Many people wear headphones all the time. But is it safe for your ears? A recent discussion uncovered that over a billion young adults risk permanent hearing loss. Dr. Amy Saro, an audiologist, explained that our hearing depends on tiny hair cells in our ears. These cells can get damaged by loud sounds.
When healthy, these hair cells stand tall like a field of wheat. If you expose them to sound, they can get twisted. Sometimes, they can rebuild, but if the sound is too loud or too frequent, the damage becomes permanent. This means your hearing won't come back naturally.
Dr. Amy said the damage depends on both the loudness and duration of the sound. Loudness is measured in decibels (dB). A small increase can double the loudness. Many times, people listen to music at over 100 dB without realizing the risk. The US Department of Labor says 85 dB is the safe limit for eight hours a day.
If you dig into your phone settings, you can limit your volume. But if you can't hear well at lower volumes, try reducing the noise around you. Noise-cancelling headphones can help. They come with two types of noise cancellation: passive and active. Passive noise cancellation blocks sound physically. Active noise cancellation uses mics to detect and counteract outside noise.
Noise-cancelling headphones are great at removing low-frequency hums, like airplane engines or train noise. But they don't work as well for high-pitched sounds, like birds chirping or sudden loud noises. Luke Keller, a physics professor, explained that properly working noise-cancelling headphones produce no harmful sound. They cancel sound waves electronically, not in your head.
So, noise-cancelling headphones can protect your ears without wrecking your inner hair cells. You don't need the most expensive pair; any decent noise-cancelling headphones will do. But remember, they are not effective for everything, like concerts or jackhammers. In those cases, find better ear protection.
We often wear sunscreen to protect our skin from sunburn. But noise damage is invisible, making it easier to ignore. It's up to us to be mindful and protect our ears.