Jun 2, 2007
Be honest now. How many of us have that dull ringing in our ears after a ride? Or the necessity to ask people to repeat a question because we couldn’t hear what they said? For those of us that have been riding for a long time, it’s a common situation, and one we need to address. We all know that too much noise – whether it be from our days of standing in front of a speaker at the Stones (or replace with your favorite band) concert or from riding with or without a helmet – is bad for our ears. Helmets, of course, offer some protection from noise, as do earplugs which some riders use. Recently, there was an article in Bike magazine which was a bit of a suprise – it says that riding fast without earplugs definitely damages our hearing, and ultimately, can make us go deaf.
But what’s more, the article goes on to explain that even using earplugs may not necessarily save our hearing. It says, Earplugs give some protection, but a lot of what you’re hearing isn’t arriving via your ear canal. It’s being transmitted through your skull. Essentially, a helmet is a very noisy device attached to your head, so part of the potential damage comes from direct vibration of the cochlea. At least one doctor, Dr Michael Carley, at the Bath University in the UK, is trying to do something about saving bikers’ hearing. He is heading a research project aimed at making motorcycle helmets quieter. But for this, he needs your help – he needs you to complete an online survey, which relates riding patterns to hearing damage. You can complete the survey here.
