| FFA Nation

Turn That Down! How Earbuds Harm Your Hearing

01/27/2010 |

You know how before the days of iPods and MP3 players, parents were always harping on their teens to turn down the music? Well, Mom and Dad may have been right.

MP3 players are causing hearing loss among young people, and the main culprit is the music’s high volume.

“Prolonged loud noise causes high-frequency hearing loss. Teenagers have a tendency to expose themselves to loud noises from iPods, MP3 players and other devices with headphones,” says Dr. Herbert Silverstein, president of the Silverstein Institute, a group of four ear, nose and throat specialists in Florida. “If played too loudly, the music from headphones causes increased vibration of the inner ear fluids, which in turn produces damage to the hair cells of the cochlea. The hair cells transmit sound to the hearing nerve and the brain, and when they’re damaged, they don’t function as well.”

While MP3 players may be one of the hottest electronic devices on the market right now, experts say listeners should think twice about using them. Hearing specialists are increasingly noticing levels of hearing loss once associated with old age in people as young as 20, and it is believed that hearing loss could affect 5 percent to 10 percent of MP3 listeners.

“Every once in a while we see a very young person whose hearing is a lot worse than it should be for their age,” says Dr. Jordan Josephson, an ear, nose and throat specialist from New York City and author of Sinus Relief Now. “Kids come in with ringing in their ears and hearing damage associated with MP3s. We also see former rock ’n’ rollers who might have been performing on stage 20 years ago and now have significant hearing loss.”

Volume isn’t the only problem with MP3 players. The tendency of people to pop their earphones in and listen for hours on end contributes to the danger.

“The longer you do it, the worse it is,” Josephson says. “A gunshot, a jackhammer – any loud noise can cause hearing loss. But prolonged elevated volume is even worse.”

Doctors are working to raise awareness about the dangers of MP3 players, especially among the younger population. “

Typically, kids think it’s not going to happen to them, but it’s already happening to them day by day if they’re listening too loudly,” Josephson says. “They’ll regret it later on. Cell phones and speaker phones when turned way up can cause similar damage.”

If you’re worried you may already have hearing damage, it’s a good idea to have your ears checked.

“If your ears feel stuffy or blocked or you experience ringing in the ears after noise exposure, damage to the inner ear has occurred, though it may be reversible at first,” Silverstein says. “Voices sounding muffled, ear pain or sudden sensitivity to noise may also be signs of damage to the inner ear.”

Experts realize teens aren’t going to abandon their iPods completely. But limiting exposure to an hour a day and keeping the volume down are crucial if you want to keep your hearing at its best.

“A good test to know if the music is too loud is to take the earphones out and put them on your cheek about two inches from your ear,” Josephson suggests. “If you can still hear it, it’s too loud.”

Want to get an idea of what may happen if you don’t take care of your ears?

“Put cotton in your ears and put your iPod’s earphones on top,” Josephson says. “Then you’ll see how you’re going to be listening in 20 or 30 years. Music is great, but if you want to be able to enjoy it beyond when you’re young, it’s important to listen wisely.”