Have you ever misplaced your earbuds? (Or, perhaps, accidentally left them in the pocket of a pullover that went through the washer and dryer?) Now it’s so boring going for a run in the morning. You have a dull and dreary train ride to work. And the sound quality of your virtual meetings suffers considerably.
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 pair of earbuds, you’re thankful. The world is instantly vibrant again, full of music, podcasts, and crystal clear sound. Earbuds are all over the place these days, and individuals use them for so much more than only listening to their favorite tunes (though, obviously, they do that too).
But, unfortunately, earbuds can present some considerable risks to your hearing because so many people are using them for so many listening tasks. If you’re wearing these devices all day every day, you may be putting your hearing in danger!
Why earbuds are unique
In the past, you would need cumbersome, earmuff-style, headphones if you wanted a high-quality listening experience. All that has now changed. Contemporary earbuds can provide amazing sound in a tiny space. Back throughout the 2010s, smartphone makers popularized these little devices by supplying a pair with every new smartphone purchase (Presently, you don’t see that so much).
Partly because these high-quality earbuds (with microphones, even) were so readily available, they began showing up all over the place. Whether you’re out and about, or hanging out at home, earbuds are one of the main ways you’re talking on the phone, viewing your favorite show, or listening to tunes.
Earbuds are useful in quite a few contexts because of their dependability, mobility, and convenience. As a result, many consumers use them pretty much all the time. And that’s become a bit of an issue.
It’s all vibrations
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 classify the vibrations into categories like “voice” or “music”.
In this endeavor, your brain receives a big assist from your inner ear. Inside of your ear are very small hairs known as stereocilia that vibrate when subjected to sound. These vibrations are minute, they’re tiny. These vibrations are recognized by your inner ear. At this stage, there’s a nerve in your ear that translates those vibrations into electrical signals, and that’s what lets your brain figure it all out.
It’s not what type of sound but volume that results in hearing loss. So whether you’re listening to NPR or Death Metal, the risk is the same.
The risks of earbud use
Because of the appeal of earbuds, the risk of hearing damage as a result of loud noise is pretty 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 risk of:
- Sensorineural hearing loss resulting in deafness.
- Repeated subjection increasing the development of sensorineural hearing loss.
- Hearing loss contributing to mental decline and social isolation.
- Not being able to communicate with your family and friends without wearing a hearing aid.
There could be a greater risk with earbuds than conventional headphones, according to some evidence. The idea here is that the sound is directed toward the more sensitive parts of your ear. But the jury’s still out on this, and not all audiologists are convinced.
Either way, volume is the biggest consideration, and both kinds of headphones can deliver hazardous levels of that.
Duration is also an issue besides volume
Maybe you think there’s a simple fix: I’ll simply lower the volume on my earbuds as I binge my new favorite show for 24 episodes in a row. Of course, this would be a good idea. But there’s more to it than that.
The reason is that it’s not just the volume that’s the problem, it’s the duration. Think about it like this: listening at top volume for five minutes will damage your ears. But listening at medium volume for five hours could also harm your ears.
When you listen, here are some ways to keep it safer:
- Use the 80/90 rule: Listen at 80% volume for no more than 90 minutes. (Want more minutes? Lower the volume.)
- Give yourself plenty of breaks. The more breaks (and the longer length they are), the better.
- If your ears begin to experience pain or ringing, immediately quit listening.
- It’s a good plan not to go above 40% – 50% volume level.
- If you don’t want to think about it, you might even be able to change the maximum volume on your smart device.
- Be certain that your device has volume level warnings enabled. These warnings can let you know when your listening volume gets a bit too high. Once you hear this alert, it’s your task to lower the volume.
Earbuds particularly, and headphones generally, can be kind of stressful for your ears. So try to cut your ears some slack. Because sensorineural hearing loss normally occurs gradually over time not suddenly. Most of the time people don’t even detect that it’s occurring until it’s too late.
There is no cure and no way to reverse sensorineural hearing loss
Typically, NHIL, or noise-related hearing loss, is irreversible. When the stereocilia (small hair-like cells in your ears that detect sound) get damaged by overexposure to loud sound, they can never recover.
The damage accumulates slowly over time, and it usually starts as very limited in scope. NHIL can be hard to detect as a result. It might be getting gradually worse, in the meantime, you think it’s perfectly fine.
Sadly, NIHL can’t be cured or reversed. However, there are treatments designed to offset and minimize some of the most significant impacts of sensorineural hearing loss (the most popular of such treatments is a hearing aid). These treatments, however, can’t counter the damage that’s been done.
So the best plan is prevention
This is why prevention is emphasized by so many hearing specialists. Here are a few ways to keep listening to your earbuds while lowering your risk of hearing loss with good prevention routines:
- Use volume-controlling apps on your phone and other devices.
- Use hearing protection if you’re going to be subject to loud noises. Use earplugs, for example.
- Many headphones and earbuds incorporate noise-canceling technology, try to utilize those. This will mean you won’t need to turn the volume quite so high so that you can hear your media clearly.
- Schedule regular visits with us to get your hearing tested. We will help determine the general health of your hearing by getting you screened.
- Change up the styles of headphones you’re using. That is, don’t use earbuds all day every day. Try using over-the-ear headphones as well.
- Reduce the amount of damage your ears are encountering while you are not using earbuds. Avoid overly loud settings whenever possible.
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 need them.
So… are earbuds the enemy?
So does all this mean you should grab your nearest pair of earbuds and chuck them in the garbage? Not Exactly! Particularly not if you have those Apple AirPods, those little gizmos are not cheap!
But it does mean that, if you’re listening to earbuds on a regular basis, you may want to think about changing your approach. These earbuds may be damaging your hearing and you may not even realize it. Knowing 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.
If you think you may have damage as a result of overuse of earbuds, call us right away! We Can Help!