Signs You Are Wearing Your Headphones Too Much

1. Tinnitus

image source: reddit

Tinnitus is an 'invisible' condition where sound is perceived without a source present. Symptoms develop when you're exposed to loud volumes for extended periods of time. so if you're noticing ringing, buzzing, hissing or clicking sounds after you use your headphones then turn down the volume and consult your doctor.

2. NIHL (Noise Induced Hearing Loss)

image source: reddit

Headphones and earphones can cause Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) but it's very easy to avoid by turning the volume and exposure time down. If the noise in your earphones is louder than a vacuum cleaner (75dB(SPL) then this can become a problem. Be sure to keep the volume below max levels and know your limits.

3. Hyperacusis

image source: reddit

“Earphone usage should not exceed more than an hour per day. Make sure you limit your usage and keep ear pain or hearing loss at bay,” recommended Dr Agarwal. 

Those who suffer with Tinnitus are more susceptible to develop high sensitivity even to very normal sounds.

4. Hearing Loss

image source: reddit

By listening to your music or podcasts in your earphones for a long period of time, you will end up harming your ears. This can lead to permanent or temporary hearing loss - the hair cells in your ears lose their sensitivity and bend down too much which leads to the hearing loss.

5. Dizziness

image source: healthgrades

Do you spend most of your day at the computer with your earphones in? Well, you should maybe think about putting a usage limit on because the loud noise so close to your ears can increase the pressure in your ear canal which will in turn, make you feel dizzy.

6. Ear Infection

image source: reddit

When earphones are directly next to your ear canal, they block the air passage through and invite all sorts of naaaaaaasty bacteria in the ear. Definitely do not share earphones with others because you're asking for an ear infection, swapping bacteria from person to person.

7. Excessive Ear Wax

image source: reddit

“Do you have a habit of using earphones while traveling or while working? Then, beware that using earphones for a longer duration will lead to the development of ear wax that raises the risk of ear infection, hearing problem, or tinnitus,”

says Dr Agarwal, consultant at the Global Hospital Mumbai.

8. Pain In The Ears

image source: consultant360

People who spend a lot of time with their earphones in may start to feel pain in their ears if they're using poorly fitted earphones. The outer parts of the ears can become swollen and feel sore after a couple of hours of listening with your earphones.

9. Headaches

image source: reddit

Prolonged noise at a certain level that's too loud can cause a person to develop a headache. "When you stimulate your hearing system with noises at an uncomfortable level, your ear stereocilia—the inner ear’s microscopic cell particles—become forcefully pushed and strained,"

says Shelley Borgia, AuD audiologist for Lip-Flavanoid. "This delivery of constant sound becomes overstimulating for your brain and produces headaches."

10. 'If You Can't Talk To Someone Whilst You Have Your Headphones In - They're Too Loud'

image source: reddit

Having your earphones on too loud is one of those things that we are all guilty of doing. But "One of the quickest ways to gauge if your volume is too loud is to check if you're able to hold conversation at the same time without raising your voice,"

says Dr. Borgia. "At all times, you should be able to hear someone clearly over your headphone volume."

11. People Can Hear What You're Listening To

image source: reddit

Another obvious sign that you've got your earphones in too loud & could be damaging your hearing is if your music/podcast is loud enough for the people around you to hear. If you're sat in your office & the desk by you can tell what you're playing...you guessed right, TURN IT DOWN.

12. Motion Sickness

image source: reddit

Some people report dizziness, others report motion sickness after using their earphones too much. Active Noise Cancelling headphones are the culprit for this because of the lack of external noise which fools and confuses your brain. Be careful using them.

13. EMF Radiation

image source: MITnews

Scientists believe that EMF radiation that is emitted from bluetooth earphones is extremely low, it's also important to understand that wearing earphones or headphones for a long period of time can have effects on your health. EMF radiation has been known to cause genetic damages, neurological disorders, learning and memory defects and cancer.

14. Effects Your Focus

image source: reddit

The type of audio streaming through your earphones can increase or decrease your ability to focus. Listening to songs with lyrics can overload your brain. especially when reading or writing. Noise cancelling earphones may be beneficial to focus but they must be taken out every half an hour and kept at a low enough volume to avoid other side effects.

15. Lack Of Concentration

image source: reddit 

Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience have compared how silence, music and soundscapes impacted focus and concentration on subjects. Soundscapes had the most comparable effects to silence and classical music was also great for increasing focus and concentration levels.

