Study shows that there are non-genetic factors that can damage our ears and hearing sense. These are never-ending exposure to loud noises, aging, ototoxicity, and bacteria infecting the ears. Today, the most common factor for hearing loss is the loud noises coming off of the over-ear headphone.
In the new normal, nearly everything changes, from the way we live, work, and even schooling. Everyone is invested in social media, gaming, YouTube, movie marathon, online courses, etc., all of which require using earphones for hours and hours.
Research has found that earphones can affect the ears if they are worn for a long time at a high level and can result in partial or full hearing loss. The injury can be irreversible when the sound of the earphones allows the hair cells in the cochlea to damage badly.
In this article, we focused on shortlisting the best ways to protect your ears from the damaging effects of loud noises. We hope that you find this helpful.
Ways to Protect Your Ears
1. Keep earphone or headphone volume at 60%
It is fundamental to regulate the noise level to no more than 60% to prevent ear noise or acoustic trauma.
Acoustic trauma is experienced by a person who is overly-exposed to high noise levels over a longer time. Set the recommended volume at all times.
2. Always put on two earpieces
Use two earpieces of the earphones all the time. According to experts, a person can increase the volume if only one earpiece is being used, and it can damage the ear. However, putting on a double-earpiece produces stereo-sound and clear outputs. Always wear two sets of earpieces in all you do to avoid noise distractions around you.
3. Do another chore after using your over-ear headphone
Try to engage in different types of indoor activities after class or work and from using the headphones. Prolonged exposure to noise causes headaches. The best way to not damage your ear is to have some diversion.
4. Consume food that benefits the hearing sense
Amazingly, our body contains all kinds of nutrients that protect us from bacteria. There are specific nutrients that are actually good to maintain a healthy sense of hearing.
Partake regularly the nutrients from the food that benefits the hearing. These are magnesium from banana, omega3 commonly found in tuna fish, and broccoli for fiber.
5. Maintain proper hygiene
To prevent external ear infection, make it a habit to clean your earphones/headphones. Dirty item has a high chance of causing a fungal infection in the ear canal. You may experience uneasy feelings, bad smell, and earwax development. It’s a smart idea to clean and disinfect your earphone/headphone once in a while.
6. Use personal earphone/headphone
Studies cited that the common sharing of earphones/headphones with multiple people has a higher possibility of accessing dirt from a different person. As much as possible, let everyone in the family get their piece to avoid the inter-contact of micro germs and viruses.
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7. High-quality tiny audio gears as an alternative
We recommend the students to use a speaker with a low volume instead of earphones or headphones. Or you may use headphones and speakers alternately so that the ear can relax from the extremely close sound input.
8. Take breaks in-betweens
Whenever possible, use earphones/headphones for no more than 4-5 hours. Take a 15-minute break every hour to relax your hearing. Well, it depends on how long the sessions are, and the important part is you got to give some time to take a break in between. Continuous use of earphones for long periods is not healthy for the ears and hearing.
9. Invest in a good quality set
Nowadays, everyone uses gadgets, and earphones/headphones are its most important accessory. When you plan to buy a new in-ear piece, we recommended that you choose brands with the best quality. If you needed suggestions, you may check on Harman Kardon, JBL, AKG, Bose, Beats by Dr. Dre, and Sony.
You can be sure that it will last as it will benefit your ear. Maybe high classes are far more expensive than ordinary ones, but if you think this thing will help you more then, it is worth the price. And it also helps keep your hearing away from danger because of the fine-sound it can give.
Be wise to protect your ear and hearing. Noise-canceling headphones are perfect examples as it reduces environmental distractions and produces good audio results.
Why do we need to protect our ears from the damaging effect of loud noise?
A person having trouble hearing tends to experience most difficulties that become a very challenging factor in everyday living, such as:
- Difficulty in interacting with people.
- Difficulty in conveying your needs, wants, and ideas.
- Difficulty to express in words that often cause by language delay.
- Difficulty in apprehending situations.
- Difficulty recognizing the voice, sound, and other auditory impressions.
As research has shown, there is little to nothing of chance from curing hearing-impairment. There may be surgery methods that could bypass the loss of hearing but let us not wait for this to happen, and surely it is very costly. In case you do need hearing aids, Blue Angels Hearing is one of the top brands that delivers directly to your home.
Ending Statement
As long as there is an opportunity, do everything you can to protect your hearing. Discipline the use of things that are harmful such as loud noises from an over-ear headphone.
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