i love my ear buds. they’re comfortable, perfect for work or play, and fit right in my pocket. i could not be happier that the days of dangling, tangling headphones are over.but it turns out they might be doing some damage to my ears, too.ear buds, like any kind of headphone, can contribute to hearing loss if used improperly. it’s never a good idea to listen to music with your headphones turned up to full volume — no matter how good your favourite guitar solo is.
according to the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc), 17 per cent of americans aged 20 to 69 have suffered some permanent hearing loss due to loud noises. the cdc website
states that hearing loss is often the result of damage to the structures or nerve fibres in the inner ear. noise-induced hearing loss can be the result of one-time exposure to an extremely loud noise, or by repeated exposure to loud sounds. when hearing loss is noise-induced, it can’t be medically or surgically corrected.
preventing this kind of hearing loss involves balancing volume level with time spent listening to your device. but different doctors say different things about what our limits should look like. the cleveland clinic
says listening at 80 per cent volume for a maximum of 90 minutes at a time is “the general rule of thumb,” while making sure that you lower the volume if a session lasts longer than 90 minutes. a doctor at
teenshealth, on the other hand, suggests using a 60/60 rule, where you don’t exceed 60 per cent volume or 60 minutes with ear buds in your ears.the general consensus seems to be: the longer you listen, the lower the volume should be.using those limits as a guideline, it’s safe to say that falling asleep with ear buds in your ears is a bad idea. i’m guilty of this myself, as a relaxing tune or audiobook sometimes can be a great way to drift off to sleep. but waking up hours later with the music still running is definitely not good for your ears — not to mention your
sleep patterns.ear buds can also contribute to the buildup of wax inside your ear, potentially leading to more hearing problems and ear pain. according to an
article written by gabrielle rivard, an ear, nose and throat expert with allina health, ear buds can prevent the ears from performing their normal self-cleaning process by trapping moisture and sweat inside the ear canal.“if we block the [ear] canal for multiple hours a day, the wax will not be able to work itself out of the ear,” rivard
wrote. “sometimes, this forms a large plug of earwax, and your earbuds can push the wax deeper, causing trauma to the ear and ear pain.”rivard adds that leaving ear buds in for a long period of time can also lead to infection inside the ear. it is important to keep the silicone tips and outer shell of your ear buds clean so bacteria that collects on the outside of the bud doesn’t make its way into your ear.overall, ear buds aren’t good or bad in themselves,
the washington post has explained. as long as you set limits on how often you use them — and, most importantly, you make sure not to overdo it on the volume — you can listen away.
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