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 run in the morning. You have a dull and dreary commute to work. And the audio quality of your virtual meetings suffers considerably.
Sometimes, you don’t recognize how valuable something is until you have to live without it (yes, we are not being subtle around here today).
So you’re so relieved when you finally get a working set of earbuds. Now your life is full of completely clear and vibrant sound, including music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Earbuds have so many uses other than listening to music and a large percentage of people utilize them.
Unfortunately, partly because they are so easy and so ubiquitous, earbuds present some considerable risks for your hearing. Your hearing might be in jeopardy if you’re wearing 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 isn’t necessarily the situation anymore. Contemporary earbuds can provide amazing sound in a very small space. Back throughout the 2010s, smartphone makers popularized these little devices by supplying a pair with every new smartphone purchase (Presently, you don’t see that so much).
These little earbuds (sometimes they even include microphones) began showing up everywhere because they were so high-quality and available. Whether you’re taking calls, listening to tunes, or watching movies, earbuds are one of the chief ways to do that (whether you are on the go or not).
Earbuds are practical in a number of contexts because of their reliability, mobility, and convenience. As a result, many people use them pretty much all the time. That’s where things get a bit challenging.
Vibrations are what it’s all about
In essence, phone calls, music, or podcasts are all the same. They’re just waves of moving air molecules. Your brain will then classify the vibrations into categories like “voice” or “music”.
Your inner ear is the intermediary for this process. Inside of your ear are tiny little hairs called stereocilia that oscillate when exposed to sound. These vibrations are minute, they’re tiny. These vibrations are recognized by your inner ear. At this stage, there’s a nerve in your ear that translates those vibrations into electrical impulses, 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 loss, it’s volume. Which means the risk is equivalent whether you’re listening to Death Metal or an NPR podcast.
What are the dangers of using earbuds?
Because of the appeal of earbuds, the danger of hearing damage as a result of loud noise is quite widespread. According to one study, over 1 billion young individuals are at risk of developing hearing loss across the globe.
Using earbuds can raise your risk of:
- Developing sensorineural hearing loss with continued exposure.
- Not being able to communicate with your family and friends without using a hearing aid.
- Developing deafness due to sensorineural hearing loss.
- Going through social isolation or cognitive decline as a consequence of hearing loss.
There’s some evidence suggesting that using earbuds may introduce greater risks than using conventional headphones. The idea here is that the sound is funneled directly toward the more sensitive parts of your ear. But the jury’s still out on this, and not all audiologists are convinced.
Besides, what’s more important is the volume, and any set of headphones is capable of delivering dangerous levels of sound.
It’s not only volume, it’s duration, as well
Perhaps you think there’s a simple solution: I’ll simply turn down the volume on my earbuds as I binge my new favorite program for 24 episodes in a row. Well… that would help. But it may not be the total solution.
This is because how long you listen is as important as how loud it is. Think about it like this: listening at top volume for five minutes will damage your ears. But listening at moderate volume for five hours could also harm your ears.
When you listen, here are a few ways to keep it safer:
- If your ears start to experience pain or ringing, immediately stop listening.
- Make use of the 80/90 rule: Listen at 80% volume for no more than 90 minutes. (Want more time? Reduce the volume.)
- If you don’t want to think about it, you might even be able to change the maximum volume on your smart device.
- Give yourself plenty of breaks. The more breaks (and the longer duration they are), the better.
- It’s a good idea not to go above 40% – 50% volume level.
- Make sure that your device has volume level warnings turned on. These warnings can inform you about when your listening volume goes a bit too high. Of course, then it’s up to you to lower your volume, but it’s better than nothing!
Your ears can be stressed by utilizing headphones, particularly earbuds. So try to cut your ears some slack. Because sensorineural hearing loss generally occurs gradually over time not suddenly. Which means, you might 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
Typically, NHIL, or noise-related hearing loss, is irreversible. When the stereocilia (small hair-like cells in your ears that detect sound) get destroyed by overexposure to loud sound, they can never be restored.
The damage is barely noticeable, especially in the early stages, and develops gradually over time. NHIL can be hard to detect as a result. You might think your hearing is just fine, all the while it is slowly getting worse and worse.
There is presently no cure or capability of reversing NIHL. However, there are treatments designed to offset and reduce some of the most considerable impacts of sensorineural hearing loss (the most popular of such treatments is a hearing aid). But the total damage that’s being done, regrettably, is irreversible.
This means prevention is the most useful strategy
That’s why so many hearing specialists place a significant focus on prevention. And there are multiple ways to lower your risk of hearing loss, and to practice good prevention, even while listening to your earbuds:
- When you’re using your devices, use volume-limiting apps.
- Some headphones and earbuds include noise-canceling technology, try to use those. With this feature, you will be able to hear your media more clearly without having to turn it up quite so loud.
- Having your hearing tested by us routinely is a good plan. We will be capable of hearing you get tested and track the overall health of your hearing.
- Control the amount of damage your ears are experiencing while you’re not using earbuds. This could mean paying extra attention to the sound of your environment or steering clear of overly loud situations.
- Use multiple types of headphones. That is, don’t wear earbuds all day every day. Over-the-ear headphones can also be used sometimes.
- Use hearing protection if you’re going to be around loud noises. Wear earplugs, for example.
You will be able to preserve your sense of hearing for many years by taking actions to prevent hearing loss, especially NHIL. And, if you do end up needing treatment, such as hearing aids, they will be more effective.
So… are earbuds the enemy?
So does all this mean you should find your nearest pair of earbuds and chuck them in the trash? Well, no. Particularly not if you have those Apple AirPods, those little gizmos are expensive!
But it does mean that, if you’re listening to earbuds on a regular basis, you might want to consider altering your strategy. You may not even realize that your hearing is being damaged by your earbuds. Your best defense, then, is knowing about the danger.
When you listen, regulate the volume, that’s the first step. The second step is to talk to us about the state of your hearing today.
Think you might have damaged your hearing with earbuds? We can help! Get tested now!
