Harmful Effects Of Using Headphones or Earphones for Long Hours

It's typical to see individuals wearing headphones throughout the day, whether they're walking in the morning, crossing the street, getting on the subway, drinking coffee at a café, or even taking a call at work. Although you might not be upsetting anyone around you by wearing headphones all the time, you are hurting yourself enough without even realizing it.

Hearing loss condition caused by headphones

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a billion young people worldwide may be at risk for hearing loss as a result of the risky listening habits they develop when using headphones.

The loudness exposure that headphones subject the ears to is the main worry.Earphones are extremely harmful because they may produce extremely loud sounds very close to the ear. However, it should be emphasized that the length of time that earphones are used is just as important as their volume level. Due to their frequent storage locations, earbuds are also susceptible to bacteria. Sharing earbuds allows for the spread of these microorganisms, which therefore has detrimental consequences for the ears.

How does blaring earphones damage your ears?

Our ears receive sound waves from earbuds, which cause the eardrum to vibrate. The cochlea, a chamber in the inner ear that is filled with fluid and is composed of millions of tiny "hairs," is where this vibration enters the inner ear through the small bones. The fluid in the cochlea vibrates when this vibration reaches it, moving the hairs along with it. The vibrations and movement of the hairs increase with increasing sound volume.

The hair cells ultimately lose their sensitivity to vibration from long-term exposure to loud music. These intense vibrations may or may not cause the hair cells to regenerate. Even if they are able to operate regularly, most people never fully recover from hearing loss or deafness, which makes recovery virtually impossible.

Side Effects of Using Earphones

Some of the harmful ways in which earphones can affect our ears are:

NIHL:Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a condition that can be brought on by prolonged exposure to loud noises through headphones.

Tinnitus: The cochlea's injured hair cells may cause a ringing, buzzing, or roaring sound in the ear or in the brain. Tinnitus is the medical term for this resulting electrical noise.

Hyperacusis: More than 50% of tinnitus sufferers are also more likely to become highly sensitive to background noise. Hyperacusis is the term used to describe this disorder.

Hearing Loss: As was already established, exposure to loud music or prolonged exposure causes the hair cells to bend down excessively and severely, to the point where it may cause temporary or permanent hearing loss.

Dizziness: Many times, the increased pressure in the ear canal due to loud noise can also result in dizziness.

Ear infections: The direct insertion of the earphones into the ear canal prevents air from passing through, increasing the risk of ear infections. Earphone use that is frequent and prolonged promotes the development of germs. After repeated use, these germs remain on the earphones and infect the ear. The same bacteria from one person's ear transfers to the other when earphones are shared, putting the other person at risk of developing severe ear infections.

Excessive ear wax: Long-term earphone use also causes excessive ear wax, which increases the risk of tinnitus, hearing loss, earaches, and recurrent ear infections.

Pain in the ears: Long-term earphone use as well as using ill-fitting earbuds can cause discomfort that frequently radiates to the inner ear as well, causing inflammation around the ear from the jaw to the top of the head.

Effect on the brain: Long-term brain issues are caused by the electromagnetic waves that the headphones produce. The nerve fibers that transport messages from the ear to the brain lose protection when noise levels are high. The brain may also be impacted by ear infections.

One can save the ear from any severe damage through the earphones by being aware of the consequences and by making small habitual changes.

How to avoid hearing damage from headphones?

The following tips help to prevent hearing damage from headphone/earphone:

The simplest modification is to reduce the volume. Limit the amount of time you spend around loud sounds.

To prevent direct sound vibrations to the eardrums and direct contact with the ear canal, use noise-cancelling headphones or over-the-ear models.

Sanitize the headphones often to prevent the growth of germs, perspiration, and skin debris. When traveling by vehicle, bus, rail, or even strolling, avoid using earbuds. Due to the ambient noise, riding in a public transportation system that is already noisy raises the decibel level.