RP179 Headphones and Hearing

 RP179 Headphones and Hearing

The music you love could end up making you deaf. More specifically, the way you listen to the music you love could be making you deaf faster.

The problem is headphones. In the past, we played music out into the air. Then earmuff-style headphones were invented, and we were able to play music much closer to our ears. Now we have earbuds, and people are starting to get worried. Many doctors think earbuds are worse than older headphones because they play music directly into the ears. Also, earbuds are not as good at blocking outside noise, so people who use them may turn the volume up to dangerous levels.

What's a dangerous noise level? Well, it depends on how long you' re going to listen to the noise. This is the next problem. Very, very loud sounds can be dangerous to your hearing even if you only listen to them for a few minutes. But the scary truth is that even normal seeming noise can be dangerous if you listen to it all the time. People, especially young people, wear headphones all day long nowadays. Even if your music isn't blasting, listening to it for many hours this way can damage your hearing.

Noise-induced hearing loss— the kind that headphones cause— happens when tiny hairs in your ear canal become overstressed and die. Guess what? Playing loud music only millimeters away from these tiny hairs can stress them out! And once these hairs die, they may not come back. Hearing loss is usually permanent.

Think for a minute about how long you spend listening to headphones and other loud noises every day. Then, do some research. There are resources online to tell you what volumes are safe and for how long. Don't take your hearing for granted.