Earphones – Friendly or Harmful?

As Technology is developing more and more day by day, Our society and culture are also getting connected through it. The use of headphones or any earphones has increased these days, With the use of Headphones, people used to enjoy music and have conversations from anywhere at any time, more privately and conveniently. The ease of headphone use and the mobility that they afford cannot be overstated. This is particularly true currently, as our society is spending more time in virtual meetings with headphones since the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the convenience of headphones and the increased utility, questions about safety have been raised. Well, some factors state the healthy use of headphones; i.e. you just need to know about safe sound levels and when to take a break from headphones.

Risk factors of hear loss from sound?

Sound is supposed to provide a tool for communication and awareness of our environment, as sound is an essential mode of communication that also orients us to our environment. However, the inner ear is very sensitive to the balance of sound that it perceives. There are more than thousands of cells inside the ears, some of which have little hairlike structures called hair cells that transmit sound from the ears back to the brain. where it is further processed? The excessive sound may cause permanent damage to these cells, which interrupts the mechanism of sound transmission. Mostly, the damage happens via the connection between the hair cells and nerve cells, which can be interrupted by an excess sound, even if the hair cells remain normal. In short, it’s clear that the sound that is too loud is harmful and can damage to inner ear.

Which sound is loud?

The above information is taken from CDC 

While using headphones, it should be always remembered that the personal listening devices should be tuned to a maximum volume of around 105 to 110 dB. As if we are hearing a sound of more than 85 dB for more than two hours, we can experience hearing loss. While sounds more than 105 to 110 dB can cause damage in five minutes. Sounds that are less than 70 dB are safe to our ears. There is one thing that everyone should know that the maximum volume of personal listening devices is above the threshold (i.e. above 70dB) at which damage occurs (in both children and adults)! It is important that as a listener, you are aware that most devices can harm us as they have a maximum of 75 dB above. Therefore, personal listening devices should be comfortable for a listener.

How long hearing a sound is too long?

In addition to volume, the duration of sound exposure is an important factor that contributes to possible ear damage. Simply stated, louder sounds have the potential for more damage with less exposure. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates that employers offer hearing protection for employees with an average exposure of 85 dB for greater than eight hours. While this sounds like a long time, headphone use at only slightly higher sound levels can cause damage in less than one hour, and it is easy to imagine listening to music with headphones for an hour or longer. Importantly, listening at a comfortable level should be safe for an unlimited amount of time, though it is essential to balance the duration of use with the loudness of exposure.