Is it true that the use of headphones can lead to hearing loss?

There is an opinion that listening to music through headphones harms hearing and can even lead to deafness. We decided to check if this statement has a scientific justification.

Many media write about the danger of headphones for hearing, for example Lenta.ru, "RIA Novosti" And "Russian newspaper". You can find articles about this on portals devoted to the technique Apple And Android, on sites medical institutions, shops Accessories for hearing impaired people. Write About this and users "Yandex.Zen" And "VKontakte". 

Loud music (or other loud sounds) can really negatively affect the ear. This is confirmed by the results experiments. One of them was held at students of music universities who listened to loud music for four to six hours every day, and on a control group of specialties that are not related to listening to loud sounds. The usual test for the severity of hearing, held in a quiet room, did not reveal the particular difference between the groups, but the scientists went further and expanded the test. Now the participants needed to listen to speech and sounds when music played in the background, or there was an echo in the room. And here it turned out that it was much more difficult for students to recognize words than students who had not had to listen to loud music before for a long time. Scientists also studied the reaction of the auditory nerves of subjects: in a group with increased risk, this reaction was worse than that of another group.

Safe volume level For human hearing, sounds of up to 80–90 decibels are considered. Everything above causes discomfort in most people, and listening to such sounds for more than eight hours can harm. In Russia, noise level at work counts Safe for workers if it is below 80 dB. Otherwise, the employer must provide employees with a certain protection against noise exposure. However, there is no difference if a person hears these sounds through or without headphones. 

Scientists of the University of California for 22 years (from 1988 to 2010) were held study: Does the number of young people aged 12 to 19 years increase with hearing problems? And despite the fact that it was during these years that portable players and smartphones that were used by the headphones were widely spread, scientists did not reveal a significant spread of deafness or partial hearing loss in adolescents. For all the years of research, this percentage was approximately the same. So, the spread of the habit of listening to music in headphones seriously did not affect the earner of the subjects.

Another thing study It was held in the USA in public from 20 to 69 years. Scientists conducted tests in 1999-2004, and then again in 2011-2012. The aim of the study was to check if there was some significant hearing deterioration in the population in ten years. As a result, scientists came to the conclusion that on average hearing acuity decreased by 2% - and most likely, this was caused by age -related changes, since over the years hearing inevitably worsens. 

Swedish scientists also decided to conduct experiment And they measured the acuity of the hearing of 17-year-old teenagers. During the study, the volume level of music was monitored, which was familiar to the subjects, as well as the duration of listening. It turned out that adolescents listening to loud music for a long time have problems with hearing more often than their peers who listened to music quieter or less in time. However, there was no difference between those who listened to music in the headphones, and those who did not use them. 

At the same time study, which was carried out in Korea, revealed some pattern between the use of headphones and hearing worsening among the population.

Many articles on the danger of using headphones mention the issue of ear infections. Indeed, with non -compliance with hygiene on headphones, bacteria can accumulate. And inserting the headphones, we are actually We deliver These bacteria are in the ears. However, exactly the same effect can be from the use of not very clean Berushi or hearing aids, so the question here is rather not in headphones, but in observing hygiene. 

Thus, there is no fundamental difference between listening to loud sounds through the headphones or without them for hearing. If you follow the recommendations of specialists and do not raise the volume above the permissible, there will be no harm from the headphones. Nevertheless, most of these recommendations do not follow. So, for example, the noise level in the subway car is already about 80 dB. And in order to listen to music in headphones, you need to make the sound louder, and this can already be dangerous. In addition, it is necessary to observe hygiene, wipe and disinfect the headphones so that the bacteria do not fall deep into the ears through them, which is also far from all. 

Half truth

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. Is it true that blind people hear better?
2. Is it true that the puncture of the earlobe can affect vision?
3. Is it true that reading from the screen spoils vision?