Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1010948
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 45 Our industry encompasses people in film, television, and music both in post production and production. These are our careers. These are our jobs. This is our work. We do what we do because it is our passion. We want to share that enjoyment and passion with others. But all of these disciplines include very intensive workloads and are potentially very stressful. The demands are tough and the hours can be extreme. We all have to make choices as to how we can cope. Long hours and short turnarounds are major concerns causing many people to suffer from varying degrees of sleep deprivation. Beyond just being tired, sleep issues can lead to other well-documented health dangers. There is the safety factor that arises, whether it is impaired driving or the fatigue that causes you to raise your volume levels to better hear all of the nuances of the tracks. Just as when you attend a loud concert and your hearing seems to shut itself down to protect itself, your hearing when you are fatigued will start to produce that same effect. It can lead to difficulty staying focused on the tasks at hand. Additionally when you are fatigued, you can endanger yourself and other crew members around you because of compromised abilities in judgment. The danger of sleep issues and the lack of sleep are as well known in our field as they are in the medical fields. In fact, it is often the number one issue surrounding safety in the workplace. Sleep deprivation can lead to heart problems, respiratory problems and circulatory problems, and exacerbate vascular issues. Disease of the heart and blood vessels, as well as emotional stress, can be leading causes of tinnitus. But we have many tools at our disposal regarding how to cope with the demands of our careers. Effectively managing your sleep habits, diet, and exercise is an important tool we should utilize to protect our hearing. There are also physical tools at our disposal. Production mixers on location typically have to cope with earphones and there are choices there. There are over-the-ear, on-the- ear, or in-ear monitors to work with in the field. Most location mixers become accustomed to their preferred style and type of monitors and understand the nuances of that particular system. High-end in-ear monitor systems often allow for the use of microsonic earplug filters in varying amounts of attenuation. Utilizing them enables you to exercise better control over your individual listening environment. Tinnitus, which is not a disease but a symptom, is the hearing of sound when no external sound is present. Remember that idyllic rushing sound of the rocky riverbed from your excursion that keeps reoccurring? This is most probably tinnitus. In our profession, the cause is most likely nerve damage to the inner ear from loud sustained noises or perhaps from a trauma to the ear itself caused by an accidental exposure to a loud blast. Diet, exercise, and sleep can also have profound effects on this front. Reducing the effects of and trying to avoid tinnitus is an important obligation to yourself as a sound professional and as a protector of your own health. Getting sufficient sleep on a regular basis is very important. Binge-sleeping is not as helpful as you may believe—even though it is a way to recharge. It is not a sustainable or healthy choice. Monitor and work on keeping your blood pressure in a healthy range. Relaxation and work breaks, as well as maintaining a healthy diet and engaging in regular exercise, help tremendously. Exercise helps to keep your blood circulating and contributes to your overall state of health. Try to control your intake of caffeine and nicotine, which increases your probability of tinnitus and its effects. Control your exposure to long periods of high sound pressure levels. There is nothing wrong with going to a concert and wearing a pair of earplugs with microsonic filters to help reduce the overall sound pressure levels to a non-painful level. You can still feel the excitement while protecting yourself. Although audiologists can prescribe masking devices to combat tinnitus and its effects, the image of a professional sound mixer wearing any kind of assisted listening device beyond ear protectors can be odd to say the least. We all know that it is perception that often drives opinion. Also, when you are working long hours and not getting adequate breaks and timeouts, many people do not eat properly and the negative effects can be compounded by a lack of adequate exercise. What happens next is a very logical progression. You may start to consume excessive amounts of caffeine and nicotine to stimulate yourself and perhaps you start to consume alcohol to relax from the anxiety and stress. Your meal choices may be comprised with an excessive amount of comfort foods that are not recommended for a healthy diet—being filled with fats, carbs, sugars and salt. Then you may have a few aches and pains, so you start to consume an excessive amount of medications such as aspirin or non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs. Challenges may compound into problematic outcomes from what our doctors refer to as the critical D&E or diet and exercise! We have external forces that, at times, make it difficult to control these factors but, nonetheless, we must control them. Our ear is the best tool we have. Protect your hearing by exercising personal control over your environment to the best of your ability and by making healthy lifestyle choices. •