{"id":3668,"date":"2019-06-28T08:57:05","date_gmt":"2019-06-28T15:57:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hearingsb.com\/?p=3668"},"modified":"2025-08-19T13:47:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T20:47:18","slug":"summer-hearing-protection-in-santa-barbara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/summer-hearing-protection-in-santa-barbara\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer Hearing Protection in Santa Barbara"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Summertime in <a title=\"City of Santa Barbara, CA\" href=\"https:\/\/www.santabarbaraca.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Santa Barbara<\/a> is\u2026well, not all that different from the rest of the year! We are blessed to enjoy a temperate, sunshine-filled climate year-round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But it can be a <em>little<\/em> warmer and <em>slightly<\/em> sunnier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you wear <a title=\"hearing aids | Hearing Services of Santa Barbara\" href=\"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/hearing-aids\/\">hearing aids<\/a>, you\u2019ll need to take steps to protect them from some of the things most synonymous with summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Heat &amp; Hearing Aids Don\u2019t Mix<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"816\" src=\"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/camels-in-the-desert-heat.jpg\" alt=\"camels in the desert\" class=\"wp-image-3669\" title=\"Heat and hearing aids\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/camels-in-the-desert-heat.jpg 640w, https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/camels-in-the-desert-heat-256x326.jpg 256w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The summer months are filled with activities for both kids and adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Picnics, barbecues, parades, fireworks, trips to the beach \u2013 these are all beloved pastimes in <strong>Santa Barbara<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As magnificent as the season can be, it is also fraught with hazards for those who wear hearing aids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The biggest summertime threat to hearing-impaired Californians is noise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Exposure to decibel levels <a title=\"exceeding 85 db | hearsmart.org\" href=\"https:\/\/hearsmart.org\/what-problem\/decibels-and-damage\/\">exceeding 85 dB<\/a> can cause irreparable harm to your hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s roughly equivalent to the sound of city traffic; some of the sounds of summertime can exceed that significantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stay vigilant in order to prevent hearing damage from occurring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Risks to Your Hearing Health<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The following activities all pose a serious risk to your hearing health:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Music (concerts, parades)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fireworks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sporting events<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Motorized vehicles (motorcycles, boats,&nbsp;jet skis)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lawnmowers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Exposure to noise generated from these and other activities can <em>cause permanent damage to the hair cells of the inner ear<\/em> that are responsible for hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your best way to stay safe?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wear earplugs whenever you are engaging in any of these activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most <strong>Santa Barbara<\/strong> drugstores carry inexpensive foam earplugs that will provide you with protection from noise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These are fine, but if you regularly participate in noisy activities \u2013 say you\u2019re a drummer in a rock \u2018n roll band or like to go boating every night after work \u2013 you should consider a pair of <a href=\"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/hearing-loss\/custom-hearing-protection\/\">custom plugs<\/a> made from silicone molds of your ear canals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Talk to your Santa Barbara Audiologist about ordering these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tips to Protect Your Hearing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few other tips for <strong>protecting your hearing<\/strong> this summer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Fireworks and the 4<sup>th<\/sup> of July go hand in hand, but the noise generated from these can easily exceed 150 dB. That\u2019s loud enough to cause instant, permanent damage to your hearing. It\u2019s best to let others do the work and enjoy fireworks from a distance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Water can also be a summertime hearing hazard. High bacterial counts can cause an infection that might lead to permanent hearing loss if left untreated. Check for posted signs warning of high bacteria levels. Even without excess bacteria, water can still cause problems if it enters your ear canals. Swimmer\u2019s ear and surfer\u2019s ear are painful infections that occur following exposure to water, particularly on windy or cold days. Wear swim plugs when splashing around in the surf and dry your ears thoroughly after coming into contact with any water source.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hearing aid users should take precautions to protect their devices from heat and humidity, which can cause them to short-circuit or malfunction. Wear a wide-brimmed hat when walking outdoors in the sunshine and carry an umbrella in case you get caught in an unexpected rainstorm (don\u2019t laugh, Californians \u2013 it\u2019s possible!), don\u2019t leave them in a hot car, and consider buying a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture when you aren\u2019t wearing them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Your <a title=\"Santa Barbara Audiologist | Hearing Services of Santa Barbara\" href=\"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/\">Santa Barbara Audiologist<\/a> is happy to help answer any other questions you might have about hearing safety this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Related Hearing Loss Posts:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a title=\"Top 5 Symptoms of Hearing Loss\" href=\"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/top-5-symptoms-hearing-loss\/\"><strong>Top 5 Symptoms of Hearing Loss<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a title=\"Singing Helps Kids with Cochlear Implants\" href=\"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/singing-helps-kids-with-cochlear-implants\/\"><strong>Singing Helps Kids with Cochlear Implants<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a title=\"How Do I Know When It\u2019s Time for Hearing Aids?\" href=\"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/how-do-i-know-when-its-time-for-hearing-aids\/\"><strong>How Do I Know When It\u2019s Time for Hearing Aids?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Our Santa Barbara Audiologists Office Locations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a title=\"Audiologist on Hollister Avenue map directions\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/5333+Hollister+Ave+%23165,+Goleta,+CA+93111\/@34.434701,-119.809999,17z\/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x80e93ff5037c9aff:0x458c8b2ca2e430eb!8m2!3d34.4347012!4d-119.8099994?hl=en-US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Santa Barbara<\/strong><\/a><br>5333 Hollister Avenue, Suite 165<br>Santa Barbara, CA 93111<br>(805) 967-4200<br><a title=\"Audiologist on Viborg Road map directions\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/2030+Viborg+Rd+%23100,+Solvang,+CA+93463\/@34.602185,-120.127218,15z\/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x80e9549a5f86ed31:0xc3547b6b4a09e69!8m2!3d34.6021847!4d-120.1272178?hl=en-US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Solvang<\/strong><\/a><br>2030 Viborg Road, Suite 100<br>Solvang, CA 93463<br>(805) 688-3100<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summertime in Santa Barbara is\u2026well, not all that different from the rest of the year! We are blessed to enjoy a temperate, sunshine-filled climate year-round. But it can be a little warmer and slightly sunnier. If you wear hearing aids, you\u2019ll need to take steps to protect them from some of the things most synonymous [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3669,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","event_date":"","formatted_date":"","formatted_time":"","location":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hearing-aids"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3668"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3668\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6332,"href":"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3668\/revisions\/6332"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hearingsb.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}