Headphones Can Increase the Bacteria in Your Ears – The ear is one of the most important and sensitive parts of the body, and it should be treated with utmost care.
Many people often neglect the ear simply because they think it doesn’t play a vital role in the day-to-day activities of man.
Your ear gear, the listening devices you wear in or around your ears, is a critical part of your hearing health. The boom box was invented in the Netherlands in 1969.
A decade later, a device called the Walkman shrank those giant speakers so they would fit around your ears, providing you with a personalized, mobilized listening experience. Then, in 2001, the world was introduced to the iPod.
According to Statista.com, in 2017, 368 million headphones or headsets were sold worldwide. Eighty-seven percent of people use their headphones to listen to music; 49 percent use them to watch TV or movies;
Interesting Facts You Need to Know about Earbuds and Ear infections
Ear canals have wax and bacteria in them. That’s not a problem unless it becomes infected. Earbuds trap wetness in the ear canal, which is worse if you’re hot and sweaty from a workout.
Bacteria and fungi love moist, warm, dark areas like your ear canal, and studies show that earbuds can cause an 11-fold increase in the bacteria in the ear canal.1
You shouldn’t share your earbuds with anyone because that can increase your exposure to new bacteria or fungi. If you store your earbuds in your bag or pocket, they can also pick up outside germs that then get transported to your ear canal when you put them back in.
And if you have a scratch or cut in your ear, those new germs or bacteria can lead to a serious infection Always make sure to clean your earbuds once a week, particularly after sweating and especially if you’ve shared them with someone else.
Use a cotton ball dampened (not soaked) with rubbing alcohol, and clean off any wax or debris. Store your earbuds in a clean, dry case and not loose in your bag.
Facts about Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
Noise-induced hearing loss happens because of loud noises that damage the inner ear. Listening to music at volumes louder than 85 decibels (dB) for prolonged periods will cause permanent hearing loss.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) permit workers to listen to 85 dB for eight hours in a row. But for every three dB above that, the time that is considered “safe” is divided in half.
That means you’re only recommended to listen at 88 dB for four hours, at 91 dB for two hours, at 94 dB for one hour, at 97 dB for 30 minutes, at 100 dB for 15 minutes, and so on. The average portable music player is played at 100 dB, and cellphones or listening devices in the U.S. can produce a maximum of 115 dB.
These are five tips for preserving your hearing ability
- Turn it down—Set your volume limit on your device to be low so you’re listening at not louder than 70 percent of the possible volume.
- Turn it off—Hearing damage occurs at loud volumes for long periods. You can use the 60/60 rule: listen at 60 percent volume for 60 minutes, then take a break for 30 minutes or more.
- Choose ear headphones over earbuds—Earbuds can be up to nine dB louder than over-the-ear headphones. That would reduce your safe listening time from two hours to 15 minutes if you were listening at 91 dB!
- Choose noise-canceling headphones—This is particularly important if you like listening to your device(s) in noisy environments, like busy city streets.
- It’s all about that bass—If you’re a big fan of the deep vibration and “head-banging” effect of music, use the equalizer on your device to turn up the bass.
Having said that, safe hearing levels are all based on older research. We used to think that muffled hearing and tinnitus (ringing in the ears) that we experienced after a great concert or club were just temporary hearing loss from loud music.
We now know that even a limited amount of noise exposure can cause permanent damage to delicate ribbons between the hair cells in our ears. The damage only becomes obvious a decade or two later when we start having trouble hearing conversations with noise in the background.
Ways on How to Avoid Outer Ear Pain from Headphones
Headphones worn over or around the ear can cause pressure damage to the outside part of your ear, called the pinna. Bending or squeezing the delicate cartilage of the pinna under headphones can cause pain, and you run the risk of causing a skin abrasion that could get infected.
You can also cause inflammation of the cartilage, called chondritis, which can be difficult to treat. You could even end up with a permanent deformity.
Conclusion
Note that Your headphones should fit in well but not too tight. Pain is an important indicator telling you when something is wrong. If your headphones hurt, loosen them or get another kind of headphone.