Listening to music through headphones is one of the most universally favorite experiences. It has the ability to transport you to a whole new world.
It is also a great way to enjoy alone time.
However, is there a downside to this popular way to listen to music, podcasts and more? Specifically, many have concerns that listening to music with headphones can cause hearing loss.
So, do headphones cause hearing loss? Let’s dive into this below and find out if there is a reason for concern here.
Do Headphones Cause Hearing Loss?
Yes, indeed, headphones can cause hearing loss. Whether it is temporary or permanent hearing loss depends on a lot of different factors.
Moreover, any hearing loss you may experience from using headphones doesn’t happen instantaneously. Instead, it accumulates or grows or time and continuous exposure.
Listening to music, podcasts, etc., using headphones does not instantly cause your hearing loss, even at loud volume.
But that does not mean that we recommend you to listen to music with your headphones at a loud volume all the time.
Although hearing loss is a normal part of life, it is only expected as part of aging and not noise-induced hearing loss. It is common knowledge that prolonged exposure to loud noises can cause hearing loss.
How Does Human Hearing Work?
Human hearing is a survival tool designed to detect quiet and subtle noises rather than loud noises. And although we have evolved as a whole, there is not much evolution when it comes to human hearing.
Within the chamber of our inner ears, there are tiny hairs. Movements in the air caused by friction between different surfaces cause the hairs to vibrate, thus allowing us to perceive sound.
Loud noises intensify the vibrations. And prolonged intense vibrations cause the hairs to stop working correctly, causing hearing loss.
How Do Loud Noises Cause Hearing Loss?
Loud noises that come from headphones can either cause temporary or permanent hearing loss.
Here is how:
- The tiny hairs in your inner ears experience damage
- They then lose sensitivity leading to hearing loss
But if the damage to the hairs is beyond repair, then that is permanent hearing loss. This can happen when someone has prolonged exposure to loud noises.
How to Prevent Hearing Loss
To prevent hearing loss and still enjoy using the headphones for long periods, it is best to keep the volume at 70 decibels or lower. Prolonged exposure to 85 decibels and higher can cause hearing loss.
But how do you know whether you are listening to 70 or 85 decibels of sound or not? The easiest way is by installing sound-level meter apps.
Alternatively, if you are using Apple devices, you can try using the hearing application in the Control Center to check the volume of your headphones.
Yes, headphones can cause hearing loss. But not instantly. And it is not permanent – most of the time. However, it is best to keep your headphone volumes at 70 decibels or lower.
If you have experienced hearing loss due to headphones or another reason, you should go visit an audiologist to get your ears checked.