iPods, stereos, and loud noise can damage your hearing, but only if you let them.
“If it’s too loud, you’re too old” used to be the rallying cry of young music lovers everywhere. But these days, a more fitting saying might be “If it’s too loud, you’re taking a big risk.”
Since their debut in the marketplace, iPods have revolutionized the way we listen to music. iPod hard drives store up to 300 hours of music, batteries last for 12 hours, and the volume can be cranked up to 120 decibels. That’s louder than a chain saw or pneumatic drill, and equivalent to a jet plane taking off! But iPod fans are being warned to turn their music down. Even manufacturer, Apple, includes a cautionary note with every iPod, warning, "permanent hearing loss may occur if earphones or headphones are used at high volume."
Currently, 16 million baby boomers have hearing loss and the number is expected to surge to 78 million by 2030. Amazingly, nearly three-quarters of them admit that they have never visited a doctor or hearing health specialist to have a hearing test. In spite of this lack of concern, there are more boomers aged 46 to 64 with hearing loss than seniors over the age of 65 with the same condition, and hearing loss among baby boomers is 26 percent more common than in previous generations.
Loud music and noise causes hearing loss by damaging the delicate hair nerve cells in the cochlea, a part of the inner ear that helps transmit sound impulses to the brain. These hair cells often recover from temporary damage. However, permanent damage can occur with prolonged exposure to extremely loud or moderately loud noise. When these nerve hair cells are destroyed, irreversible hearing loss results.
Many people who listen to iPods in noisy environments pump up the volume to dangerous levels to drown out background noise. Busy city hubs and subway noise (around 90 decibels) are already sufficiently loud to cause permanent damage with considerable exposure. Although the damage from chronic exposure to these sound levels is generally slow, it is cumulative. Music lovers who tolerate noise levels above 85 decibels for long periods will end up with irreversible hearing loss.
So what can a concerned iPod user, who nevertheless doesn’t want to give up their iPod, do?
7 Tips to Avoid iPod Hearing Loss
1. Don’t Listen So Loud – Most researchers agree that it’s safe to regularly listen to your iPod at about 70% of its maximum volume. Anything louder than that over an extended period is risky.
2. Use Volume Control – In response to consumer concerns, Apple offers a volume limit setting for some iPods. If your iPod support this, you'll generally find it on the main iPod management screen that comes up when you sync. Otherwise, you can also restrict the maximum volume of a song in "options" tab of any song in iTunes.
3. Limit Your Listening – The length of time you listen, not just the volume, can contribute to hearing loss. The louder the music, the shorter you can listen, but giving your ears a chance to rest between sessions will help them heal.
4. Use the 60/60 Rule – Since the combination of volume and length of exposure can cause hearing loss, researchers recommend applying the 60/60 rule: listen to an iPod for 60 minutes at 60% of max volume and then take a break. Ears that get a rest have time to recover and are less likely to be damaged.
5. Don’t Use Earbuds – Despite them being included with every iPod and iPhone, researchers caution against using Apple’s earbuds (or those from other manufacturers). Earbuds are more likely to cause hearing damage than headphones that sit over the ear and they can also be up to 9 db louder than over-the-ear headphones (not such a big deal when you’re going from 50 to 60 db, but much more serious going from 70 to 80).
6. Use Noise Dampening of Cancelling Headphones – The noise around us can contribute to cause us to change how we listen to an iPod. If there’s a lot of noise nearby, it’s likely that we’ll turn up the iPod’s volume, thus increasing the chances of hearing loss. To cut down on, or eliminate, ambient noise, use noise-deadening or –cancelling headphones. They’re more expensive, but your ears will thank you.
7. Never Max It Out – Though it’s easy to find yourself listening to your iPod at max volume, try to avoid this at all costs. Researchers advise that it’s safe to listen to your iPod at maximum volume for just 5 minutes.
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