3 Tips for using headphones correctly

Listening to music through headphones/earbuds is a good way to kill boredom for those who commute and commute to and from class on public transportation every day. It doesn't disturb others and can amuse themselves. However, experts warn that long-term use of headphones, especially the habit of listening to music at high volume, can lead to progressive hearing loss.

Is your ear damaged? How to use earphones to protect your ears? Wearing headphones damage hearing is progressive, easy to be ignored.

 Wearing headphones for a long time will not only damage hearing, but this kind of damage is difficult to regenerate and recover. Like other senses, the ear has specialized hearing "receptors" -- cilia cells in the cochlea. We can hear because the receptors are stimulated and the cilia move with the vibrations.

Once the cilia wobble too much, it is easy to damage bad hearing. This is the reason why people become deafened after hearing loud explosions and staying in karaoke rooms for a long time. Although there is no noticeable hearing change with headphones, the damage is gradual and often overlooked. Excessive stimulation of the cochlea cilia can lead to decreased sensitivity and, in the long run, hearing loss. Above 85 decibels, cochlear ciliary cells are damaged.

Of course, not all sounds can cause hearing loss. The average person speaks at about 40-60 decibels and teaches at about 70 decibels, but listening to headphones tends to go above 85 decibels (above 85 decibels can damage the cilia cells in the cochlea). Especially in noisy outdoor and public transportation environments, if the noise from the external environment is too large, it is necessary to raise the volume in order to hear the sound in the earphones clearly, which is bound to bring excessive stimulation to the cochlea. 

Most hearing-impaired patients work in customer service. Due to stimulation in one ear, volume can not be adjusted, as long as 8 hours of stimulation every day, many customer service staff have experienced heavy vibration, tinnitus and other feelings, which is a manifestation of hearing loss. Experts advise listening to music with headphones at 2/3 of the highest volume, and try to tune it up to the sound of normal speech.

Remind:

There are three signs of ear damage

There are three major manifestations of hearing loss in the ear: loss of high frequency, increased sensitivity and hearing loss.

High frequency impairment: Since many electronic sounds in music are at high frequencies, wearing headphones is the most common cause of high frequency impairment. However, this hearing loss is often not easy to detect. Since the ear can hear sound at 150-8000 Hz, while human audio is only at 250-2000 Hz, even if high frequencies are damaged, there is little impact on verbal communication.

However, high frequency damage may also be easily dizziness, dizziness, head distension and so on. Wear headphones for a long time and have the above symptoms, it is likely that hearing has been damaged.

Increased sensitivity: Increased sensitivity of the ear can cause even the slightest change in sound to be painful. Heavy shock, tinnitus, ear blockage, dizziness and other symptoms, many customer service personnel have this problem.

 Hearing loss: Hearing loss means you need to raise the volume to hear. However, sound perception is more subjective. In addition to the structure of the ear itself, it is also related to the environment and concentration. In a noisy environment, it is not easy to hear even at a high volume (not necessarily hearing loss, but doing so can damage hearing in the long term). Therefore, once you feel hearing loss, it is best to check the otolaryngology department of the regular hospital in time.

Correct usage of earphones 

1, pay attention to the volume and use time

Dizziness, tinnitus, ear blockage, or wearing headphones for more than 3-4 hours a day are at high risk of hearing loss. Experts recommend that you listen to headphones at no more than two-thirds of the player's maximum volume, and give your ears a full rest after 30-40 minutes of listening. The volume of earphone is as close as possible to the sound of normal people talking, with 50-60 decibels is the best, not more than 85 decibels;

Adults should wear headphones for no more than 3-4 hours a day, and minors should wear headphones for no more than 1-2 hours a day. After wearing headphones for 30-40 minutes each time, you should give your ears a full rest.

2. Head-mounted headphones are better than in-ear headphones, and the former is recommended for long-term use.

People who need to wear headphones for a long time are advised to choose head-mounted headphones. The sound contact area of in-ear earphones is small, and the pressure inside the cochlea is large. Headsets have a large contact area, lower pressure, and relatively little stimulation to cochlear cilia cells, making them safer.

In addition, the received sound can be transmitted through the skull in addition to the air conduction pathway. In particular, when students are tired of listening, they can wear headphones on the skull to hear the sound and reduce the stimulation to the cochlea.

3. The environment in which you use your headphones is also important.

We are in a noisy streets can often see some young people, walking and listening to, or by car to listen to, or even listening to ride, in fact, in a quiet environment to use headphones minimum damage to the ear. Secondly, before you go to bed a little listen to for a while can also reduce damage, and in a noisy on the train or bus to use headphones to the damage of the ear is the biggest of all.