8 Side Effects of Using Earphones/Earbuds for long duration

The article cover impact of Earphones/earbuds on human body. Human body has several inner and external parts for doing its unique functions to keep the body healthy and active. Ear is an important organ to act as a receiver to our human body. Yes, Ear helps to receive the sound from outside of our body. Ear is mainly receiving sound signals and sent to the brain. Brain is automatically identifies the sound signals and does needed actions.

Modern day people are living in the modern lifestyle and they are using so many advanced technologies because of various developments. But modern lifestyle will affect the human body health conditions in several ways. In this article we will see in depth about the effects of using earbuds, earphones and headphones.

People are using earbuds and headphones to listen to music while taking an early morning walk, crossing the street, boarding a metro, travelling in a bus, sipping coffee in a cafe or just a call in the office, and going to bed at night. People use these devices throughout the day for listening to music or talking to other people through earphones/earbuds. I want to mention one thing, here, using too much earphones/earbuds will not disturb other people, but surely it will be causing several effects themselves.

According to The World Health Organization (WHO) report around the world more than billions of young people could be at the risk of hearing loss and facing ear- related issues due to using earphones/earbuds for prolonged time to hearing music.

The saddest part of using earphones/earbuds is the exposure volume that gives to the ears. Earphones/earbuds are capable of producing high levels of sound very close to the ear and hence are very dangerous to ear health. At the same time using high volume earphones/earbuds is not only causing ears health but also using these devices for long duration at low volumes also causing ears issues.

Earphones are exposed to germs also as they are exposed to too many places where they are kept. Using other people’s earphones/earbuds or sharing these devices is also convenient for germs to transfer from one person’s ears to another person’s ears causing several harmful effects.

Here I want to give a table chart about hearing decibel sound for prolonged duration and how it takes time to exposure.

How does earphones/earbuds damage ears?

Earphones/earbuds produce sound waves that reach our ears, making the eardrum vibrate. This vibration reaches to the inner ear via the tiny bones and then touches the cochlea which is a chamber in the inner ear that is filled with a fluid and contains thousands of small’ hairs’. Once this vibration reaches the cochlea, the fluid vibrates making the hairs also move.

When a person hears music or any audio sounds with higher volume, surely it will create stronger vibrations and cause more hair to move. When this action is happening for a prolonged duration, surely the hair cells lose their capability of sensitivity while getting vibration.

Sometimes the loud sound music also makes the cells bending or folding over which causes the sensation of temporary hearing loss. Once the hair cells are dead, it is not easy to recover from dead to normal conditions. If a person recovers these hair cells afterwards, these cells do not function normally which can cause permanent hearing loss or deafness.

Side Effects of Using Earphones/Earbuds

• NIHL(Noise-Induced Hearing Loss): This ear issue arises due to not only using earphones with high volumes, but using earphones for long duration that can lead to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Around the world, more than 5% of the population experiences noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) issues, and this is the second most common cause of sensorineural hearing loss after age-related hearing loss. In the United States, about 25% of adults aged 20-69 have NIHL issues, more than 17% of teens(12-29 ages) having this NIHL issue.
• Tinnitus: The dead or damaged hair cells in the cochlea can result in a ringing, buzzing, or roaring noise in the ear or the head. This effect of electrical noise is called tinnitus. According to the health report 10 to 25 % of adults have a minor level of tinnitus. But 1 to 2 % of people are suffering from severe levels of tinnitus.
• Hearing Loss: Already mentioned above, high sound music or long exposure tends to make the hair cells bend down too much and affects severely, the extent of which can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss. According to the health report, around the world 20% of people live with hearing loss problems.
• Ear infections: Since the earphones/earbuds are directly placed into the ear canal, they stop the passage of air which improves the chances of infections in the ear. Using these devices for long-term also boosts the growth of bacteria. These bacteria placed on the earphones/earbuds and on more usage infect the ear. When the earphones/earbuds are shared with others, the same bacteria is easily transferred from one person’s ear to the another person. This action will increase the ear infection more and more.
• Dizziness: People who use earphones/earbuds for long duration with high volume will increase the pressure in the ear canal. This action will lead a person into dizziness. Many times, the increased pressure in the ear canal due to loud noise can also result in dizziness. According to the health report more than 32% of students are suffering from dizziness due to using earphones/earbuds for a long duration.
• Pain in the ears: Long-term usage of earphones/earbuds as well as using poor quality earphones/earbuds can cause severe pain that can extend more to the inner ear as well, leading to soreness in the vicinity of the ear i.e. from the jaws to the top of the head. According to the health report more than 23% of students are suffering from ear pain due to using poor quality and poor fit earphones/earbuds for a long duration.
• Effect on the brain: Headphones/Earbuds producing electromagnetic waves that can affect the brain as well in the long term. People hearing high noise levels music withdraw insulation from nerve fibres that carry signals from the ear to the brain. This will affect the ear function and brain function.
• Too much ear wax: People who use earphones/earbuds for a long time also have a high chance of getting too much ear wax in their ears. This condition will increase the chance of developing other ear health issues such tinnitus, hearing difficulty, earache, and frequent ear infections.

People should know about the side effects of using earphones/earbuds for a long duration. Making awareness will surely give good results in the coming days. People also follow precaution steps to avoid these effects from their daily life