Graysen Porter

Man on cellphone walking through a busy street.

Many of us wear headphones but are not aware that wearing them for more the 90 minutes a day can cause permanent hearing loss? The National Health Institute claims loud music, higher than 6 decibels can lead to temporary hearing loss and even permanent ear damage.

Almost everyone uses headphones, either going to or from work, walking the dog, running errands or working out. That’s not the problem, the problem is the volume at which we listen to music through our headphones. Over time we get used to the loud music because it has repeatedly been played in our ears and it does not seem loud anymore.

Man standing in traffic side profile.

Daily headphones use can lead to a person losing their attention at times. Say that you’re driving on the high way listening to music through your headphones instead of through the car speaker and an ambulance has its siren on telling you to move out of their way. Instead of you hearing the siren, you’re zoned out in the headphones because the car already muffles sounds that are approaching. This puts you at risk of an accident or injury as a result of lack of awareness.

“Yes, headphones can be dangerous if you are playing your music at a high volume. There have been times when I have seen people walking in the street and because they have headphones on and playing loud music, they aren’t even aware of their surroundings,” says Desmond Nikimbi, a Senior Biology Major at Delaware State.

Listeners can also be at risk of distraction while walking, with pedestrians being either injured or killed while wearing headphones. The number of injuries and fatalities of people using headphones or earbuds have gone up. It has tripled in the last six years according to a study by an emergency room physician at University of Maryland Hospital for Children, Dr. Richard Lichenstien.

Your ears get tired just like anything else does after its been used for an extended period of time. The same way that a football player gets fatigued after running up and down the field or a hockey player skating on the ice. Listener fatigue also known as Listening fatigue or ear fatigue, is something that happens when the ear is exposed to auditory stimulus for a long period of time.

According to a study by Injury Prevention, 68% of the people injured were male under the age of 30, which make one in ten of the  cases people under the age of 18. Of all the accidents studied 85% took place in rural areas and 55% of the victims were struck by trains.

Hipster girl listening to music on headphones and chews the gum

You can be exposed to radiation while wearing Bluetooth headphones. According to Joel M. Mowskowitz, PhD. and The director of the Center for Family and Community Health at University of California, Berkeley. ” While we currently don’t know the exact health associated with chronic use in-ear wireless earbuds, scientist are beginning to understand the potential harm they may cause.”

To prevent damage, experts advise restricting your maximum volume on your device and taking as many breaks as possible.