Have you ever left your Earbuds in your pocket and they ended up going through the laundry or maybe lost them altogether? All of a sudden, your morning jog is a million times more boring. You have a dull and dreary train ride to work. And your virtual meetings are suffering from bad audio quality.
The old saying “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone” applies here.
So you’re so relieved when you finally get a working pair of earbuds. Now your life is full of perfectly clear and vibrant sound, including music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Earbuds are everywhere nowadays, and individuals utilize them for a lot more than only listening to their favorite music (though, of course, they do that too).
Regrettably, in part because they are so easy and so common, earbuds present some substantial risks for your hearing. Your hearing might be in jeopardy if you’re wearing earbuds a lot every day.
Why earbuds are different
It used to be that if you wanted high-quality audio from a pair of headphones, you’d have to use a bulky, cumbersome pair of over-the-ear cans (yes, “cans” is slang for headphones). That isn’t necessarily the case anymore. Awesome sound quality can be produced in a very small space with contemporary earbuds. Back throughout the 2010s, smartphone makers popularized these little devices by supplying a pair with every new smartphone purchase (Currently, you don’t see that as much).
Partly because these high-quality earbuds (with microphones, even) were so easily accessible, they started showing up everywhere. Whether you’re talking on the phone, listening to music, or watching movies, earbuds are one of the main ways to do that (whether you are on the go or not).
It’s that combination of convenience, mobility, and dependability that makes earbuds practical in a large number of contexts. Consequently, many people use them virtually all the time. That’s where things get a bit tricky.
It’s all vibrations
This is the thing: Music, podcasts, voice calls, they’re all essentially the same thing. They’re just air molecules being moved by waves of pressure. Your brain will then organize the vibrations into categories like “voice” or “music”.
Your inner ear is the mediator for this process. Inside of your ear are very small hairs known as stereocilia that vibrate when exposed to sound. These are not huge vibrations, they’re very small. Your inner ear is what actually identifies these vibrations. At that point, there’s a nerve in your ear that translates those vibrations into electrical impulses, and that’s what allows your brain to make heads or tails of it all.
This is important because it’s not music or drums that cause hearing damage, it’s volume. Which means the risk is equivalent whether you’re listening to Death Metal or an NPR podcast.
The risks of earbud use
Because of the popularity 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 increase your risk of:
- Advancing deafness due to sensorineural hearing loss.
- Continued subjection increasing the development of sensorineural hearing loss.
- Experiencing social isolation or mental decline as a result of hearing loss.
- Needing to utilize a hearing aid so that you can communicate with friends and loved ones.
There may be a greater risk with earbuds than traditional headphones, according to some evidence. The reason might be that earbuds move 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 relevant is the volume, and any pair of headphones is able to deliver hazardous levels of sound.
Duration is also a concern besides volume
Maybe you think there’s an easy fix: While I’m binging all 24 episodes of my favorite streaming show, I’ll just lower the volume. Naturally, this would be a smart idea. But it might not be the total solution.
This is because how long you listen is as important as how loud it is. Think about it like this: listening at top volume for five minutes will damage your ears. But listening at moderate volume for five hours could also damage your ears.
When you listen, here are some ways to make it safer:
- If you don’t want to worry about it, you might even be capable of changing the maximum volume on your smart device.
- Give yourself lots of breaks. The more breaks (and the longer length they are), the better.
- Use the 80/90 rule: Listen at 80% volume for no more than 90 minutes. (Want more time? Lower the volume.)
- If your ears start to experience pain or ringing, immediately quit listening.
- Enable volume warnings on your device. These warnings can inform you about when your listening volume goes a bit too high. Once you hear this alert, it’s your job to reduce the volume.
- It’s a good idea not to go above 40% – 50% volume level.
Earbuds particularly, and headphones in general, can be kind of stressful for your ears. So try to cut your ears some slack. Because sensorineural hearing loss usually occurs slowly over time not immediately. Which means, you may not even recognize it happening, at least, not until it’s too late.
There is no cure and no way to reverse sensorineural hearing loss
Usually, NHIL, or noise-related hearing loss, is permanent. That’s because it’s sensorineural in nature (meaning, the cells in your ear are irreparably damaged due to noise).
The damage is barely noticeable, particularly in the early stages, and progresses gradually over time. That can make NIHL hard to detect. It might be getting gradually worse, in the meantime, you believe it’s perfectly fine.
There is currently no cure or ability to reverse NIHL. But strategies (hearing aids most notably) do exist that can minimize the impact sensorineural hearing loss can have. These treatments, however, can’t reverse the damage that’s been done.
So the ideal strategy is prevention
That’s why so many hearing specialists place a considerable focus on prevention. And there are multiple ways to decrease your risk of hearing loss, and to exercise good prevention, even while using your earbuds:
- Getting your hearing tested by us regularly is a good plan. We will help identify the overall health of your hearing by having you screened.
- Change up the styles of headphones you’re using. Simply put, switch from earbuds to other types of headphones sometimes. Over-the-ear headphones can also be sometimes used.
- Use hearing protection if you’re going to be subject to loud noises. Ear plugs, for instance, work quite well.
- Reduce the amount of damage your ears are experiencing while you are not using earbuds. Avoid overly loud settings whenever you can.
- Use volume-controlling apps on your phone and other devices.
- Use earbuds and headphones that incorporate noise-canceling tech. This will mean you won’t need to turn the volume quite so high in order to hear your media clearly.
Preventing hearing loss, especially NIHL, can help you protect your sense of hearing for years longer. And, if you do end up requiring treatment, like hearing aids, they will be more effective.
So… are earbuds the enemy?
Well…should I just toss my earbuds in the rubbish? Not Exactly! Not at all! Brand-name earbuds can be expensive.
But your strategy may need to be changed if you’re listening to your earbuds constantly. You may not even recognize 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.
If you believe you might have damage because of overuse of earbuds, call us right away! We Can Help!
