Have you ever lost your earbuds? (Or, maybe, inadvertently left them in the pocket of a pullover that went through the laundry?) 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 significantly.
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 set of earbuds. Now your life is full of completely clear and vibrant audio, including music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Earbuds have so many uses other than listening to music and a large percentage of individuals use them.
But, regrettably, earbuds can present some significant risks to your ears because so many people are using them for so many listening activities. If you’re wearing these devices all day every day, you might be putting your hearing in jeopardy!
Why earbuds are unique
It used to be that if you wanted high-quality sound from a set of headphones, you’d have to adopt a heavy, cumbersome pair of over-the-ear cans (yes, “cans” is jargon for headphones). All that has now changed. Awesome sound quality can be created 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 (funny enough, they’re somewhat rare nowadays when you buy a new phone).
Partly because these sophisticated earbuds (with microphones, even) were so readily available, they started showing up everywhere. Whether you’re out and about, or hanging out at home, earbuds are one of the principal ways you’re taking calls, viewing your favorite program, or listening to music.
It’s that mixture of convenience, mobility, and dependability that makes earbuds useful in a wide variety of contexts. Consequently, many consumers use them pretty much all the time. That’s where things get a bit challenging.
Vibrations are what it’s all about
Here’s the thing: Music, podcasts, voice calls, they’re all essentially the same thing. They’re just waves of moving air molecules. Your brain will then classify the vibrations into categories like “voice” or “music”.
In this pursuit, your brain gets a big assist from your inner ear. There are tiny hairs along your ear that vibrate when exposed to sound. These vibrations are minute, they’re tiny. Your inner ear is what really identifies these vibrations. Your brain makes sense of these vibrations after they are converted into electrical signals by a nerve in your ear.
This is important because it’s not music or drums that cause hearing loss, it’s volume. So whether you’re listening to NPR or Death Metal, the risk is exactly the same.
What are the risks of using earbuds?
The risk of hearing damage is prevalent because of the popularity of earbuds. 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 utilize earbuds at high volume, you raise your risk of:
- Hearing loss contributing to cognitive decline and social isolation.
- Experiencing sensorineural hearing loss with continued exposure.
- Sensorineural hearing loss resulting in deafness.
- Needing to utilize a hearing aid so that you can communicate with family and friends.
There’s some evidence suggesting that using earbuds might introduce greater risks than using conventional headphones. The reason might be that earbuds direct sound right to the most sensitive components of the ear. Some audiologists believe this while others still aren’t sure.
Either way, volume is the principal consideration, and both kinds of headphones can deliver hazardous levels of that.
It isn’t only volume, it’s duration, as well
Maybe you think there’s an easy solution: I’ll just lower the volume on my earbuds as I binge my new favorite show for 24 episodes straight. Well… that would be helpful. 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 equally as harmful as top volume for five minutes.
When you listen, here are a few ways to make it safer:
- 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 lots of breaks. The more breaks (and the longer duration they are), the better.
- Activate volume alerts on your device. These warnings can let you know when your listening volume gets a bit too high. Once you hear this alert, it’s your job to lower the volume.
- Quit listening right away if you notice ringing in your ears or your ears begin to hurt.
- If you’re listening at 80% volume, listen for a max of 90 minutes, and if you want to listen more turn down the volume.
- It’s a good idea not to go above 40% – 50% volume level.
Your ears can be stressed by using headphones, specifically earbuds. So try to cut your ears some slack. After all, sensorineural hearing loss doesn’t (usually) happen all of a sudden; it occurs slowly and over time. The majority of the time individuals don’t even detect that it’s happening until it’s too late.
Sensorineural hearing loss is permanent
Usually, NHIL, or noise-related hearing loss, is permanent. That’s because it’s sensorineural in nature (meaning, the cells in your ear are irreversibly damaged because of noise).
The damage accumulates slowly over time, and it normally begins as very limited in scope. That can make NIHL difficult to recognize. It might be getting slowly worse, in the meantime, you think it’s perfectly 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. These treatments, however, can’t counter the damage that’s been done.
This means prevention is the most useful strategy
This is why prevention is stressed by so many hearing specialists. And there are a number of ways to reduce your risk of hearing loss, and to exercise good prevention, even while using your earbuds:
- Make regular visits with us to get your hearing tested. We will help determine the overall health of your hearing by having you screened.
- Use other types of headphones. That is, don’t use earbuds all day every day. Try using over-the-ear headphones also.
- When you’re listening to your devices, use volume-limiting apps.
- Use hearing protection if you’re going to be subject to loud noises. Ear plugs, for example, work quite well.
- Control the amount of damage your ears are experiencing while you’re not wearing earbuds. This could mean paying extra attention to the sound of your environment or steering clear of overly loud situations.
- Utilize earbuds and headphones that incorporate noise-canceling technology. This will mean you won’t have to crank the volume quite so loud so that you can hear your media clearly.
Preventing hearing loss, particularly NIHL, can help you protect 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?
Well…should I just chuck my earbuds in the garbage? Well, no. Not at all! Brand-name earbuds can get expensive.
But your strategy could need to be changed if you’re listening to your earbuds regularly. You might not even recognize that your hearing is being harmed by your earbuds. Being aware of the danger, then, is your best defense against it.
Step one is to moderate the volume and duration of your listening. But speaking with us about the state of your hearing is the next step.
If you think you might have damage due to overuse of earbuds, call us right away! We Can Help!