How Long Should You Wear Headphones A Day? (Detailed Guide)

Do you use headphones to listen to music every day? Do you have any children who do? You may wonder How Long Should You Wear Headphones A Day?

During the day, you may use your headphones to enjoy music and peace and quiet. Kids, especially teenagers, do it as well. However, as a parent, you may feel more inclined to tell them to remove their headphones from time to time.

Especially if you've already asked them to take out the trash five times and they haven't even blinked an acknowledgment.

However, ignoring chores or responding to inquiries is the least of your concerns. If you don't talk to your teenagers about the dangers of hearing loss through headphones, you'll be in a lot of trouble.

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This may appear unreasonable to you or your teen (or even both of you), but the truth is that the longer you listen and the louder it is, the sooner you will lose your hearing. Hearing loss used to be a problem only as people aged, but it's now much more common in younger generations due to the amount of music we listen to.

Teens and young adults are also more likely to attend concerts and clubs. Maybe you've stopped going to clubs, but have you stopped listening to loud music?

If not, you should be aware that the WHO reports that over 1.1 billion people between the ages of 12 and 35 are at the highest risk of hearing loss.

There have been studies that show an increase in hearing damage among younger age groups over the last decade, which is most likely due to personal devices. iPods, smartphones, headphones, and other devices allow us to listen to music from our own world.

It's sometimes wonderful to shut out the rest of the world and just listen to music. However, if you do not use your devices properly, the cost could be your hearing.

Only 3.5 percent of American teenagers had hearing loss in 1994, but by 2006, that figure had risen to 6 percent. It's now been 13 years, and the statistics are still rising.

To avoid hearing loss in yourself or your children, adhere to the WHO's recommendation of limiting your time with headphones to one hour per day and never raising the volume on your listening device above 60% of the maximum.

When you listen to your music using these advisories, you can hold onto your hearing. There are two major factors that contribute to irreversible hearing loss: the length of time you listen to loud sounds and the volume of those sounds.

Most conversations are in the 60-decibel range, which is safe for your hearing. However, if you live near a construction site and stand near an idling bulldozer about to tear up the road, the decibel level is around 85.

At that level, if you listened to it all day without protecting your ears, you'd have permanent hearing damage in just 8 hours. Thunderclaps can reach 120 decibels, causing hearing damage in as little as 9 seconds.

This loss is sometimes immediate, while other times it accumulates over time. It is usually not noticeable at first. Most people do not realize the extent of the damage until it is too late.

Headphones, on the other hand, can be beneficial to your auditory health if used correctly. These are the best over-ear or noise-canceling headphones to use because they allow you to hear what you want to hear at much lower volumes.

Most people wear headphones to drown out distracting background noises, but if you can't hear them, you're less likely to keep turning up the volume.

Headphones at maximum volume can cause hearing damage in as little as 4 minutes. Reading this as an adult is probably shocking. However, your teen may not understand why you're asking them to take off their headphones or turn down the volume.

Show them this article if they don't want to invest in hearing aids before they're old and grey! The WHO is also encouraging headphone manufacturers and government regulatory agencies to step in and create listening devices that will not permanently harm those who use them. It isn't just headphones, either.

Loud concerts and clubs should also take precautions to protect their patrons' hearing. Offering earplugs or having quiet rooms where people could take breaks from the noise would undoubtedly help.

You can, however, take control of your hearing until that happens. Reduce the volume and remove your headphones to give your ears a break. Also, discuss it with your children. It also doesn't matter what kind of music they're listening to.

The issue is caused by the volume and duration of the music, not by the style of music. Get them to wear earplugs or agree to frequent breaks outside when they go to concerts or clubs.

Otherwise, they will not ignore you; they will simply be unable to hear you. As a result, noise-canceling headphones are an excellent choice for the entire family. They assist you in not turning up the volume too high, allowing you to enjoy music without risking hearing damage.

HOW TO SET THE SAFEST VOLUME FOR YOUR HEADPHONES?

Hearing loss can occur after a little more than an hour of listening because most personal listening devices today can reach 120 decibels, which is equivalent to putting a rock concert in your ears.

It's too loud if you can't hear anything around you, such as a loved one asking you a question just an arm's length away. When using headphones, audiologists recommend that you keep the volume at no more than 60% of its maximum setting.

You should also limit your listening time to no more than 60 minutes per day. The shorter you should listen, the louder the sound. According to this logic, if you turn the volume all the way up, you should only listen for 5 minutes per day.

That, of course, is not enjoyable. That's why so many people turn up the volume when their favorite song comes on. However, tone re-balancing via equalizers can be used to adjust the amplitude and enjoy music at a lower volume.

Changing the treble, bass, and high and low frequencies can help you listen without damaging your eardrums. On busy streets, however, many people turn up the volume to drown out environmental noises.

Those sounds are around 80 decibels, so most people are turning up the volume on their headphones to compensate. This is why noise-isolating earbuds or noise-canceling headphones are ideal for removing unwanted background noises and allowing you to enjoy your music without risking your hearing.

