Who doesn’t love music? Music can heal and de-stress you at any point of time. But there are several health hazards of using earphones (if they are overused!) and one needs to know them well! Take a look at some side-effects of earphones and tips to use them safely
Numbness in Ears
By exposing your ears to long hours of loud music, you can lose sensation in your ears making them numb. Stop using earphones if you feel numbness.
Air Blockage
Earphones are meant to place in ears which gives good sound experience. But this blocks the air passage which makes ears vulnerable to ear infections. Excessive usage of earphones can also cause tinnitus, buzzing in ears (when there is actually no sound) which is caused by ear wax.
Ear Infection
Sharing your earphones with other people is not at all healthy! As it can cause bacterial infection. Even if you have shared your earphones with a friend and not a stranger, make sure to sanitize them before using.
Loss of hearing
Listening to loud music can also cause hearing loss! Loud noises or music cause hearing loss by damaging the stereocilia, which are tiny hairthat sit on the top of hair celin-the inner ear. Noises make inner ear hair vibrate, which changes the voltage in hair cells. When voltage changes in ear it sends chemical massage through nerves to the brain. Battering your stereocilia can cause damage in hearing.
Crux of it
There is not enough research if loud music through earphones directly causes some damage to the human brain. Do you know that your personal music players can reach between 95 and 105 decibels and listening to above 85 decibel is not good for ears!
How to use earphones safely?
*One should be aware that earphones can cause damage if used excessively. Whenever you feel numbness, or buzz in your ears immediately stop using earphones.
* Always listen to music at low volume for a limited period of time.
* While driving or walking on the road do not use earphones, and if you want to then do not let earphone voice empower the exterior voice.
* Visit a doctor if you feel pain in your ears, drainage from your ears, and severe hearing loss from one of your ears.
* Do not use your earphones for more than 60 minutes a day, always keep track of time.
* Use noise cancelling headphones, these headphones cut out the outer world voice thus giving you clear music andalters the need to raise the volume. Or you can also use “over the ear” earphones which sit on your ear like earbuds.
* Make sure to clean your earphones or headphones regularly.
” One should not use earphones continuously for many hours and should not hear on high volume.”-Dr. Raman Abrol, ENT Specialist 