Practically everyone loves listening to music. It’s a wonderful way to relax and calm the mind, especially after a busy day.
Unfortunately, though, many people are exposing themselves to a hidden risk. Did you know that listening to loud music can have some serious negative effects on your health? In this blog post, we’ll explain why listening to loud music is bad for you and how you can protect your ears from permanent damage.
What Is Loud Music?
According to US occupational health and safety standards, noise exceeding 85 decibels (dB) can cause permanent damage to your hearing. To give you some perspective, 60 dB is about the volume of an average conversation, and 130 dB is about the noise level of a rock concert. So anything above 85 dB is considered too loud for your ears.
How Loud Music Damages Your Hearing
The way loud music damages your hearing has to do with the way sound waves interact with your ear. As they enter your ear canal and vibrate your eardrum. The eardrum then transfers the vibrations to three tiny bones in your middle ear called the ossicles. The ossicles amplify the sound and send it to your inner ear, where a spiral-shaped organ called the cochlea converts it into electrical signals that travel along your auditory nerve to your brain.
Usually, this process works just fine. However, if the stimulation is too loud, it can damage sensitive hair-like structures in the cochlear which convert motion into electrical nerve impulses to send to the brain. When you listen to loud music for too long or too often, these hair cells can get damaged or die. And unlike other cells in your body, they don’t grow back once they’re gone.
If you continue listening to loud music, the risk of this damage increases substantially. You may develop hearing loss, which makes it hard to hear certain sounds or frequencies, especially high-pitched ones. You may also experience tinnitus, which is a ringing or buzzing sound in your ears that only you can hear.
The Consequences Of Listening To Loud Music
The consequences of listening to loud music and losing your sense of hearing go beyond the physical. They can be psychological, too. For instance, conditions such as tinnitus and hearing loss can make you feel isolated from others because you can’t hear them well or join conversations easily. You may also feel frustrated or depressed because you can’t enjoy music or other sounds as much as before.
How To Prevent Hearing Loss From Loud Music
If your hearing is already damaged, then the best solution is to explore hearing aids online. These devices are discreet and amplify incoming sounds, making it easier to listen to the world around you.
However, if you haven’t developed hearing loss yet, then stop using earphones to listen to loud music at high volumes. If you go to concerts, wear earplugs or earmuffs to protect your ears from damage. Alternatively, buy noise-canceling headphones so you don’t need to crank up the volume so much to cut out external sounds.
