Have you ever misplaced your earbuds? (Or, maybe, inadvertently left them in the pocket of a sweatshirt that went through the washer and dryer?) 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 substantially.
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 grateful. Now your world is full of perfectly clear and vibrant sound, including music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Earbuds have a lot of uses other than listening to music and a large percentage of individuals utilize them.
But, unfortunately, earbuds can present some considerable risks to your hearing because so many people use them for so many listening activities. If you’re using these devices all day every day, you may be putting your hearing in danger!
Earbuds are different for several reasons
In the past, you would require bulky, earmuff-style, headphones if you wanted a high-quality listening experience. That’s all now changed. Awesome sound quality can be produced in a very small space with contemporary earbuds. Back throughout the 2010s, smartphone manufacturers 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).
In part because these high-quality earbuds (with microphones, even) were so easily accessible, they started showing up everywhere. Whether you’re out and about, or spending time at home, earbuds are one of the leading ways you’re talking on the phone, streaming your favorite show, or listening to music.
Earbuds are useful in a number of contexts because of their dependability, mobility, and convenience. As a result, many consumers use them pretty much all the time. That’s where things get a little challenging.
It’s all vibrations
Essentially, phone calls, music, or podcasts are all the same. They’re just waves of vibrating air molecules. It’s your brain that does all the heavy lifting of translating those vibrations, sorting one type of vibration into the “music” category and another into the “voice” category.
In this activity, your brain is given a big assist from your inner ear. Inside of your ear are tiny little hairs called stereocilia that oscillate when subjected to sound. These are not big vibrations, they’re tiny. Your inner ear is what really recognizes these vibrations. Your brain makes sense of these vibrations after they are transformed into electrical impulses by a nerve in your ear.
It’s not what type of sound but volume that results in hearing damage. Which means the risk is the same whether you’re listening to Death Metal or an NPR podcast.
What are the risks of using earbuds?
The risk of hearing damage is widespread because of the appeal 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:
- Not being able to communicate with your family and friends without wearing a hearing aid.
- Advancing deafness caused by sensorineural hearing loss.
- Continued subjection increasing the development of sensorineural hearing loss.
- Hearing loss contributing to cognitive decline and social isolation.
There’s some evidence to suggest that using earbuds may introduce greater risks than using regular headphones. The reason might be that earbuds move sound right to the most sensitive parts of the ear. Some audiologists believe this while others still aren’t sure.
Either way, volume is the primary factor, and both kinds of headphones can deliver hazardous levels of that.
It’s not only volume, it’s duration, also
You might be thinking, well, the solution is simple: I’ll simply lower the volume on my earbuds as I binge my new favorite program for 24 episodes in a row. Obviously, this would be a good plan. But there’s more to it than that.
This is because how long you listen is as significant as how loud it is. Modest volume for five hours can be just as harmful as top volume for five minutes.
When you listen, here are some ways to make it safer:
- Take frequent breaks. It’s best to take regular and lengthy breaks.
- Many smart devices let you lower the max volume so you won’t even have to worry about it.
- If you are listening at 80% volume, listen for a max of 90 minutes, and if you want to listen longer turn down the volume.
- If your ears start to experience pain or ringing, immediately quit listening.
- Activate volume alerts on your device. If your listening volume gets too high, a notification will alert you. Once you hear this alert, it’s your task to reduce the volume.
- As a basic rule of thumb, only listen to your media at 40-50% volume.
Your ears can be stressed by using headphones, particularly earbuds. So give your ears a break. Because sensorineural hearing loss normally occurs slowly over time not immediately. Which means, you might not even notice it happening, at least, not until it’s too late.
There is no cure and no way to reverse sensorineural hearing loss
Noise-generated Hearing Loss (or NIHL) is usually permanent. When the stereocilia (small hair-like cells in your ears that detect sound) get damaged by too much exposure to loud sound, they can never be restored.
The damage is hardly noticeable, particularly in the early stages, and progresses gradually over time. NHIL can be hard to identify as a result. You may think your hearing is perfectly fine, all the while it’s gradually getting worse and worse.
There is currently no cure or capability of reversing NIHL. But strategies (hearing aids most notably) do exist that can mitigate the impact sensorineural hearing loss can have. But the general damage that’s being done, sadly, is irreversible.
This means prevention is the best strategy
That’s why so many hearing specialists place a substantial focus on prevention. And there are a number of ways to lower your risk of hearing loss, and to practice good prevention, even while listening to your earbuds:
- Use hearing protection if you’re going to be around loud noises. Ear plugs, for example, work remarkably well.
- Change up the styles of headphones you’re using. Simply put, switch from earbuds to other kinds of headphones now and then. Over-the-ear headphones can also be sometimes used.
- When you’re not using your earbuds, reduce the amount of noise damage your ears are exposed to. This could mean paying additional attention to the sound of your environment or avoiding overly loud situations.
- Utilize earbuds and headphones that incorporate noise-canceling technology. With this feature, you will be able to hear your media more clearly without needing to turn it up quite so loud.
- Schedule routine visits with us to have your hearing tested. We will be capable of hearing you get screened and track the overall health of your hearing.
- Use volume-limiting 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 eventually need them.
So… are earbuds the enemy?
Well…should I just chuck my earbuds in the rubbish? Not Exactly! Especially not if you have those Apple AirPods, those little devices are not cheap!
But your strategy may need to be changed if you’re listening to your earbuds regularly. You may not even realize that your hearing is being harmed by your earbuds. Being aware of the danger, then, is your best defense against it.
When you listen, reduce the volume, that’s the first step. Step two is to consult with us about the state of your hearing today.
Think you might have damaged your hearing with earbuds? We can help! Get assessed now!