Have you ever misplaced your earbuds? (Or, maybe, accidentally left them in the pocket of a pullover that went through the laundry?) Suddenly, your morning jog is a million times more boring. Your commute or bus ride is dreary and dull. And the audio quality of your virtual meetings suffers considerably.
Often, you don’t realize how valuable something is until you’ve lost it (yes, we are not being discreet around here today).
So you’re so relieved when you finally get a working pair of earbuds. Now your world is full of completely clear and vibrant audio, including music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Earbuds have so many uses other than listening to tunes and a large percentage of individuals use them.
Regrettably, in part because they’re so easy and so widely used, earbuds present some considerable risks for your ears. Your hearing could be in danger if you’re using earbuds a lot every day.
Why earbuds are different
In previous years, you would need cumbersome, earmuff-style, headphones if you wanted a high-fidelity listening experience. That’s all now changed. Fabulous sound quality can be produced in a very small space with modern earbuds. Back throughout the 2010s, smartphone manufacturers popularized these little devices by supplying a pair with every new smartphone purchase (funny enough, they’re rather rare nowadays when you buy a new phone).
Partly because these high-quality earbuds (with microphones, even) were so readily available, they started showing up all over the place. Whether you’re talking on the phone, listening to music, or watching movies, earbuds are one of the main ways to do that (whether you are on the go or not).
It’s that combination of convenience, mobility, and reliability that makes earbuds useful in a large number of contexts. Lots of individuals use them pretty much all of the time as a result. And that’s become somewhat of a problem.
Vibrations are what it’s all about
In essence, phone calls, music, or podcasts are all the same. They’re just air molecules being moved by waves of pressure. 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 tiny little hairs called stereocilia that vibrate when subjected to sound. These are not huge vibrations, they’re tiny. These vibrations are recognized by your inner ear. At this stage, there’s a nerve in your ear that converts those vibrations into electrical signals, and that’s what lets your brain figure it all out.
It’s not what kind of sound but volume that causes hearing loss. Which means the risk is the same whether you’re listening to Death Metal or an NPR program.
What are the risks of using earbuds?
Because of the popularity of earbuds, the risk of hearing damage due to loud noise is quite prevalent. Across the globe, more than a billion people are at risk of developing hearing loss, according to one study.
Using earbuds can raise your danger of:
- Sensorineural hearing loss resulting in deafness.
- Not being able to communicate with your family and friends without wearing a hearing aid.
- Hearing loss contributing to cognitive decline and social isolation.
- Developing sensorineural hearing loss with repeated exposure.
There may be a greater risk with earbuds than conventional headphones, according to some evidence. The reason may be that earbuds direct sound right to the most sensitive components of the ear. Some audiologists believe this while others still aren’t sure.
Besides, what’s more relevant is the volume, and any pair of headphones is able to deliver dangerous levels of sound.
Duration is also a concern besides volume
You might be thinking, well, the solution is simple: I’ll just turn down the volume on my earbuds as I binge my new favorite program for 24 episodes in a row. Obviously, this would be a good idea. But there’s more to it than that.
The reason is that it’s not simply the volume that’s the problem, it’s the duration. Moderate volume for five hours can be just as harmful as top volume for five minutes.
So here’s how you can be a little safer when you listen:
- It’s a good idea not to go above 40% – 50% volume level.
- If you are listening at 80% volume, listen for a maximum of 90 minutes, and if you want to listen longer turn the volume down.
- If your ears begin to experience pain or ringing, immediately stop listening.
- If you don’t want to worry about it, you may even be able to change the maximum volume on your smart device.
- Enable volume warnings on your device. If your listening volume gets too high, a warning will alert you. Once you hear this alert, it’s your job to lower the volume.
- Give yourself plenty of breaks. It’s best to take frequent and lengthy breaks.
Earbuds particularly, and headphones generally, can be kind of stressful for your ears. So give your ears a break. After all, sensorineural hearing loss doesn’t (usually) develop suddenly; it progresses gradually and over time. The majority of the time people don’t even notice that it’s happening until it’s too late.
There is no cure and no way to reverse sensorineural hearing loss
Noise-generated Hearing Loss (or NIHL) is usually permanent. That’s because it’s sensorineural in nature (meaning, the cells in your ear become irreversibly damaged because of noise).
The damage builds up slowly over time, and it usually starts as very limited in scope. NHIL can be difficult to identify as a result. You might think your hearing is perfectly fine, all the while it’s gradually getting worse and worse.
There is presently no cure or ability to reverse NIHL. However, there are treatments created to mitigate and decrease some of the most significant effects of sensorineural hearing loss (the most prevalent of such treatments is a hearing aid). These treatments, however, are not able to counter the damage that’s been done.
So the best strategy is prevention
This is why prevention is stressed by so many hearing specialists. And there are multiple ways to reduce your risk of hearing loss, and to exercise good prevention, even while listening to your earbuds:
- Use other kinds of headphones. That is, don’t use earbuds all day every day. Try using over-the-ear headphones as well.
- Make routine visits with us to get your hearing examined. We will be able to help you get screened and track the overall health of your hearing.
- When you’re listening to your devices, make use of volume-limiting apps.
- Wear hearing protection if you’re going to be subject to loud noises. Wear earplugs, for instance.
- Limit the amount of damage your ears are experiencing while you are not wearing earbuds. Avoid exceedingly loud settings whenever you can.
- Some headphones and earbuds include noise-canceling technology, try to use those. With this feature, you will be capable of hearing your media more clearly without having to crank it up quite as loud.
Preventing hearing loss, especially NIHL, can help you safeguard your sense of hearing for years longer. It can also help make treatments such as hearing aids more effective when you do ultimately require them.
So… are earbuds the enemy?
So does all this mean you should grab your nearest set of earbuds and chuck them in the trash? Well, no. Not at all! Brand-name earbuds can be costly.
But it does mean that, if you’re listening to earbuds on a regular basis, you may want to think about changing your strategy. These earbuds could be harming your hearing and you might not even recognize it. Your best defense, then, is knowing about the danger.
Step one is to control the volume and duration of your listening. Step two is to consult with us about the state of your hearing today.
If you believe you might have damage due to overuse of earbuds, call us right away! We Can Help!