Hearing, Wellbeing, and Protesting

Protesting can be risky to our hearing. Hearing damage may affect our wellbeing. Let’s explore the connections between hearing, wellbeing, and protesting.

Hearing and Wellbeing?

Many people live fulfilling lives with severe hearing impairment. I would like to focus on the impact of hearing impairment as it progresses in the adult population. Not because adults who develop hearing impairments cannot live life to the fullest. Rather, hearing loss can impact the functioning of a person who is accustomed to being able to communicate with people by speaking and by hearing speech.

Hearing loss can affect social interactions. Social connectedness is inherent to our wellbeing, as discussed in previous posts. Social isolation can lead to loneliness which can affect emotional wellbeing.

Hearing loss can impede communication with health care providers; with the cashier at the grocery store; with the bus driver on public transportation; with law enforcement; with a bank teller; with the delivery person; and the list goes on. The inability to communicate may affect self-esteem and a person’s sense of self-efficacy.

Hearing loss can prevent a person from hearing alert signals, like smoke detectors; fire alarms; public service announcements on the TV or on cellphones; and announcements in supermarkets. Hearing loss may even prevent a person from hearing the doorbell or the telephone.

Hearing loss can be addressed by health care professionals, depending on the cause of the hearing loss. Please consult with your health care professional for options. Let’s remember that as we grow older, learning and adjusting to change can be more challenging than it is to younger people. And, we are creatures of habit. Changing our habits is possible and may be a stressful process.

Hearing and Protests

Exposure to loud noises often can be prevented, including exposure to loud noises during protests.

What are some loud noises? According to the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), any sound registered over 85 decibels is potentially damaging to our hearing. Fireworks at 3 feet emit a noise level of 150 decibels. The sound of firearms registers around 140 decibels. A passing motorcycle’s sound sits around 91 decibels. Additional common noises and their estimated sound intensity levels can be found in an ASHA Leader Live document authored by Branda in 2020.

While participating in a protest, any of us will be exposed to multiple sounds, including the sound of passing traffic which may include a passing motorcycle. Sometimes we are honoured by trucks, muscle cars, or motorcycles revving up as they pass protesters. The symphony of sounds can damage our hearing.

It is not simply the single, momentary exposure which can affect our hearing. ASHA notes that exposure to a level of sound registered at 85 decibels may be tolerated for 8 hours without expected damage to one’s hearing. But, every increase by an increment of 3 decibels halves that timeframe. So, exposure to sounds recorded at 88 decibels should be for no longer than 4 hours. Exposure to a noise level of 91 decibels should last for 2 hours or less in order to prevent hearing loss.

We may be exposed to other less common sounds if law enforcement feels the need to manage the crowd with acoustic devices. These devices can expose protesters to even more intense noise levels. Long range acoustic devices, which were employed by law enforcement during some protests in 2020, can emit noise levels of 170 decibels (ACLU, 2016).

Hearing, wellbeing, and protesting

It is up to you to maintain your wellbeing.

Recall how my wellbeing affects your wellbeing. Our wellbeing affects community wellbeing. Our community’s wellbeing impacts the wellbeing of each individual in the community.

Consider taking precautions to protect your hearing. Ear plugs, according to ASHA, can decrease sound levels by 15 to 30 decibels, as can ear muffs. If you expect to be exposed to sound levels over 105 decibels, a combination of ear plugs and ear muffs is recommended.

Take-Aways: hearing, wellbeing, and protesting

Listen up. We are in this for the long haul. The onus is on us, on US, to protect our hearing in order to maintain our collective wellbeing.

Take precautions when protesting.

And, protest peacefully.

No matter the approach of the regime in power, with their propaganda of falsehoods, conspiracy theories, hateful rhetoric, and demeaning tactics, we have humanity on our side. We welcome all who believe in the wellbeing of our community, no matter how the person voted in November 2024. We embrace our fellow human being.

And, we will prevail. The concentration camps will be shuttered and, I hope, everyone will be delivered safely to their families. But, I do not know that for certain.

And, I realize that it is little solace to the detained and to their families to hear that a contemporary version of the Nuremberg Trials will hold this administration and those who are complicit with it accountable for the horrors perpetrated by them.

In the meantime, we must maintain our wellbeing in order to persevere in this struggle against an administration filled with hatred and bent on securing its power at the expense of its people.

My father is reminding me: Never Again.

Our Hitler will be silenced and his collaborators will all be brought to justice.

Be safe. Take care. Be kind.

Be inspired by music, of course:

Emeli Sande performing “Read All About It” (Live on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI6xyUjSrX4

Disclaimer: This post is not meant to substitute for a consultation with your mental health professional team.

If you are having thoughts of hurting yourself or of hurting another person, please CALL 9-1-1; CALL 9-8-8; or GO TO the nearest Emergency Room.

Selected References:

American Civil Liberties Union. (July 18, 2016). Acoustic Weapons Fact Sheet. ACLU. Accessed online on July 23, 2025, at https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/field_document/acoustic_weapons.pdf

American Speech Language Hearing Association. (1997-2025). Loud Noise Dangers. ASHA. Accessed online on July 23, 2025, at https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/loud-noise-dangers/?srsltid=AfmBOopM4Le3-5rtRNW7D93mG1rgNLn18lOGbscgW0zVnpNoIShckuvA

Branda, E. (May 9. 2020). What’s a Truly Safe Decibel Level for Hearing? ASHA Leader Live, Accessed online on July 23, 2025, at https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/leader.ftr2.25052020.52

Timmer, B.H.B., Bennett, R.J., Montano, J., Hickson, L., Weinstein, B., Wild, J., Ferguson, M., Holman, J.A., LeBeau, V., Dyre, L. (24 Mar 2023). Social-emotional well-being and adult hearing loss: clinical recommendations. International Journal of Audiology, 63. Accessed online on July 23, 2025, at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14992027.2023.2190864?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed#abstract

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