure.

With this in mind, Hannah Samuels, audiologist at Boots Hearingcare, has shared her expert advice on safeguarding your ear health if you’re attending a festival or concert this summer.

Hannah said: "Prolonged exposure to loud music can permanently damage the delicate structures of the inner ear and cause hearing loss and tinnitus. Due to the fact that hearing loss is progressive and doesn't hurt, it often means that people don't notice issues until it's already quite significant.

“Our one key piece of advice for anyone attending a festival or concert anytime soon is to invest in some earplugs and ensure you wear them whenever you’re exposed to loud music, or other loud noises. It's a good idea to use hearing protection with filters, as these lower the level of sound but still enable you to hear everything and it can often sound better too.

“We urge everyone with an upcoming music gig to take precautions - ear protection should be as commonplace as applying sun cream - something we all know we should be doing every day - so pack your ear plugs as you pack your sun cream and keep your health as a top priority this summer."

Hannah says that a lot of hearing loss is actually preventable, and it's important that people are clued up on the things that can potentially damage our ear health - especially when it comes to educating young people.

She added: “On average, children attend their first concert between the ages of six and seve - if a child of this age is exposed to a show with 110dB of music with no ear protection, this is a major cause for concern. Parents also need to be empowered with the knowledge on how to protect their childrens’ hearing to ensure they can enjoy their favourite music without having potentially instigated hearing loss in the future.

“If you’re concerned about your previous exposure to loud music at concerts, be sure to speak to an audiologist and take a free hearing test to understand your current hearing level, and if there are any measures you need to take to safeguard your hearing moving forward."

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