An audio limiter can be useful when using headphones for professional purposes. It guards against long-term hearing damage. However, keep in mind that the same rules apply – 60 minutes per day at no more than 60% of maximum volume!

HOW TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE HEARING DAMAGE?

Hearing loss isn't always irreversible. It could only be a matter of time. The only way to be certain is to consult with your doctor.

Most people are prone to gradual hearing loss that worsens over time, but this does not usually manifest itself until they are much older. Nonetheless, by following the suggestions above, you can extend your hearing.

If you're wondering if you have hearing damage, look for the following symptoms after being exposed to loud sounds: muffling of speech or difficulty understanding certain words, difficulty following a conversation or asking the speaker to slow down their speech in noisy environments, or buzzing and ringing in the ears, also known as tinnitus.

It's even more upsetting for kids. If your children hear a ringing, roaring, hissing, or buzzing sound in their ears, they may have hearing loss.

Also, if they are unable to understand someone speaking to them in a noisy environment, hear muffled sounds or feel as if their ears are plugged up, or listen to music at higher volumes than usual, you should make an appointment with their pediatrician right away.

DOES LISTENING TO LOUD MUSIC WITH HEADPHONES CAUSE HEARING LOSS? 

It is now estimated that nearly 12.5 percent of all teenagers have some degree of hearing loss as a result of exposure to high volumes from their headphones. This figure is nearly 30 percent higher than it was just 20 years ago.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 17% of all adults aged 20 to 69 suffer from hearing loss. That equates to nearly 26 million people in the United States alone.

While other factors may be at work, it is believed that the main culprit is the manner in which teenagers and young adults listen to music. You see, modern headphones can reach volume levels of up to 120dB at max volume.

To put that in context, it's roughly the same as a car honking its horn directly into your ears. That's a lot of noise. While most people don't listen to their headphones at full volume, the risk of damage is still present.

Especially when you consider that even at 60% of 120dB, you are still at a rate of around 65-70dB. This is about the noise of a crowded room full of people talking.

Prolonged exposure to loud noises has been linked to a number of negative side effects. One of the most serious consequences is permanent hearing loss. However, there is one additional side effect that many people overlook. Tinnitus is what it is.

HOW TO PREVENT DAMAGE?

Back in 2010, there wasn't enough evidence to link hearing loss to music listening. As a result, a study was created to try to obtain it. Participants with personal music players were asked about how much loud music they had listened to, including that found in clubs and concerts, and then subjected to a listening experiment.

Although they were unable to determine how loudly or for how long the participants listened to music, it is known that those players can blast decibels at a maximum of 95 to 105.

The Dangerous Decibels campaign in Oregon discovered that using regular headphones with your listening device set to maximum volume can cause hearing damage in as little as 15 minutes. Loud noises harm the tiny hair in the top of your hair cells, which are located in your inner ear.

Noises cause them to vibrate, causing the voltage in them to change. This, in turn, causes a chemical message to be sent from your nerves to your brain. Essentially, repeatedly pummeling these delicate hairs in this manner will harm your hearing.

Now, if you're a parent concerned about your child's hearing, how do you get them to, pardon the pun, and listen to you?

According to experts, you should ask them how much they enjoy listening to music and inform them that if they continue to listen to the current volume, they will have a more difficult time listening to anything in the future. However, there is no reliable data on how soon they will learn that hard lesson.

One study conducted in Scotland on female jute weavers exposed to loud noise and published in 1965 discovered that hearing loss occurred between the ages of 10 and 15 years.

But, as we all know, kids are kids. You should also get them a good pair of headphones if you want to make sure they keep the volume at a reasonable and safe level. Cheaper models don't bring out the quality of sound as well, which is probably why your children turn it up.

You should encourage them to listen for shorter periods of time, but remember that kids are kids, and they won't always listen to your well-intended advice. However, getting headphones that provide better quality and prevent them from listening too loudly can help.

Furthermore, evidence suggests that antioxidants such as vitamin C can help prevent hearing loss. So, while they're listening, give them a bowl of fruit to snack on in case they get hungry!

HOW TO WEAR YOUR HEADPHONES HEALTHILY?

The World Health Organization recommends that you limit your use of headphones to one hour per day. Even if you only have one hour, you should not listen to anything at full volume. The volume of what you listen to should not be higher than 60%.

Certainly, the loud sound raises the risk. While listening, you should take five to ten-minute breaks to allow for healthy listening. By adhering to these time frames, you can easily protect yourself from harm. The method described in this paragraph is also known as the rule of thumb.

In this rule, you will use your headphones for sixty minutes at a maximum volume of sixty percent. Furthermore, scientists advise against listening to anything, no matter how loud, even if you use speakers.

High volume, as mentioned in the preceding paragraph, causes more vibration and pressure in your ear canal. Before it's too late, take care of your ear health.

CONCLUSION

Headphones should never be turned up past 60% of their maximum volume, and they should not be worn for more than 60 minutes per day. This is known as the 60/60 rule, which you and your children should follow.

Using high-quality headphones, especially noise-isolating or noise-canceling models will allow you to enjoy your music without having to listen to dangerously loud volumes.

FAQs On How Frequent To Use Headphones