The Rise of Headphone Associated Hearing Loss: What You Need to Know
Introduction
Headphones are a regular staple in our technology filled lives. They come in many shapes and sizes ranging from over the ear to buds and wired to wireless. In the grand scheme of things, headphones are new. The idea of delivering auditory stimulus with such proximity and high noise levels has only been around for a short period of time. Yet prolonged and extreme use that exceeds moderation can be harmful for one’s auditory health. One in five teenagers today will face headphone associated hearing loss. Factors affecting hearing loss can be summarized by the following equation: loudness (decibels) x length of time = hair burden. Really loud volumes can do damage in a short amount of time, while lower volumes will enact the same damage along much longer time scales.
Damaging Effect of Headphones
Within the inner ear, there is a spiral shaped organ called the cochlea. The cochlea contains little hair called stereocilia that convert incoming sound vibrations into neural signals for the auditory nerve. The stereocilia start to suffer damage when noise level exceeds 85 decibels. Headphones can pass 100 decibels when the volume is turned up. Therefore, headphone can absolutely contribute to hearing loss. Specifically, hearing loss related to loud noise exposure falls under sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). SNHL occurs due to issues with the inner ear or auditory nerve while conductive hearing loss involves the outer and middle ear. According to audiologists, sounds at 85 decibels can be tolerated for eight hours without damage. For every three-decibel increase, the time you have until damage starts goes down by 50%. Therefore, if you listen to music at 100 decibels, you only have about 15 minutes to safely do so. Some common signs of such hearing loss include ringing in the ears (tinnitus), difficulty hearing in loud settings, trouble understanding people, and needing to raise the TV volume.
Conclusion
While there are clear negative effects associated with headphone use, there are ways we can decrease our risk of developing headphone associated hearing loss. The most important tip is to regulate the volume preferably between 65-85 decibels. One should also set a limit on how much time per day headphones are used. Audiologists recommend noise-cancelling headphones because their ability to block out background noise allows you to listen at lower volume levels. Refraining from increasing volume to unhealthy levels and using headphones in moderation will let us keep listening to our music and podcasts for years to come.
Sources
Communication M and. Listen Up: Headphone Use Can Impact Your Hearing Health | University of Utah Health. healthcare.utah.edu. Published January 26, 2024. https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/2024/01/listen-headphone-use-can-impact-your-hearing-health
Eyvazzadeh A. Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment. Healthline. Published March 10, 2020. https://www.healthline.com/health/sensorineural-hearing-loss
