In modern times, people are more interested in living a luxurious and comfortable life that tends to have some ill effects on their health. Earphones and headphones are the most prominent example of such technologies and they are extensively used by modern people without knowing the health issues associated with them.
The side effects of using headphones and earphones are gradually rising day by day. In modern days, people are using headphones and earphones in every place, be it on the train or bus and even when they are just walking or jogging or doing any kind of physical exercise. However, extensive use of earphones may result in some sort of health complications.
Nevertheless, headphones and earphones are generally not harmful to your health. The risk actually lies at the level of volume and the amount of time you spend listening to the music. Earphones are a small electrical tool that is generally worn on the ear to listen to music or MP3 players and to have telephone communications.
You must avoid using earphones that are directly inserted into your ear canals. Although such kind of earphones makes the sound better, they might cause hearing loss as well in the long run. Research has revealed that continuous exposure to high volume can cause damage to your hearing ability.
However, some of the side effects of using the earphones are discussed below:
Ear Infection Can Cause Deafness:
Frequent use of earphones can result in amounting bacteria in your ears. If you share your headphones, the bacteria can spread to another ear. We often share our personal earphones with our friends and relatives. This may increase the chances of ear infection that may result in permanent deafness. Thus, it is better not to use earphones of other peoples and you must clean them using disinfectant cleaner.
The earphones might carry germs and infections – thus you must disinfect them on a regular basis. You can use a disinfecting wipe or antibacterial solutions to clean your earphones. You can also rub alcohol on your earphones and they will dry overnight. However, you must clean the earphones in a proper manner; otherwise, even a little bit of the cleaning solution which remains can cause irritation.
- The earphones most commonly used with mobile phones, iPod or MP3 players usually set inside your ear canal. This puts the audio signals very close to your ear drum, boosting it as much as nine decibels.
- Moreover, new electronic gadgets like iPod and MP3 devices have more battery life allowing you to hear music without any breaks. This may harm your hearing ability. You should take regular breaks while listening to your favourite music through headphones.
- In fact, moderately high volume can even cause deafness if earphones are used for too long. For example listening to music, at ninety decibels continuously for three hours can be as damaging as listening to songs at 155 decibels.
- Thus, make sure to provide your ears some rest by taking up breaks and do not listen to music in high volume.
No Space for Ear Passage:
Nowadays, the earphones companies make special efforts to ensure that the customers have a wonderful audio experience. However, this actually increases the health risks. If you are looking for some great audio experience, all you need to do is insert the ear phones directly into ear canals resulting in no space for ear passage. Although by using this methodology the music is just wonderful, but this result is increasing the chance of ear problems. In fact, in most situations people who use earphones on regular basis suffer from ear blockages, tinnitus and more severe form of ear infection.
Numbs The Ears:
Studies have shown that people who use earphones to hear loud music often suffer from numb ears. The hearing ability becomes numb for some time and then it slowly returns to normalcy. This numbness of ear if continued for a longer period of time can be quite harmful and can result in permanent deafness. People who used earphones extensively often complain of having severe pain in the ears. They also experience some strange buzzing sound in the ears.
Affects The Brain:
The electromagnetic waves produced by the earphones can cause severe damage to your brain. Medical studies reveal the fact that people who use earphones on daily basis may develop brain-related problems in near future. The inner ear is directly related to the brain and any form of ear infection can severely damage your brain.
However, it is true that earphones provide comfort and convenience since you can listen to your music whenever you feel like.
Nevertheless, there are some important tricks which you can try as you use the earphones:
- You should not put the volume too high.
- You should not use the earphone continuously.
- Try to use earmuffs whenever possible.
- Do not turn up the volume while you are on road or on a train.
Although there are several disadvantages, you can use earphones following the above tricks to have a greater audio experience.