About 50% of people within the ages 12-35 are exposed to dangerous levels of sound from their MP3 players, phones and other audio devices. This statistic simply implies that hearing damage in teenagers and young adults is on the increase. The bad news is that hearing damage caused by noise is irreversible and can lead to problems in one’s quality of life including difficulty understanding your loved ones and tinnitus (a high-pitched ringing).
Does this mean that we have to stop listening to our favourite tunes in order to “escape” hearing loss? Not really. Even if that was the only way out, would you comply?
There is actually a way to listen to the tunes you love and not need a hearing aid a few years down the line especially if you are using earphones. This is because what experts describe as “unsafe listening level” really depends on how you long you are listening. According to the WHO, 85 decibels is the highest safe exposure level when you are listening for a period of 8 hours or less; even that is really loud. That is roughly the volume of a blender or an alarm clock. Now if you were to crank up an MP3 player to its maximum volume in order to get that “feel”, you could listen for a maximum period of 5 minutes before you risk hearing loss because it is equivalent to 102 decibels (the equivalent of a jackhammer). The improper use of earphones could be very harmful to your health.
What is my point exactly?
Pretty simple. We are currently moving towards a period where a vast majority would either be deaf or at best need hearing aids. If we don’t watch our lifestyle as it relates to how we use our personal audio devices, hearing loss will be a number 1 problem among adults. So, for your own sake turn down the volume of that device you are listening to.
Yes! Do it now!
