A good song or a loud environment can tempt us to turn up the volume on our music players. Unfortunately, listening to music too loudly through our headphones can cause permanent damage to our hearing. In fact, hearing loss is on the rise in teens and young adults. Here are five ways to enjoy your music while protecting your hearing health.
1. Never Use Music Players at More Than 60% of The Maximum Volume
Did you know that music players can produce max volumes of 100 decibels or more? At that level, hearing damage can occur within 15 minutes! Keep your volume at 60% of the maximum. Some music players can physically apply this setting too and warn you if you try to exceed unsafe listening levels.
2. Do Not Use Your Music Player For More Than 60 Minutes A Day
High decibels can produce hearing damage rather quickly, but decibels above 80 can produce hearing damage in a matter of hours. Give your ears a break from your earphones after 60 minutes of music listening. Your hearing health is worth it.
3. Purchase Noise Cancelling Headphones
Noise cancelling headphones are popular among DJs and sound engineers and are great during plane rides. These headphones block out environmental sounds, allowing you to hear a clear audio, thus reducing your temptation to turn the volume up. Alternatively, you can use regular cushioned headphones. When going to concerts or other places where music is played very loudly, carry some ear plugs with you.
Note: avoid wearing noise cancelling headphones when you’re out and about. You should always be visually and audibly aware of your surroundings!
4. Use Over the ear Headphones
Over the ear headphone (also known as supra-aural earphones) sit on your ear rather than in them like ear buds and canal phones. These earphones are connected with a band that stretches over your head. Supra-aural earphones don’t send sound vibrations directly into your eardrum. A consistently direct sound vibration can damage your hearing overtime.
5. Don’t Use Your Earphones in Loud Environments
It’s tempting to turn up the volume on our music players when we are in noisy areas, but this subjects us to dangerous volume levels. Wait until you are out of these areas before listening to music. You’ll hear better without all that sound anyways!
Follow these tips and you can listen to your music safely and enjoyably wherever you go! If you are interested in learning more about how to protect your ears, click here to book a free appointment with a hearing professional.
Are you ready to start your journey to better hearing? If you are a Canadian over the age of 18 who may have hearing loss, book a free hearing test with us today!
14 Comments
[…] It is surprising how in a crowded, noisy environment you can still create your small world. This is one of the most amazing changes that have been made by headphones. Small devices with a big impact on the world are the only way to describe headphones. In the past, the only way to listen to music was through devices that allowed everyone to listen to music at the same time. With the introduction of headphones, you donât have to bother everyone with your music; you can create your space and enjoy listening to what you like directly to your ears. […]
[…] It is surprising how in a crowded, noisy environment you can still create your small world. This is one of the most amazing changes that have been made by headphones. Small devices with a big impact on the world are the only way to describe headphones. In the past, the only way to listen to music was through devices that allowed everyone to listen to music at the same time. With the introduction of headphones, you donât have to bother everyone with your music; you can create your space and enjoy listening to what you like directly to your ears. […]
[…] It is surprising how in a crowded, noisy environment you can still create your small world. This is one of the most amazing changes that have been made by headphones. Small devices with a big impact on the world are the only way to describe headphones. In the past, the only way to listen to music was through devices that allowed everyone to listen to music at the same time. With the introduction of headphones, you donât have to bother everyone with your music; you can create your space and enjoy listening to what you like directly to your ears. […]
[…] It is surprising how in a crowded, noisy environment you can still create your small world. This is one of the most amazing changes that have been made by headphones. Small devices with a big impact on the world are the only way to describe headphones. In the past, the only way to listen to music was through devices that allowed everyone to listen to music at the same time. With the introduction of headphones, you don’t have to bother everyone with your music; you can create your space and enjoy listening to what you like directly to your ears. […]
[…] that without good music, life would seem a lot more boring and unfulfilling. Whether you’re using the earbuds to listen to music or something like a full sized studio headphone, a good listening experience is something […]
Thank you for posting this awesome article. I’ve been reading for a while however I’ve never left
a comment. I’ve bookmarked your blog and shared this
on Facebook. Thanks again for a great article!
Thanks for publishing this informative article.
I’m a long time reader but I’ve never actually left a comment.
I’ve bookmarked your site and shared this on Facebook.
Many thanks again for a great article!
First a very warm Good morning to the national campaign of hearing & thank you for your kind information, This information are really so much beneficial for audio listening people .
(First of all) there is one word I left mistakely Again a very heartfull thanks to you (Jazak Allahu khairan) .
I listen to music every day lets say full volume but remove 4 notches when adjusting the volume is that ok i listen to about more than 1 hour a day and I’m starting to worry if this is leading to permanent hearing loss im only a kid and I have a future ahead I want to be able to hear good when im older in future years could I go deaf ? or loose a lot of hearing i need a quick response im starting to cry because im so scared
Hi Shanna. As stated in the article, it is recommended that you listen to music at no more than 60% of the max volume. Over the ear headphones instead of earphones are better for your hearing as well. It is fine to listen to music for over an hour a day, but try to include a 15-minute break if you can to give your ears a rest. It is unlikely that you would go deaf, but unsafe noise exposure can lead to hearing loss over a period of time. If you don’t currently have issues hearing, that is fabulous news and this article is meant to help you maintain that. If you have concerns about your hearing, you can ask your parent/guardian to request an appointment with one of our hearing specialists. No need to be scared :). Just take care of your hearing from now to reduce the likelihood of issues in the future. Thanks for commenting!
Sometimes I listen to music with full volume by earphone. But after some days I was feeling bad on my ear when I was listening to music again by earphone. But nowadays I am trying to avoid earphones for listening to music. I will never rise up my earphone volume more than 60%. Thanks for this post.
I’m a sound engineer so my hearing is my livelihood. I’ve just started researching headphones (again) and much of what I read is opinion and mostly unsupported assertions. Can you point me to some research that supports your comments regarding the superiority of using over-ear headphones. ” Supra-aural earphones don’t send sound vibrations directly into your eardrum. A consistently direct sound vibration can damage your hearing overtime.” I would have thought that ultimately it’s the SPL that dictates the level of harm, not whether the sound is direct or indirect.
Hi David. The recommendation to wear over the ear headphones is based on the fact that in-the-ear phones are closer to the eardrum so the SPL will be louder than if listening to headphones at the same volume. But, you are correct that the overall SPL at the eardrum is the actual measurement that you should be concerned about. Please feel free to schedule an appointment with one of our hearing professionals for more information.