Headphones and earbuds can both cause hearing damage, but you have the power to reduce your risk of hearing loss. A pair of earphones or headphones can give you pleasure, but it turns out that the very things you turn to earphones for – sound – may affect your eardrums. Noise-induced hearing loss has always been a risk of certain professions. But now, according to several studies, more and more people, particularly teenagers and youths are showing signs of noise-induced hearing loss due to earphone usage. With the working-from-home policy of many organisations due to COVID-19 pandemic, more people are now frequently using earphones while attending online meetings and webinars. Earphones can’t go away – yes, they have come to stay – but you can take some precautions to preserve your hearing while using them. It you ‘re concerned about your eardrums, you can try out a few different simple steps to reduce your risk of damage from earphones.
1. Reduce the volume Seriously, this should be an easy thing to do. Just turn down the volume coming through your headphones or earbuds. Don’t stop there, though. Make an effort to keep volumes from other sources low, too, such as when you watch TV at home.
2. Use noise-canceling headphones If you’re like many people, you wear headphones to drown out other sounds – and keep turning the volume up as external sounds get louder. To combat that perpetual increase in volume, try wearing noise-canceling headphones. You can try passive noise-canceling headphones, which work mainly via a design that limits outside sounds, like high-density foam headphones that seal your ear from external sounds. You can also try active noise-canceling headphones, which work by constantly monitoring the sounds around you and generating soundwaves that directly cancel out the external noise.
3. Wear actual headphones, not earbuds Though the two terms are used interchangeably, headphones and earbuds aren’t really the same thing. “Earbuds” refer to the small, usually silicone or hard plastic, devices that sit snugly in your ear. “Headphones,” on the other hand, refer to the kind of devices that sit over your ears, usually covering the entire ear. The distance from sound to eardrum may be minimal between headphones and earbuds, but it’s crucial in the long run. If you prefer earbuds, choose a pair with flexible ear tips, which are much better at blocking outside noise.
4. Take listening breaks If none of the above are an option for you, something as simple as taking breaks from your headphones can help prevent headphone-induced hearing loss. The longer you listen to loud music, the higher your chance of damaging your ears. Try taking a 5-minute break every 30 minutes or a 10-minute break every 60 minutes. To be super safe, follow the 60/60 rule: Listen at 60 per cent of your device’s maximum volume for 60 minutes, and then take a break.
5. Set a volume limit. Some devices allow you to set a custom volume limit in settings. Please check your device’s settings or your user manual to find out if you can set a volume limit. Still uncertain? According to the National Institutes o f H e a l t h (NIH), the best rule of thumb is to “avoid noises that are too loud, too close, or last too long.” Meanwhile, like any item that’s used regularly, headphones run the risk of getting a bit grubby over time – with earwax, plus any other detritus they might pick up if they’re causally chucked in a pocket or bag, rather than in a d e d i c a t e d case. This is why you should always clean your headphones, following the manufacturer’s instructions. As you do expect, the ear tips and earbuds are the parts of headphones that are likely to get dirtiest as they’ll inevitably pick up ear wax from wearing them.
These should be your priority when cleaning. Many manufacturers warn not to clean with alcohol (this would include some hand sanitisers, for example) as it can damage the surface of headphones. Most headphones also aren’t fully waterproof (even if they say they’re water resistant), so dunking them in the sink with your washing up might stop them from working. If you‘re using in-ear headphones with removable flexible ear tips, you can wash them on their own in a light soapy solution. For on-ear and over-ear headphones, some models allow you to remove the fabric-covered foam earpads from earcups. If this is possible, with your pair, you can carefully wipe the fabric of the earpads with a slightly damp cloth and let them to air dry.
• Sources: cnet.com,which.co.uk
