From communication to productivity, phones have become indispensable in today’s modern world. Connectivity at the fingertips is quite commendable but is it taking a toll on your overall health including your ears? If so, how does prolonged phone use affect your ears?
What does research suggest about phone usage and its impact on hearing abilities?
According to Pew Research Centre, about 97% of adults in the United States use a cellphone of some kind, out of which 85% own a smartphone. The numbers have always been on a steady rise. When you own it you use it, no-brainer, right? When does phone use become an issue?
Various investigations have been conducted to confirm whether the loud noise heard from phones can lead to deafness.
Another reason why cellphones could be dangerous for the ears is that they emit electromagnetic waves can potentially damage the ears.
There was a study conducted by the Department of Otolaryngology at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India wherein the alterations in the central auditory pathway and inner ear in response to the electromagnetic waves emitted from mobile phones were assessed and compared. A series of tests were conducted on the hearing abilities of 125 individuals who used a regular cellphone for a minimum of one year. The results were compared with the test results of 58 individuals who had never used a cellphone. It was observed that those who used cellphones for a prolonged duration demonstrated more hearing loss when compared to those who never used them at all.
It can’t be denied that smartphones have become our necessity rather than luxury but we should prevent them from damaging our ears permanently.
Role of Loud Music
Electromagnetic waves have definitely a damaging impact on our ears. But what is more alarming is hearing loud music through earbuds that are wired or wireless. Due to its convenience and thrilling effect, its usage has been constantly on the rise. A report prepared by the World Health Organization claims that about one billion youngsters are at risk of permanent damage to their ears and hearing loss just because they prefer to hear music in extremely loud volumes.
Role of Headphones
Headphones can increase the risk of hearing loss dramatically. Why did we start using them anyway? The reason is:-
We live on a noisy planet!
We are invariably exposed to noise every single day of our lives, road traffic being one of the primary contributors.
People resort to wearing headphones to block the loud noises. But here’s the thing. Instead of solving the issue, it can actually add another. To suppress loud noise you tend to turn up the volume to dangerously high levels, thereby, increasing the chances of ending up with partial or complete deafness.
Let us understand that most of the earbuds or headphones do not come with the noise-cancellation feature and those that promise to offer, do not deliver aptly.
Poor-quality headphones or earbuds have another major issue: they fail to transmit the bass effects with low frequency. So, the listener tends to increase the volume to hear the music with better clarity.
Raising the volume does increase the bass effects of low frequency and gives a better experience. At the same time, the high-frequency sounds also turn high in this process, causing damage to the hair-like structures called cilia.
Cilia, an integral part of the inner ear, is responsible for transmitting sound signals to the brain. If cilia are damaged, they start undergoing degeneration and they cannot grow back. That is why damage to cilia is permanent and irreversible.
How Can We Prevent Hearing Loss?
Here are a few preventive measures that may prove beneficial in minimizing the damage caused by prolonged phone use:
- Investing in a noise-cancellation headphone: Shelling out a bit more for high-quality earbuds or headphones can be a great start towards the prevention of hearing loss. These would transmit bass effects of low frequency quite effectively thereby, protecting your ears from damage and allowing you to enjoy music with great clarity. Similarly, headphones with advanced features like noise cancellation can protect your ears from unwanted loud noises.
- Keeping the volume within safe limits: Refrain from entering into the vicious cycle of wanting more and more. Your desire for an enhanced sense of clarity and volume can lead you to leave the acceptable range of volume and fall into the temptation of increasing the volume for enhanced perception. Extremely high volumes cause ear muscle contraction, which in turn, leads to restricted movements of the ear bones. Restricted movements reduce the efficiency of sound wave transmission, which means, your hearing ability diminishes and then you feel like increasing the volume again so that you can hear it better. This is a never-ending cycle that damages your hearing capacity in the long run.
- Never keep the phone too close to your ears: Sadly, you can never abstain from cellphones or smartphones. But you can modify your usage to avoid hearing problems. Try not keeping the cellphone too close to your ears. Resort to texting sometimes, if not possible always.
The Bottom Line
In today’s world, being tech-savvy or a gadget freak has become more of a requirement than passion. Yet, it is in our hands to use these gadgets wisely and only when they are extremely needed. One of the perils of prolonged cellphone usage is permanent damage to your ears. Through the use of superior-quality headphones or earbuds, actual damage can be minimized but not prevented totally. Refrain from listening to loud music for long intervals.