Myth? Open mouth while shooting to prevent hearing damage?
- Thread starter kellyj00
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WiscTJK
Member
I would say plausible, as I have seen WWII pictures of battle ships that are firing and adjacent sailor's with their mouth open.
But, that is my only proof and doesn't apply to gun fire.
But, that is my only proof and doesn't apply to gun fire.
Cosmoline
Member
If the idea is to clear your tubes to avoid a pressure differential, maybe. Though the pressure wave from a ship's cannon is almost certainly going to spike way too fast for you to adjust to it. But for noise--I don't see how it can help. The sound waves don't care if you're slack jawed or not.
testar77
Member
I would say myth, may make a miniscule difference but I doubt enough to prevent hearing loss
Jorg Nysgerrig
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While I commonly take medical advice from werewolf movies, I would be inclined to ignore it in this case.
While it is true that the pressure in your middle ear is equalized through the eustachian tube, simply opening your mouth most likely will not cause the tubes to open up enough. The tubes have muscles that open and close them, although some folks can control those muscles. Yawning and swallowing can also help.
More importantly, most hearing damage, especially that associated with shooting, is not from damage to the ear drum, but from damage to the hair cells.
While it is true that the pressure in your middle ear is equalized through the eustachian tube, simply opening your mouth most likely will not cause the tubes to open up enough. The tubes have muscles that open and close them, although some folks can control those muscles. Yawning and swallowing can also help.
More importantly, most hearing damage, especially that associated with shooting, is not from damage to the ear drum, but from damage to the hair cells.
mpmarty
Member
Correct Cosmo. The pressure wave from the artillery on land or sea is such that closing ones mouth exacerbates the damage to the ears while opening it wide has the effect of placing equal pressure on both sides of the tympanic membrane, aka eardrum.
RNB65
Member
testar77
Member
This reminds me of that Geico/caveman commercial...." yeah I have a response..... Uh..... What???"
XD Fan
Member
Why would you shoot indoors without ear gear? The only situation I can think of when I would shoot indoors with out it would be SD, and then I do not think I would be thinking about whether my mouth was open or not.
Crazy Uncle Al Gore
Member
I've heard that some Islamic militants repeat "Allah akbar" as a way of keeping their mouth open when they fire RPGs. The idea is to keep their ear drums from overpressuring and at the same time get Allah's blessing. I've never actually seen this though so I can't verify the claim 
.
.Exactly. It will not stop hearing damage, it may keep an eardrum from being blown out. It is more important with larger shockwaves than with what you would associate with small arms.
There is no substitute for ear protection. However if you find yourself without it and launching an RPG or LAW or artillery/mortars or have explosions going off around you then it can keep you from have an eardrum ruptured which not only effects hearing but can cause one to become disoriented and dizzy and lose thier balance, potentialy fatal in such circumstances.
So its not hearing damage that it protects from, its the chance of eardrum rupture that it helps to reduce. Obviously a ruptured eardum would be hard to hear with, so indirectly it protects from a type of loss, but normal hearing loss will still happen.
benEzra
Moderator Emeritus
As others have said, the open mouth is to prevent eardrum rupture from transient overpressure, not cochlear hearing damage.
Small arms fire and other high-dB noise damages the hair cells of the cochlea, which is why we need hearing protection when shooting. Artillery, explosions, and whatnot produce not just noise, but long-wavelength pressure waves that can burst your eardrums.
I don't think opening your mouth would protect your cochlea from high-dB noise, but it can distribute overpressure more evenly across the eardrum.
Small arms fire and other high-dB noise damages the hair cells of the cochlea, which is why we need hearing protection when shooting. Artillery, explosions, and whatnot produce not just noise, but long-wavelength pressure waves that can burst your eardrums.
I don't think opening your mouth would protect your cochlea from high-dB noise, but it can distribute overpressure more evenly across the eardrum.
fishingjld
Member
i would say that is a myth. if it worked then all the "old-timers" that don't believe in hearing protection would be doing it. NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE THAT CONSIDERS THEMSELF AN OLD-TIMER.
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
While opening the mouth may help with keeping the ear drum from rupturing, it does nothing to prevent the damage to the fine auditory follicles that are used to transmit sound within the ear. This is the hearing damage shooters most often experience. It is a mechanical damage that cannot be repaired. Since we don't suffer from ruptured eardrums from extreme overpressure, opening the mouth won't help.
sacp81170a
Member
Exactly what I was taught. Hands over ears, mouth open. Only good for preventing blown ear drums from explosions, not small arms fire.
MIL-DOT
member
i'm also gonna say "myth". someone above said "it may keep an eardrum from being blown out" . but i'm thinking, with the mouth closed,as outside pressure builds, compressing the air in the inner ear, this denser inner air has more resistence to the outside force, possibly slowing,minimizing or preventing the blown eardrum. BUT...... if you could hypothetically be yawning at the moment of the blast, you would be opening the eustacian tubes between the throat and inner ear, allowing the blast to also enter the mouth and eustacian tubes,contacting the eardrum from both sides,at the same instant, equalizing and therefore neutralizing the effect.
Kimber1911_06238
Member
it may help a little, but your ears are going to take a beating. shoot a .357 snubby for six shots. open your mouth and don't wear ear plugs and get back to me on how long your ears ring for....
I am an old timer, however I believe in ear protection, but while in service we were not issued any in my time, but taught as was said, open the mouth. The m16 did not bother me much, but man those 5"-38's had a mean crack to them. And yes, when i was separated, I failed the hearing test.
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