Headphone is one of our best friends during most of our journeys. It is hard to spot youngsters who do not use headphones. It’s used to listen to music and to attend calls on mobile phones. Some teenage and even older people have the practice of sleeping with EarPods on. It is a pleasure if you a find a window seat with your headphones on, during a long journey. It is used to listen to both podcasts and songs. Many of us would have had the experience of searching for our headphones.
Even though earphones has become one of the most vital gadgets in our daily life, and it protects us from mobile phone radiations. It does cause some damage to our health. Some studies reveal that using it one regular basis to listen to songs and to have long conversations could lead to hearing impairment. So what is the solution to this problem?
What are the harmful effects of headphones?
Listening to songs in high volume will lead to more damage to our ears. This damage can be in two different ways.
- Hearing impairment
- Hearing damage, this usually happens if you listen to sound over 90 decibels
- Using headphones for longer duration in high volume on a regular basis will damage, ear drums and auditory nerves, this will lower the hearing capacity. Finally, it can even lead to the permanent hearing loss.
- Listening to songs or music with noise levels higher than 100 decibels will most definitely lead to the permanent hearing loss.
- While listening to songs on a mobile phone or in iPod using earphones, there will be a notification regarding excessive volume level, many people just ignore this warning and keep listening to music in high volume. This will definitely lead to damage in ear drums.
- If you use earphones on a regular basis, it blocks the air flow in ears. This can lead to infections in ears. Also if you use headphones of your friend or some other person, there is also a chance that you might get a bacterial infection. Meaning, headphones can pass these infections from others.
- Listening to songs in high volume can make your ear to feel numb, and it can lead to the temporary hearing loss. After some time the ears will return to its normal state.
- Some use Bluetooth headsets. This will release radiations. These radiations can cause serious damage to your ears if used on a regular basis.
- Earphones have been the main reason for many cars, train, and road accidents. These accidents usually happen because it blocks the surrounding noise and the person using it will become less aware of their surroundings.
Symptoms of headphone damages
- Constant noise in ears.
- Difficulty with hearing sounds at a distance.
- Sometimes it will be difficult even to hear sounds in the nearby proximity.
- Feeling of numbness in ears.
Available treatments
People who have above said symptoms must immediately consult an ENT specialist.
At first preliminary tests will be carried out in patients, this will help the doctors to find out whether there is any damage to inner part of the ears or to the middle part of the ears or if there is any damage to auditory nerves.
The second stage of tests will involve Audiological tests, audiogram. These tests will help to confirm if there is any real damage to the hearing capacity of the person.
Solutions
Normally, it’s hard to cure the patient with hearing loss. If there is any damage to auditory nerves then it gets even harder to cure. This is suitable for other problems that arise due to damage to auditory nerves. Once a person becomes a victim of a hearing loss, then it becomes almost impossible to restore his hearing capacity back to normal. But doctors treatment can help the person from avoiding further damage. A person with the hearing problem can use hearing aid machine as per his doctor’s advice.
Some ways to safely use headphones
- Wearing EarPods that directly enters into ears can be avoided. Using headphones which don’t get into ears is comparatively safe to use.
- Using headphones one can listen to the noise level of up to 80 – 90 decibels. Avoiding listening to songs and music beyond this level is not safe.
- Sponge or rubber used in headphones and earphones must be changed once in 3 months. Not changing it can lead to infections.
- Using headphones must be avoided while driving a car or bike and while walking on a public road.
- If you are someone who uses headphones in work, make sure to give a break after every 20 minutes. While using it, make sure it is on low volume. Same goes with those who use EarPods as well.
- Use a quality EarPods and headsets. Do not use unbranded and fake ones.