Caffeine After Concerts Could Harm Your Hearing

Not all concerts are equal, nor do they all have the same decibel level or allow you to leave early enough in the evening to ensure a good night’s sleep. Naturally, those of us who have experienced such an event know that the next morning can be a little rough.

This, however, makes many of us turn to caffeine for a quick fix to – at the very least – prevent us from falling asleep at our desks in front of the boss. Unfortunately, this may not be the best strategy.

According to a new study conducted by McGill University, drinking caffeine after experiencing heightened decibel levels at a concert could be a bad thing.

This was discovered when researchers placed albino guinea pigs in three groups. One was exposed to 110-dB sounds, while another bunch was provided a substantial amount of caffeine. Meanwhile, the third group of guinea pigs was faced with both 110-dB sounds and lots of caffeine.

Researchers would soon conclude that the guinea pigs that dealt with both the loud noises and caffeine took longer to recover from sound damage. What’s more, the hearing loss only intensified over a 15-day span in which the guinea pigs continued their caffeine and high volume binges.

Of course, these are albino guinea pigs we’re talking about here, so it’s tough to know how well such a study would translate with humans. Regardless, it’s never a bad idea to wear earplugs at any concert you go to and cut back on the caffeine.

-Adam Grant