Music is an essential part of Aiden’s life. He listens to Spotify while working, switches to Pandora when jogging, and he has a playlist for everything: cardio, cooking, video games, you name it. His headphones are almost always on, his life a totally soundtracked event. But irreversible hearing damage may be happening as a consequence of the very loud immersive music he enjoys.
There are ways to listen to music that are safe for your ears and ways that aren’t so safe. But the more dangerous listening choice is usually the one most of us choose.
How can hearing loss be the result of listening to music?
As time passes, loud noises can lead to deterioration of your hearing abilities. Typically, we think of aging as the principal cause of hearing loss, but more and more research indicates that it’s really the accumulation of noise-induced damage that is the problem here and not anything intrinsic to the aging process.
It also turns out that younger ears are especially susceptible to noise-induced damage (they’re still growing, after all). And yet, the long-term harm from high volume is more likely to be dismissed by young adults. So there’s an epidemic of younger people with hearing loss thanks, in part, to high volume headphone use.
Is there a safe way to enjoy music?
Unrestricted max volume is obviously the “hazardous” way to listen to music. But simply turning down the volume is a less dangerous way to listen. The general recommendations for safe volumes are:
- For adults: No more than 40 hours of weekly listening on a device and keep the volume below 80dB.
- For teens and young children: 40 hours is still fine but reduce the volume to 75dB.
Forty hours every week is roughly five hours and forty minutes a day. That may seem like a lot, but it can go by rather quickly. But we’re taught to keep track of time our entire lives so the majority of us are rather good at it.
The more challenging part is monitoring your volume. On most smart devices, smartphones, and TVs, volume is not calculated in decibels. Each device has its own arbitrary scale. Maybe it’s 1-100. Or it may be 1-10. You might have no clue what the max volume on your device is, or how close to the max you are.
How can you keep tabs on the volume of your music?
It’s not really easy to know how loud 80 decibels is, but luckily there are a few non-intrusive ways to tell how loud the volume is. Distinguishing 75 from, let’s say, 80 decibels is even more perplexing.
That’s why it’s highly suggested you utilize one of numerous free noise monitoring apps. These apps, widely available for both iPhone and Android devices, will provide you with8 real-time readouts on the noises around you. That way you can keep track of the dB level of your music in real-time and make alterations. Your smartphone will, with the proper settings, let you know when the volume gets too loud.
As loud as a garbage disposal
Generally speaking, 80 dB is about as noisy as your garbage disposal or your dishwasher. That’s not too loud. It’s a relevant observation because 80dB is about as much noise as your ears can handle without damage.
So you’ll want to be extra mindful of those times at which you’re going beyond that decibel threshold. If you do listen to some music above 80dB, remember to limit your exposure. Maybe minimize loud listening to a song instead of an album.
Over time, loud listening will cause hearing issues. Hearing loss and tinnitus can be the consequence. The more you can be cognizant of when your ears are entering the danger zone, the more informed your decision-making can be. And safer listening will ideally be part of those decisions.
Give us a call if you still have questions about the safety of your ears.