Have you ever lost your earbuds? (Or, maybe, accidentally left them in the pocket of a sweatshirt that went through the laundry?) All of a sudden, your morning jog is a million times more boring. You have a dull and dreary commute to work. And your virtual meetings are suffering from bad audio quality.
Often, you don’t recognize how valuable something is until you’ve lost it (yes, we are not being subtle around here today).
So you’re so happy when you finally get a working set of earbuds. Now your world is full of completely clear and vibrant sound, including music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Earbuds have so many uses other than listening to tunes 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 ears. If you’re wearing these devices all day every day, you may be putting your hearing in jeopardy!
Earbuds are different for a number of reasons
It used to be that if you wanted high-quality audio from a pair of headphones, you’d have to adopt a heavy, cumbersome pair of over-the-ear cans (yes, “cans” is slang for headphones). That’s all now changed. Awesome sound quality can be created 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 (Presently, 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 accessible. Whether you’re talking on the phone, listening to music, or watching Netflix, earbuds are one of the primary ways to do that (whether you are on the go or not).
Earbuds are useful in a number of contexts because of their reliability, portability, and convenience. As a result, many people use them almost all the time. That’s where things get a bit challenging.
It’s all vibrations
Here’s the thing: Music, podcasts, voice calls, they’re all basically the same thing. They’re just air molecules being vibrated by waves of pressure. It’s your brain that does all the heavy lifting of translating those vibrations, grouping one type of vibration into the “music” category and another into the “voice” category.
In this pursuit, your brain gets a big assist from your inner ear. Inside of your ear are tiny little hairs called stereocilia that vibrate when subjected to sound. These vibrations are infinitesimal, they’re tiny. Your inner ear is what actually recognizes these vibrations. At that point, there’s a nerve in your ear that translates those vibrations into electrical signals, and that’s what allows your brain to figure it all out.
This is significant because it’s not music or drums that cause hearing damage, 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 due to loud noise is very widespread. Across the globe, more than a billion people are at risk of developing hearing loss, according to one study.
Using earbuds can increase your danger of:
- Developing sensorineural hearing loss with repeated exposure.
- Not being capable of communicating with your family and friends without using a hearing aid.
- Sensorineural hearing loss leading to deafness.
- Experiencing social isolation or cognitive decline due to hearing loss.
There may be a greater risk with earbuds than conventional headphones, according to some evidence. 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 convinced.
Either way, volume is the main consideration, and both kinds of headphones can create hazardous levels of that.
It’s not simply volume, it’s duration, too
Maybe you think there’s an easy solution: While I’m binging all 24 episodes of my favorite streaming show, I’ll just lower the volume. Well… that would be helpful. But it may not be the complete solution.
The reason is that it’s not only the volume that’s the issue, it’s the duration. Moderate volume for five hours can be just as harmful as max volume for five minutes.
When you listen, here are a few ways to make it safer:
- As a general rule of thumb, only listen to your media at 40-50% volume.
- Take frequent breaks. It’s best to take regular and lengthy breaks.
- Some smart devices let you reduce the max volume so you won’t even need to worry about it.
- If your ears start to experience pain or ringing, immediately quit listening.
- Make sure that your device has volume level alerts turned on. These warnings can inform you about when your listening volume goes a little too high. Naturally, then it’s your job to adjust your volume, but it’s better than nothing!
- If you’re listening at 80% volume, listen for a max of 90 minutes, and if you want to listen longer turn down the volume.
Earbuds specifically, and headphones generally, can be pretty stressful for your ears. So give your ears a break. After all, sensorineural hearing loss doesn’t (usually) develop suddenly; it occurs slowly and over time. Which means, you may not even recognize it occurring, at least, not until it’s too late.
Sensorineural hearing loss is irreversible
Noise-generated Hearing Loss (or NIHL) is usually irreversible. When the stereocilia (small hair-like cells in your ears that detect sound) get damaged by overexposure to loud sound, they can never be restored.
The damage accumulates slowly over time, and it usually begins as very limited in scope. That can make NIHL hard to detect. It may be getting gradually worse, in the meantime, you believe it’s just fine.
Unfortunately, NIHL cannot be cured or reversed. But strategies (hearing aids most notably) do exist that can mitigate the impact sensorineural hearing loss can have. But the overall damage that’s being done, regrettably, is permanent.
So the ideal strategy is prevention
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 using your earbuds:
- Limit the amount of damage your ears are encountering while you’re not using earbuds. This could mean paying extra attention to the sound of your surroundings or steering clear of overly loud situations.
- Use hearing protection if you’re going to be subject to loud noises. Use earplugs, for instance.
- Use earbuds and headphones that incorporate noise-canceling technology. With this function, you will be able to hear your media more clearly without having to turn it up quite as loud.
- Use volume-limiting apps on your phone and other devices.
- Use other kinds of headphones. That is, don’t use earbuds all day every day. Try utilizing over-the-ear headphones also.
- Schedule regular visits with us to get your hearing tested. We will be able to help you get tested and track the overall health of your hearing.
Preventing hearing loss, especially NIHL, can help you preserve your sense of hearing for years longer. And, if you do end up needing treatment, like hearing aids, they will be more effective.
So… are earbuds the enemy?
Well…should I just chuck my earbuds in the rubbish? Not Exactly! Not at all! Brand-name earbuds can get costly.
But it does mean that, if you’re listening to earbuds on a regular basis, you might want to think about altering your approach. You may not even recognize that your hearing is being harmed by your earbuds. Your best defense, then, is knowing about the danger.
Step one is to moderate the volume and duration of your listening. The second step is to talk to us about the state of your hearing right away.
If you think you might have damage due to overuse of earbuds, call us right away! We Can Help!