Is Neck Pain Associated With Over-Ear Headphones?

Wearing over-ear headphones is a necessity in our daily lives, whether for work, education, or leisure. You can have a peaceful, secure area where you can listen to podcasts, music, courses, or meetings by drowning out background sounds.

However, using headphones and earbuds excessively can lead to pain in your jaw and neck, stress in your temporal muscles, and damage to your ears, in addition to damaging your hearing.

The continual pressure that feels like a sieve around your skull will persist even if your headphones are made with comfort and ergonomics in mind. This pressure causes stress on the muscles in your head and neck, which in turn causes discomfort in those tense places.

Everything you need to know about over-ear headphones-related neck pain and how to treat it will be covered in this post.

Different Kinds of Pain That You May Experience

This is undoubtedly a common occurrence. When wearing over-ear headphones, many people experience headaches, muscle soreness, sinus pressure, ear discomfort, and, in severe cases, nausea. Some have even gone so far as to say that using headphones has damaged their brains and left them with dents in their skulls.

The majority of the time, people who use headphones will ignore their discomfort and keep using them. It will be similar to a mind-over-matter scenario, correct? Simply train your mind to believe that your body will adapt and that the pain will quickly go away.

I'm sorry to break the news to you, but this is incorrect. Undoubtedly, you will experience discomfort for a longer duration than you anticipated.

If you don't take any action to relieve the pain while using headphones, it will gradually get worse. You should pay attention to your body's cues throughout the initial wave of pain. Minor symptoms will escalate into severe discomfort.

Know the Science Behind It

As previously indicated, the headbands on your headphones cause you to feel as though someone is pushing on both sides of your head, which puts strain on your neck muscles and jaw bones. It gets more tricky if, like most people, you're using noise-canceling headphones.

With noise-canceling headphones, you can block out background noise and listen to music at reduced volumes by imitating it. Low-frequency vibrations will nevertheless produce byproducts that may alter how the brain interprets motion and balance.

To put it another way, your eyes appear to be still, but your head muscles believe you are moving. This disorientation prevents you from moving your head and neck enough to release your stiff muscles, which leads to headaches, dizziness, and pain.

It may sound a little frightening and perplexing, but as long as you pay attention to your body, you should be fine.

Actions That Could Make the Pain Worse

Now that you understand the science underlying it, it's critical to identify any other likely causes of your pain that can exacerbate it.

1.Prolonged wear

It's possible that you've been wearing your headphones for much too long. The American Osteopathic Association states that sound devices should be utilized for no more than sixty minutes each day. That's the equivalent of roughly fifteen songs or one episode of the Netflix series you're viewing right now.

You won't notice the strain on your muscles at first, but over time, it will become worse. You're beginning to feel the pain before you know it.

2.Headphone quality

The characteristics of your headphones can possibly be to blame. It can be excessively weighted, or the headband might be unintentionally too tight around your head. It might even be the case that the materials (such as ear cuffs and head cushions) are delicate and quickly wear out.

Finding the purpose behind your use of headphones will help you choose the right device by letting you know what characteristics to search for.

3.Position

Your posture may be affected by using headphones, particularly if you are facing a desktop or laptop. When you listen to noises, you probably put your shoulders forward and your head forward. This eventually causes pain by straining the ligaments and muscles supporting your neck.

4.They're just not for you

While headaches from wearing headphones are relatively commonplace, some people do not have these symptoms. It's possible that your body wasn't designed to use them.

There is still no scientific consensus on the cause of the discomfort and/or suffering that some people experience while using over-ear headphones, despite constant research efforts. It is reasonable to state that a number of clinical experiments are still being conducted in order to get a conclusive result.

How to Prevent Neck Neck Pain?

It is just not possible to stop wearing headphones; they are essential to fundamental human functioning. When it comes to working, learning, unwinding, or playing, people will never listen without high-quality sound and minimal to no background noise.

The best course of action is to make a commitment to taking better care of yourself and to try your hardest to get rid of any neck pain or discomfort.

The following methods could be helpful:

1.Acknowledge your discomfort

Even though many people who use headphones experience this, resist the urge to grow numb to the discomfort. Look for immediate methods to make things better.

2.Offer a momentary respite

Put a heat compress on your neck and jaw. Sip tea and give yourself permission to take a long nap, or even better, go to sleep.

3.Take numerous breaks as needed

Make sure you give yourself enough time to unwind from using headphones in order to relieve some of the tension in your muscles.

4.Invest in good headphones

Verify the material quality to see if they are robust yet soft. Discover the ideal fit for you. 

5.Put on your headphones correctly

Until you are ultimately comfortable enough, make the required modifications to the cable location, clamping strength, and height of the headphones.

6.Improve your posture

Keep in mind to sit at the proper angle and straight. If you are using a laptop or desktop, keep enough space between you and them to avoid automatically hunching your back.

In Summary

Over-ear headphones are a sought-after device because they offer users a getaway to a paradise of noise isolation. But there are always going to be repercussions for what you do. You might not have signed up for the neck discomfort and muscle strain that you are experiencing.

You are aware that you are not alone in it, at the very least. You must therefore take action to correct the condition as soon as you feel any pain. Seek pain relief right now and handle it like an emergency.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to prevention, but you do need to understand the science underlying your pain, the behaviors that aggravate it, and how to prevent it from happening again in the future.