Is it possible to go deaf listening to music with headphones. Answered by a doctor

Is it possible to go deaf listening to music with headphones. Answered by a doctor

Find out what volume will be the maximum safe for health.

doctor of integrative medicine, therapist, infectious disease specialist of UniProf Academy of Physicians

Young people often listen to music with headphones, exceeding the allowable volume. Can this cause hearing loss and how do you know what volume is really harmful?

It is believed that hearing loss is a normal sign of aging. That is, the older a person gets, the more their hearing decreases. In fact, hearing loss should not be a hearing loss – it is a disorder that should be prevented from a young age.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 50% of people between the ages of 12 and 35 are at risk of hearing loss due to prolonged and excessive exposure to loud sounds, such as music on headphones. This threatens not only deafness, but also cognitive decline and social adaptation. People with mild hearing loss are twice as likely to develop dementia (senile dementia)!

We live in a “noise pollution” environment and if you add to that 60 to 80 minutes of daily listening to loud sounds through headphones, hearing loss is guaranteed.

WHO recommends a volume level of no more than 70 decibels. Listening to sounds at 85 decibels for 80 minutes daily will eventually lead to hearing loss.

One of the earliest signs of hearing loss can be when you hear voices in noisy environments but cannot make out the words.

Also the appearance of noise, ringing in the ears can be the “first bell” and is a direct indication to visit a doctor.

How to preserve your hearing

Hearing loss is often an irreversible process, so it is important to take preventive measures:

• listen with headphones at a volume of no more than 50%;
• Use noise measurement apps (e.g. Sound meter, Decibelmeter, etc.);
• undergo periodic audiometry – a hearing acuity test.