Getting an Earful

December 1888, artist Van Gogh stalked Gauguin with a razor and then cut off the lower part of his own left ear lobe, which he wrapped in newspaper and gave to a prostitute named Rachel in the local brothel, asking her to "keep this object carefully." 

"New American Standard Bible (Matthew 26:51)
And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear."

My point here is simple...your job...the audio skill with which you have been blessed...involves your ears.  If you have hearing damage, you reduce the effectiveness of your ability to do your job.  Yes, I know an ear lobe isn't the same as cutting off an ear but it's a great story!

There are different types of hearing problems from structural to nerve problems.  In the case of what you and I must watch for on a regular basis, the hearing problem type we must avoid is sensory hearing loss. This happens when the cochlea is not working correctly because the tiny hair cells are damaged or destroyed.
 
The cochlea are filled with liquid and lined with cells that have thousands of tiny hairs on their surfaces.  The sound vibrations make the tiny hairs move.  Movement of these hairs controls stuff like sound amplification and eventually sends the sound information to your hearing nerve, which then sends it to your brain, allowing you to hear.

Depending on the amount of hearing loss, you can hear most sounds though muffled; may be able to hear in quiet but not in noise; hear only some sounds; or hear no sounds at all. Sensory hearing impairment is usually permanent and get this...your ability to talk normally can be affected.

Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by a one-time exposure to a loud sound or by repeated exposure to sounds over an extended period of time.  It makes sense, for someone at a shooting range, to use ear protection due to the loud sounds.  Yet, it's so easy to blast a sound system and think nothing about PROLONGED HIGH SOUND LEVELS.

Here is the standard recommendation: use earplugs, earmuffs or other protection devices when exposed to sounds above 85 dB.  In general, if you are standing three feet away from someone and cannot hear what they are saying, the noise level could be damaging your hearing.

What you can do...get some earplugs!

Keep a clean pair handy in your pocket or labeled with your name in the sound booth.  Outside of your typical church audio environment, wear earplugs or protective earmuffs when using power devices like the lawn mower, circular saw, vacuum, and other noisy devices.  "Sorry honey, my ears can't handle the sound of the vacuum cleaner" is not a valid excuse NOT to vacuum. 

Ears.  Love them.  Care for them.  They are like your knees.  If you are kind to them, they will be kind to you.