Listening through Headphones or Earbuds: What’s the Safest Volume Level and Length of Listening Time?

Noise-induced Hearing Hoss: Your Environment and Your Entertainment

The most common form of hearing loss is aging. The second most common cause of hearing loss is noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). NIHL is the only preventable type of hearing loss that we can control by wearing hearing protection or avoiding loud environments/forms of entertainment. 

Today, more people are taking proactive measures to protect their hearing health. It’s normal to see construction workers or people who use loud power tools to wear earmuffs or earplugs. In some workplaces, it’s mandatory. 

The combination of widespread knowledge and changes in safe hearing practices has grown alongside the universal usage of headphones and earbuds. Although more and more people are becoming aware of the dangers of noise exposure, just about every human being is constantly wearing earbuds to listen to a podcast, music, or have phone conversations throughout their day.       

How to Prevent Hearing Loss

According to experts in the field of hearing health, you may listen to whatever media you’d like - but you need to limit the volume level and length of listening time. It’s important to find a good balance between the volume level and time spent listening. It is recommended to have the volume level at 80 percent, and listen for a maximum time of 90 minutes, with breaks in between.    

The type of listening equipment is also important. People who wear loose earbuds tend to raise the volume to hear better, which in turn damages hearing health. Over-the-ear, or noise-canceling, headphones block out background noises so that you don’t need to turn up the volume.

When listening through your earbuds or headphones, please be aware of how loud your volume is and maybe set a timer so that you know when to give your ears a break. 

If you or a loved one are experiencing hearing loss, please contact us at Pure Sound Hearing for a free hearing test and consultation. 

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