Many of us dedicate a significant portion of our lives to maintaining and enhancing both our own and our mental well-being. By taking vitamins, eating healthfully, using sunscreen, or any other method, we protect our long-term welfare. However, despite our best efforts, we frequently are not aware of certain health risks we face every day. Unsafe sound levels that we expose our ears to regularly are one such concern.
In this blog, we will take a look at the measures that help you prevent hearing loss from headphones. In fact, these are basic precautionary measures that preserve hearing loss from headphones. Before that everyone has a Question-
Do Headphones Cause Hearing Loss?
The answer is Simple “Yes”. If you love listening to music through headphones, it’s important to be aware of the potential risks to your hearing. According to a study, about 1.1 million young people are at risk of developing hearing loss due to exposure to loud noise. Headphones can reach up to 102 decibels (dB), which is as loud as a jackhammer! Over time, this exposure can damage the hair cells in your inner ear that transmit sound signals to your brain. So, the question is
With the ubiquity of headphones and the ever-increasing popularity of streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, it’s important to be aware of the risks associated with extended exposure to loud noise. Did you know that exposure to loud noise from headphones can damage the hair cells in your inner ear that transmit sound signals to your brain? This type of hearing loss is sensorineural hearing loss, and it’s permanent.
Whether it originates from sources like live performances or your stereo sound equipment, any too-loud audio might be harmful. However, headphones are a more frequent cause of hearing loss. Before, we could only utilize these attachments with our music equipment.
Nowadays, headphones are commonplace and constantly emit music from our smartphones, laptops, gaming systems, and tablets. Even children use them to access online courses, and we adults wear them when participating in online meetings.
Precautions to Preserve Hearing Loss from Headphones
1) Prevent Hearing Loss from Headphones
We’ve already discussed how challenging it might be to completely avoid using headphones, so let’s concentrate on the cause of the damage: high audio loudness. Unfortunately, the majority of people are unable to identify dangerous volume levels. Both adults and children, who frequently aren’t even aware that sound can harm them, should be aware of this. So, how can we prevent hearing loss from headphones?
2) Balancing listening time and volume
You must regulate the volume level and duration of playing music are the 2 factors that must be regulated to eliminate noise-induced hearing impairment using headphones or earbuds. The basic thumb rule is to hear at 80% loudness for no more than 90 minutes at a time. There is a negative correlation between duration and volume. The level should be lowered if you want to hear for more than the time limit so that it gets progressively quieter the longer you listen. This is the first way to prevent hearing loss from headphones.
3) Opt for headphones that are right for you and your hearing
The types and sizes of headphones are varied. The word encompasses all types of headphones, from small wireless earbuds to enormous over-the-ear models that resemble speakers attached to your head. While all of them have the potential to disrupt hearing, how quickly they might cause long-lasting damage depends on variances in design.
Because the majority of earbuds are made to clinch when put into the ear canal, they are among the worst culprits. The bass produced by such tiny gadgets is amplified by those tiny silicone and foam tips. However, because they block out all of those vibrations, they also significantly raise the strain that audio exerts on your eardrums and the sensitive inner ear tissue.
Use open-backed headphones in their place. Since the earcups of these headphones enable unrestricted airflow into and out, less pressure is placed on your ears and sound waves can travel to other parts of the body.
If you consider it, the distinction is fairly obvious. Assume a point the size of an earphone being pressed into your skin with a few pounds of force. Sounds unpleasant, possibly even painful right? Now, visualize the very same load distributed throughout the 3- to the 4-inch-diameter region that typical open-backed headphone earcups cover. It is significantly less frightening, and in this instance, less harmful to your ears.
Also Read: Myths and Facts about Hearing Loss that You Should Know!
4) Refresh your ears with a break from headphones
The majority of hearing-preserving resources will advise you to carve out time from hearing stress so your ears can rest. Even though this is unquestionably true, most counsel overlooks volume creep when recommending breaks.
The longer we hear music, the more likely it is that we will steadily and unconsciously raise the level. Perhaps there was a brief period of silence, a piece of music playing at a particularly low volume, or outside noises distracted the listener. Whatever the reason, we frequently progressively increase the volume to make up for it… then leave it in place.
We frequently mistakenly believe that softer sounds are of worse quality when they are exposed to larger volumes. But if you just stop for a moment and breathe quietly, that same volume reduction will sound just wonderful.
Therefore, if you want to prevent hearing loss from headphones, take breaks by removing them from your ears.
5) Purchase noise-canceling headphones
When you use music to drown out the noise in a noisy place, you run the risk of developing noise-induced hearing loss. This is especially valid if you are exercising at a gym. You start turning up the headphone level to drown out the treadmill’s noise, she explains. You won’t need to turn up the volume as much with noise-canceling headphones because they block out outside sounds.
In the end!!
You are blessed if you have sound hearing. Many don’t! So, if you want to prevent hearing loss from headphones, you must adhere to the above-mentioned tips. Because once the damage happens, it is not possible to bring back the actual hearing. Well, hearing aids and other hearing solutions are helpful, but the real thing does not happen. In case you feel that you might be a victim of hearing loss or any hearing problems, you can always contact us at Tri-County Hearing Services. Moreover, if you’re in dilemma, you can take our free hearing test online and see if you need medical assistance or not. Click here for an online hearing test: https://www.shoeboxonline.com/tricountyhearing/?
