If you enjoy listening to music at a high volume, you could be hurting your hearing. Loud music can, in fact, cause hearing loss. Whether you are worried about your own hearing or for your children, you should know the impact that loud music has on your ears and what you can do to protect them.

A Guide to the Impact of Loud Music on Hearing Loss

Why Music Affects the Ears

The inner ear has countless tiny hairs that are disturbed when sound waves enter the ear. As they move, they transform that sound into electric signals, which are sent to the brain for processing. When too loud of a sound is sent into the ear, it can cause either temporary or permanent damage to those hairs.

This stops them from functioning properly, which in turn leads to hearing loss. Those who are exposed to loud music regularly, such as at concerts or by listening to it through earbuds, can have permanent hearing loss and may even go completely deaf after a time.

How to Protect Your Hearing

Decibels are the measurement used to describe how loud a noise is. Normal conversation usually occurs at around 60 dB, which is not harmful to the hairs. Anything at around 85 dB or higher for an extended period of time can be harmful. When headphones are up at their maximum volume, they can get up to an astounding 105 dB.

Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to protect your hearing and those of your children. Change out the in-ear headphones for noise-canceling ones. By blocking out other sounds, you can listen to your music at a more reasonable volume. If you are in areas with loud music, such as concerts or night clubs, use foam or silicone earplugs to block out most of the harmful sound.

If you have suffered hearing loss from music, Heartland Better Hearing Inc in Elizabethtown, KY, can help you restore it. They will diagnose your loss with their complementary state-of-the-art hearing testing and can create custom hearing aids to improve your everyday life with comfortable and discreet efficiency. This audiologist and hearing instrument specialist has earned an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau®. Contact them online or at (270) 735-9352 to schedule an appointment.