16. Increased Risk Of Accident & Injury

image source: reddit 

If you always walk around with your earphones in, particularly noise cancelling ones, then you're at an increased risk of accident or injury. If you're crossing a road and the earbuds completely block out any sound then you're unable to respond to an emergency such as a car horn bonking or incoming traffic.

17. Vertigo

image source: wexnermedicalcenter

Your ears don't just facilitate your hearing but the inner part actually pinpoint your body's physical orientation which maintains your balance. Removing this (which is what happens when you use noise cancelling headphones too much) is the reason why you might be suffering with Vertigo.

18. Mild hearing problems

image source: reddit

No matter how big or small the issue is, you should always go and consult your doctor or a specialist. Don't wait until you could need a hearing aid - hearing loss starts to show up in the sub-8kHz region and even though most headphones cut out at 115dB(SPL), this frequency can actually cause irreversible hearing loss. So never play your music at max volume.

19. How To Avoid Damaging Your Ears

image source: reddit

Technology is probably the most necessary evil in this day and age. Most of us can't live without it in some form and the most current necessity is our earphones. Around a billion of us around the globe could be at risk of hearing loss because of our unsafe listening habits...so here are some tips for you to avoid damaging your lovely little ears!

20. Not Taking Breaks Can Really Affect Your Ear Health

image source: reddit

Listening to loud music for long periods of time, each day, can really damage your ears for a long period of time. It's advised to take five minutes breaks every 30 minutes or a ten minute break every 60 minutes. Take them out and pop them back in their case to charge!

21. Use Headphones Rather Than Earphones

image source: PCmag

Sometimes we use the term headphones rather than earphones but in reality, they are not the same. Earphones are the small, plastic/silicone devices that go into your ear and headphones are the devices that are placed over your ears, covering most or all of the ear.

22. Turn The Volume Down

image source: reddit

If the sound is below 60 decibels, you're unlikely to experience any damage, even after a long period of time. However long exposure to sounds of 80 decibels and above can results in hearing loss. It's hard to measure the decibel output so keep your volume at around 50% to just to be safe.

23. Sanitise Your Earphones

image source: reddit

Make sure that you're not just leaving your earphones lying around without a case or that you're putting them straight back in their case when they're full of ear wax. It's a good idea to sanitise your earphones and even headphones at least once a week to avoid catching infections.

24. Do Not Sleep With Your Earphones

image source: reddit

The extra pressure in the ear when you sleep with an earphone in can cause short-term discomfort and may inadvertently cause an ear infection. Trapping moisture inside your ear creates the perfect environment for a bacteria build up. I mean you're asking for problems if you do this!

25. Do Not Sleep With Your Earphones 2.0

image source: NPR

Additionally, it's been proven that if you sleep with your earphones in, you'll begin to experience excessive ear wax due to the fact that whenever you push something into your ear, any wax that's already inside your ear gets pushed back down even deeper. This can cause an unpleasant ringing sound in your ears and even hearing loss.

26. The earphone safety rule

image source: daraz

Around 17% of teenagers are now experiencing some sort of hearing loss so to enable to you to keep your ears safe, doctors suggest the 60%/60 minute rule which means that you're have to make sure that your audio is not exceeding 60% volume and your usage should be kept to 60 minutes or less to give your ears a sufficient break.

27. Types Of Devices

image source: reddit

Particular devices are more harmful that others so it really can make a difference. “Higher quality headphones or earbuds provide a higher fidelity sound, so you are less likely to rely on the volume to enhance the fidelity,”

explains Dr. Sandridge. Here are the types of devices you can use & what they are good/bad for.

28. Over The Ear Headphones

image source: reddit

The over the ear headphones are better for cancelling noise out, they have better sound quality which usually means you don't actually need to up the volume all that much. Unfortunately they are not a good idea for when you're outside & need to be able to hear other things too...

29. Earphones

image source: reddit

Earphones that do not cancel out noise are safer for use outdoors, near traffic or in close quarters to people. However, people do tend to increase the volume to dangerous levels to block out a lot of the ambient noise which can really affect your ears in the short and long term.

30. Isolating Earphones

image source: reddit

Isolating earphones that have rubber tips to seal the ear canal are good for blocking out outside sounds but can be dangerous for runner or cyclists and they need to be aware of their surroundings, especially if they go out in the evening. No matter the design, people always need to take care of their ears and make sure they're using good earpieces.