Do you use earphones? 5 ways they can harm your hearing ability

How earbuds can harm your hearing ability

Nowadays, earphones have become a necessary accessory sought by people to enhance their audio experience. It is extensively used for communication or indulgence in audio entertainment. Coming in many variants, it comes with a range of features for immersive listening. People across age groups listen to music, podcasts, watch movies, and talk over the phone with the help of earphones. But while being completely enamoured by the blissful experience of earphones, it is very important to be aware of the repercussions it can have on the hearing ability of the person. Therefore, let’s list five ways in which earphones can impact one’s hearing.

High volume leads to hearing problems

Prolonged and excessive exposure to high volumes can damage delicate hair cells of the inner ear. The hair cells play a crucial role in converting sound waves into electrical signals. Loud sound can cause hearing loss in a person. Earphones that fit in the ear canal are potentially more harmful as they significantly increase the sound reaching the eardrum, which ultimately can expedite hearing loss.

Impending dangers of noise-cancelling devices

Dr. Sanjay Sachdeva, senior ENT consultant, HearClear says, “Noise-cancelling earphones can be considered an amazing innovation that comes with the ability to diminish the surrounding noise for a euphoric listening experience. To achieve maximum output, people generally crank up the volume, which can be extremely loud without the user realising it. Resulting in hearing damage over a period of time, it can also make the person oblivious to the normal sounds of their surroundings, and can lead to serious accidents.”

Hygiene issues

Using earphones on a regular basis can trap moisture and bacteria in the ear canal, leading to ear infections, it can cause temporary hearing loss and, in extreme cases can even lead to severe infection and pain. Sharing earphones with others further increases the chances of infection.

Building up of earwax

Ideally, earwax inherently cleans and protects the ear canal. But continuous use of earphones can push the earwax into the canal and muffle the sound. People already producing a lot of earwax are more vulnerable to this condition if they use earphones commonly.

Tinnitus

In certain cases, using earphones at high volumes can increase the risk of tinnitus or ringing sounds in the ear. This can lead to permanent hearing loss.

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