earphones and ear damage

 
I did a research in college back in 2007 about the effects of noise on the ear drum and i cannot believe that today i am actually using ear phones with the maximum volume in my ears and i know for a fact that it is not good. Although many people like to turn their headphones up as loud as they can after having a bad day or to get their mind off things bothering them, experts from Universities in Jamaica and abroad have shown evidence that turning the volume on your headphones up too high can damage the coating of nerve cells, eventually causing temporary deafness. According to the researchers, the noise levels similar to those of jet levels can be heard on earphones or headphones on personal music players if they are turned up loud enough. The headphone volume often has to compete with the background noise, especially in loud places such as subway stations, aircraft, and large crowds. Extended periods of exposure to high sound pressure levels created by headphones at high volume settings may be damaging however, one hearing expert found that "fewer than 5% of users select volume levels and listen frequently enough to risk hearing loss. Some manufacturers of portable music devices have attempted to introduce safety circuitry that limited output volume or warned the user when dangerous volume was being used, but the concept has been rejected by most of the buying public, which favors the personal choice of high volume.

What are the signs of hearing loss?

The type of hearing loss due to headphone use is typically gradual, cumulative and without obvious warning signs. A hearing test and a medical examination are the only way to truly diagnose hearing damage.

These are some signs

• Ringing, roaring, hissing or buzzing in the ear

• Difficulty understanding speech in noisy places or places with poor acoustics

• Muffled sounds and a feeling that your ear is plugged

• Listening to the TV or radio at a higher volume than in the past
   
  for now its all fun to hear the music we love very loud in our ears but trust me its not worth the risk.