How can Spin Cycling classes cause Hearing Loss?

Exercising is a great way to keep yourself healthy. When it comes to hearing health, it’s important to be careful about which exercise routines you engage in.

Spin cycling - which is also known as indoor cycling - has gained a large following in the past few years.  Even though it is a great way to keep your respiratory and cardiovascular system in good condition, that’s not the case for your hearing health.    

The Source of Hearing Loss in Spin Cycling Classes

Loud music - which is used to stimulate and invigorate you - is usually blasted at volumes that surpass safe listening levels throughout the class.  

Some classes expose people to nine times the amount of suggested noise exposure for a whole day.

A study on Boston’s indoor cycling studios from 2016 discovered that most of the time spent in class exposed people to 100 decibels.  That’s enough to cause noise-induced hearing loss in a short timespan.

Some spinning instructors were surprised by the noise level. Managers of these indoor cycling studios claimed that louder music created a larger emotional impact for everyone in the class.

This louder music has caused some instructors to become conditioned into listening to music at higher levels, because they could no longer hear music at lower levels.  

One spinning instructor claimed that she must turn the volume up to the loudest setting in order to hear.  Although she has not had a hearing check up by an audiologist, she knows that she has experienced noise-induced hearing loss from her workplace.

Another spinning instructor stated that when leaving his studio, his ears felt more sore than his muscles.  

One exercise instructor in his early 30s, was worried about the health of his hearing.  After seeing an audiologist, he was diagnosed with early onset hearing loss. Genetics was the main culprit if his hearing loss, but the multiple classes that the instructor taught each week made his hearing worse.  He was advised to get custom earplugs to prevent more damage to his hearing.

Clients are also exposed to the unsafe noise levels.  One client measured noise levels that were right over 100 decibels, which is more than the amount of decibels that the US Department of Labor considers a safe amount noise in an environment.  This can also cause noise-induced hearing loss over time. Health authorities only recommend being exposed to that amount of noise for a maximum of 15 minutes.

How to Protect Your Hearing in Spin Cycling classes

If spinning is one of your workout routines, wear earplugs to protect your hearing.    
Find out how loud the environments that you frequently visit are.  To measure the loud sounds in your surrounding area, you can download decibel readers onto your phone for free.

If you work in a loud exercise studio, speak to your manager about the federal guidelines or file a complaint with OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). To contact your regional or area OSHA office, go to the OSHA Offices by State web page or call 1-800-321-6742.

If you, or a loved one, have or are worried about potential noise-induced hearing loss, please contact one of our hearing instrument specialists at Pure Sound Hearing Aids.

Contact Us