MP3 and your hearing

So many people like myself are using mp3 players and iPods etc on an everyday basis. People tend to listen to non-stop music on the bus, in the car, at the gym, going to work or just while relaxing at home. While there have been many studies on the positive effects music can have on a person, having small earphones stuffed in your ears while blasting your music to the full can damaging to your hearing. Studies have shown that using small earpieces that are inserted inside of the ear creates a sound that is nine decibels higher than that of regular headphones that cover the whole ear. Nine decibels may not sound like too much, but to put it another way it is about the same difference of an alarm clock to a lawn mower. It is also important to note that the type of earphones that fit inside the ear are less effective at blocking out background noises, making you want to turn up the volume. While no one can be sure what the average volume mp3 listeners are cranking their volumes to, a recent study showed that a quarter of mp3 listeners between the ages of 18 and 54 are playing their music at levels that could potentially cause long term hearing loss.....so high basically.

High levels of music produced by mp3 players can cause hearing loss because the sound waves damage the hair cells in the cochlea; a part of the ear which transmits sound information to your brain. Any sound that is higher than 90 decibels can cause long term hearing loss if the sound is constantly played at this volume, and most mp3 players can reach up to 120 decibels! That is roughly the equivalent to an ambulance siren in your ear.....ouch.

You can’t measure the decibel level of your mp3 player, but you might be listening to your music too loud if your player is over 60% of the maximum volume, if you can’t hear conversations from people around you then other people can hear your music basically, or you find yourself yelling or talking loudly to people nearby when you think your sounding normal.

This isnt me trying to say dont ever use your mp3 player again its just a study that has been found out as to why hearing loss can develop early and how damaging it can be because of mp3 players being played at high volumes.