Have you ever forgotten your Earbuds in your pocket and they ended up going through the wash or maybe lost them altogether? All of a sudden, 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 significantly.
The old saying “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone” applies here.
So when you finally find or purchase a working set of earbuds, you’re thankful. Now your world is full of perfectly clear and vibrant audio, including music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Earbuds are all over the place nowadays, and individuals use them for a lot more than just listening to their favorite tunes (though, naturally, they do that too).
Regrettably, partly because they’re so easy and so widely used, earbuds present some substantial risks for your ears. Your hearing might be in danger 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’s not always the case anymore. Modern earbuds can supply stunning 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 (amusing enough, they’re somewhat rare nowadays when you buy a new phone).
Partly because these high-quality earbuds (with microphones, even) were so readily available, they began showing up everywhere. 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 tunes.
It’s that combination of convenience, portability, and dependability that makes earbuds useful in a wide variety of contexts. As a result, many consumers use them almost all the time. And that’s become somewhat of an issue.
It’s all vibrations
In essence, phone calls, music, or podcasts are all the same. 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, organizing one kind of vibration into the “music” category and another into the “voice” category.
In this pursuit, your brain is given a big assist from your inner ear. There are tiny hairs along your ear that vibrate when exposed 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 converts those vibrations into electrical signals, and that’s what allows your brain to make heads or tails of it all.
It’s not what kind of sound but volume that causes hearing loss. So whether you’re listening to NPR or Death Metal, the risk is the same.
What are the risks of using earbuds?
The danger of hearing damage is widespread 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 use earbuds at high volume, you increase your risk of:
- Experiencing sensorineural hearing loss with repeated exposure.
- Needing to use a hearing aid in order to communicate with friends and loved ones.
- Hearing loss contributing to cognitive decline and social isolation.
- Sensorineural hearing loss resulting in deafness.
There’s some evidence to suggest that using earbuds might present greater risks than using conventional headphones. The reason might be that earbuds direct sound right to the most sensitive parts of the ear. But the jury’s still out on this, and not all audiologists are on board.
Besides, what’s more significant is the volume, and any pair of headphones is able to deliver hazardous levels of sound.
Duration is also an issue besides volume
Maybe you think there’s an easy solution: 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 smart plan. But it may not be the complete answer.
The reason is that it’s not only the volume that’s the problem, it’s the duration. Think about it like this: listening at max volume for five minutes will harm your ears. But listening at medium volume for five hours might also harm your ears.
So here’s how you can be a little safer when you listen:
- 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.
- As a general rule of thumb, only listen to your media at 40-50% volume.
- Some smart devices allow you to lower the max volume so you won’t even need to worry about it.
- Take regular breaks. It’s best to take regular and lengthy breaks.
- If your ears start to experience pain or ringing, immediately quit listening.
- Make sure that your device has volume level alerts turned on. If your listening volume gets too high, a warning will alert you. Naturally, then it’s your job to adjust your volume, but it’s better than nothing!
Your ears can be stressed by utilizing 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. Which means, you might not even observe it occurring, at least, not until it’s too late.
There’s no cure and no way to reverse sensorineural hearing loss
Noise-generated Hearing Loss (or NIHL) is usually irreversible. That’s because it’s sensorineural in nature (meaning, the cells in your ear are irreparably destroyed due to noise).
The damage accumulates gradually over time, and it usually begins as very limited in scope. NHIL can be hard to identify as a result. You might think your hearing is perfectly fine, all the while it’s slowly getting worse and worse.
There is currently no cure or capability of reversing 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.
So the best plan is prevention
This is why prevention is stressed by so many hearing specialists. And there are a number of ways to decrease your risk of hearing loss, and to practice good prevention, even while using your earbuds:
- Change up the styles of headphones you’re wearing. Simply put, switch from earbuds to other kinds of headphones now and then. Try utilizing over-the-ear headphones also.
- When you’re not wearing your earbuds, limit the amount of noise damage your ears are exposed to. This could mean paying extra attention to the sound of your surroundings or steering clear of overly loud scenarios.
- Utilize 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.
- Make regular visits with us to have your hearing tested. We will be capable of hearing you get assessed and track the overall health of your hearing.
- Use hearing protection if you’re going to be subject to loud noises. Ear plugs, for instance, work exceptionally well.
- Use volume-controlling apps on your phone and other devices.
Preventing hearing loss, particularly 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 ultimately need them.
So… are earbuds the enemy?
So does all this mean you should grab your nearest set of earbuds and throw them in the trash? Well, no. Particularly not if you have those Apple AirPods, those little devices are expensive!
But your approach could need to be modified if you’re listening to your earbuds regularly. You might not even realize 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 control the volume and duration of your listening. 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!