Have you ever forgotten your Earbuds in your pocket and they ended up going through the wash or maybe lost them altogether? Now it’s so boring going for a jog in the morning. Your commute or bus ride is dreary and dull. And the sound quality of your virtual meetings suffers considerably.
The old saying “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone” applies here.
So you’re so relieved when you finally get a working pair of earbuds. Now your life is full of perfectly clear and vibrant audio, including music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Earbuds are all over the place right now, and individuals use them for a lot more than only listening to their favorite music (though, naturally, they do that too).
But, regrettably, earbuds can present some considerable risks to your ears because so many people are using them for so many listening tasks. Your hearing might be in danger if you’re using earbuds a lot every day.
Why earbuds are different
In the past, you would require bulky, earmuff-style, headphones if you wanted a high-quality listening experience. That’s all now changed. Awesome sound quality can be produced in a very small space with contemporary earbuds. Back throughout the 2010s, smartphone makers popularized these little devices by supplying a pair with every new smartphone purchase (At present, you don’t find that so much).
These little earbuds (frequently they even include microphones) started to show up everywhere because they were so high-quality and available. Whether you’re out and about, or spending time at home, earbuds are one of the leading ways you’re taking calls, viewing your favorite program, or listening to music.
Earbuds are practical in quite a few contexts because of their dependability, portability, and convenience. Consequently, many people use them pretty much all the time. And that’s become a bit of an issue.
Vibrations are what it’s all about
Essentially, phone calls, music, or podcasts are all the same. They’re just waves of moving air molecules. Your brain will then sort the vibrations into categories like “voice” or “music”.
Your inner ear is the mediator for this process. Inside of your ear are very small hairs known as stereocilia that vibrate when exposed to sound. These vibrations are minute, they’re tiny. These vibrations are distinguished by your inner ear. At this stage, you have a nerve in your ear that translates those vibrations into electrical signals, and that’s what allows your brain to make heads or tails of it all.
This is significant because it’s not music or drums that cause hearing damage, it’s volume. Which means the risk is the same whether you’re listening to Death Metal or an NPR podcast.
What are the dangers of using earbuds?
Because of the popularity of earbuds, the danger of hearing damage due to loud noise is fairly prevalent. Across the globe, more than a billion people are at risk of developing hearing loss, according to one study.
On an individual level, when you use earbuds at high volume, you increase your risk of:
- Not being able to communicate with your family and friends without using a hearing aid.
- Sensorineural hearing loss leading to deafness.
- Hearing loss contributing to mental decline and social isolation.
- Repeated exposure increasing the advancement of sensorineural hearing loss.
There’s some evidence suggesting that using earbuds might introduce greater risks than using regular headphones. The thinking here is that the sound is directed toward the more sensitive components of your ear. Some audiologists believe this while others still aren’t sure.
Either way, volume is the main factor, and both kinds of headphones can create hazardous levels of that.
It isn’t simply volume, it’s duration, as well
Maybe you think there’s a simple fix: While I’m binging all 24 episodes of my favorite streaming program, I’ll simply reduce the volume. Naturally, this would be a smart idea. But there’s more to it than that.
This is because how long you listen is as crucial as how loud it is. Think about it like this: listening at top volume for five minutes will harm your ears. But listening at medium volume for five hours could also damage your ears.
When you listen, here are a few ways to make it safer:
- As a basic rule of thumb, only listen to your media at 40-50% volume.
- Activate volume alerts on your device. These warnings can inform you about when your listening volume goes a little too high. Once you hear this alert, it’s your task to reduce the volume.
- If your ears begin to experience pain or ringing, immediately quit listening.
- If you’re listening at 80% volume, listen for a max of 90 minutes, and if you want to listen longer turn the volume down.
- Take frequent breaks. It’s best to take regular and extended breaks.
- If you don’t want to worry about it, you may even be able to change the maximum volume on your smart device.
Your ears can be stressed by utilizing headphones, especially earbuds. So try to cut your ears some slack. Because sensorineural hearing loss normally happens gradually over time not immediately. Which means, you may not even notice it occurring, at least, not until it’s too late.
There is no cure and no way to reverse sensorineural hearing loss
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (or NIHL) is usually irreversible. That’s because it’s sensorineural in nature (meaning, the cells in your ear become irreparably damaged due to noise).
The damage accumulates slowly over time, and it normally starts as very limited in scope. That can make NIHL hard to detect. It might be getting gradually worse, in the meantime, you believe it’s just fine.
There is presently no cure or ability to reverse NIHL. But strategies (hearing aids most notably) do exist that can reduce the impact sensorineural hearing loss can have. But the general damage that’s being done, unfortunately, is permanent.
This means prevention is the most useful strategy
That’s why so many hearing specialists place a substantial focus on prevention. And there are multiple ways to reduce your risk of hearing loss, and to exercise good prevention, even while using your earbuds:
- Wear hearing protection if you’re going to be subject to loud noises. Wear earplugs, for example.
- Switch up the styles of headphones you’re using. That is, don’t wear earbuds all day every day. Over-the-ear headphones can also be used sometimes.
- Utilize earbuds and headphones that incorporate noise-canceling technology. This will mean you won’t need to crank the volume quite so loud in order to hear your media clearly.
- Use volume-restricting apps on your phone and other devices.
- Make regular visits with us to get your hearing examined. We will help establish the overall health of your hearing by having you screened.
- When you’re not using your earbuds, minimize the amount of noise damage your ears are subjected to. Avoid overly loud settings whenever possible.
Preventing hearing loss, especially NIHL, can help you preserve your sense of hearing for years longer. It can also help make treatments such as hearing aids more effective when you do eventually require them.
So… are earbuds the enemy?
So does all this mean you should grab your nearest pair of earbuds and chuck them in the garbage? Well, no. Particularly not if you have those Apple AirPods, those little gizmos are not cheap!
But it does mean that, if you’re listening to earbuds regularly, you might want to consider varying your approach. These earbuds may be damaging your hearing and you may not even notice it. Your best defense, then, is knowing about the danger.
When you listen, limit the volume, that’s the first step. But talking to us about the state of your hearing is the next step.
Think you might have damaged your hearing with earbuds? We can help! Get assessed now!
