The human ear consists of three parts that work in harmony to process sounds: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. Part of the inner ear, called the cochlea, contains tiny, delicate hair cells. These hair cells help send sound messages to the brain and can be damaged from a one-time exposure to an extremely loud sound or repetitive listening to loud sounds such as music through earbuds or a live concert. When the hair cells are damaged, the cochlea can’t relay sound messages to the brain as effectively.

Earbuds are cheap to manufacture and are included in almost every cellphone purchase. Loud concerts are always an exhilarating experience, so they will always be popular with all ages, especially young people. Both can cause noise-induced hearing loss if precautions are not taken.

Earbuds are a pair of tiny speakers that you wear inside your ears. At low volumes, they’re useful little devices. But playing loud music that close to your eardrums can cause permanent hearing loss. A better option is to go old school with noise-cancelling headphones, which help block out other noises. That way, you don’t have to turn up the volume of your music as loud to hear it well. Noise-cancelling headphones also can help with staying focused on studying or homework.

Going to a concert and rocking out is a night out to remember. But if you hear muffled ringing in your ears after the show, a phenomenon known as tinnitus, it may be a sign that you got too close to the speakers and have caused damage to hair cells in the cochlea.

Prolonged exposure to sounds over 85 decibels (dB) can cause hearing loss. Concerts tend to be about 115 dB or more, depending on where you’re standing. The louder the sound, the less time it takes for noise-induced hearing loss.

Everyone, especially teenagers, must understand that a single exposure to loud noise from a concert or personal listening device can lead to hearing loss. With multiple exposures to noise over 85 decibels, the tiny hair cells may stop functioning, and the hearing loss may be permanent.

Unlike damage to many other parts of your body, inner ear damage never heals. Over time, as more and more hair cells get damaged, your hearing will get worse and worse. Noise-induced hearing loss from using earbuds and attending loud concerts usually occurs gradually over the years, so many people don’t know they have a problem until it’s too late.

More than 1 billion teens and young people are potentially at risk of hearing loss because of their use of headphones and earbuds and attendance at loud music venues. A pooled data analysis of the available evidence has been published in the open-access journal BMJ Global Health. 

If you or someone you love are experiencing signs of hearing loss, contact our hearing clinic in Kelowna or Lake Country. Our experienced audiologists perform hearing tests and answer your questions regarding the proper use of earbuds and protecting your hearing.