Are Headphones And Earbuds Bad For Your Health?

Do you love listening to loud music or podcasts? How long per day? Well, loud music can be your favorite but not safe for your health. Headphones and earbuds are accessible devices used across all ages. However, prolonged use of these devices can lead to hearing loss. There is no specified age to start experiencing hearing loss, though there is a misconception of associating hearing with age.

Children, teens, and young adults listen to music for many hours per day with a volume exceeding the health limit of 70 decibels. Excessive exposure to long hours of loud music puts these young at risk of hearing loss. The general public, medical and audiology communities has not realized that hearing loss is necessarily related to age, but mainly noise-induced hearing loss. People will age with normal hearing if noise is controlled from a tender age.

Read about the hazards of headphones and earbuds, and how you can keep safe from hearing loss.

Dangers of Headphones and Earbuds

Many health-related problems can cause hearing loss, but noise-induced hearing loss is the major one. You cannot overlook the health implications related to hearing loss. Audiologists say that people who use headphones and earbuds are damaging their ears. The intention of using these devices is correct, but its result is dangerous. 

If you have used the headphone or earbuds for a prolonged time, you will realize that you are slowly experiencing hearing loss. Your ability to speak will also decline. Study shows that if you have hearing loss, you are at a high risk of developing dementia, with the risk going high if the hearing loss is left untreated. Treating hearing loss with hearing aids can reduce the risk of dementia. However, preventing hearing loss is possible.

How To Keep Your Hearing Safe

Hearing is essential for your complete wellness. Audiologists think that headphones and earbuds are tricky because they are readily accessible. But using headphones appropriately helps avoid the risk of hearing loss. Now the question is, how can you use headphones and earbuds and still keep your hearing safe? Researchers have come up with several steps that we can all follow and make headphones and earbuds a little secure. 

Age Restrictions

Restricting young children from using headphones or earbuds is the best move to preventing hearing loss. If a total restriction is not possible, reducing the amount of time a child spends on headphones or earbuds lowers the chances of early hearing loss.

The loud volumes do not show impact instantly; however, the period of exposure matters. Different volume levels have different exposure periods regarding the effect on hearing. According to audiologists, any volume above 85 decibels (dB) poses the risk of hearing loss. Therefore, you must limit a child’s long exposure to loud volumes by limiting the time of using headphones.

Take Some Breaks

Sometimes your favorite music can play for a long time, but is it safe for your hearing? Consider taking breaks here and there to give your ears some low volume. Your ears need to regain their normal state. Giving your ears some time to recover will also help keep a moderate sound avoiding ear damage.

Check Volume Warnings

For example, most used devices have an inbuilt warning when the volume starts increasing. It is advisable to adhere to these warnings to protect yourself from developing hearing loss. Avoid exceeding the health standard volume of 50 to 70 decibels. Go for upgraded headphones with a noise cancellation function to avoid increasing volume if you have to counter background noises.

Avoid Turning Them Up So Loud

According to World Health Organization, the highest volume a person can listen to is 85 decibels, with an average volume between 50 and 70 decibels. Unfortunately, most devices, including mobile phones, don’t measure volume in decibel. However, you can consider listening to half the maximum volume of your headphones. If you care about your ears or your loved ones’ ears, it is important to consider the amount of time spent generally on headphones.

Why You Should Worry About Your Hearing

Young people think hearing loss is for the elderly, thus ignoring the severe health risk. It is essential to know that you only have one set of ears and protecting them is crucial. Do not disregard the impact of hearing loss on your general wellness. Many times, the adverse effect does not show immediately. The longer the exposure to loud volumes, the higher the risk of hearing loss. 

It is hard to detect loud volumes until it pains your ears. However, a few signs lead you to detect the effect of high sound. If you experience some ringing in the ears, buzzing and sometimes inability to hear well in wild places.

Experiencing hearing loss can limit you from performing certain functions effectively. However, get the services of an audiologist that will assist you and prevent any further hearing loss. You can call us today at (401) 262-0170 to learn more about Atlantic Audiology.