Visit any gym, and you're likely to find people hard at work with earbuds in their ears, playing their favorite music.
Researchers have found that music can boost physical performance and endurance during exercise by providing a much-needed distraction.
But talk to audiologist Steve Chargo from Affinity Hearing in Plymouth, and he says that too much of a good thing can be bad.
"The statistics show that the volume level of these earbuds that are worn with these devices can be upwards of 105 decibels, and 105 decibels is a very damaging level," Chargo said.
MP3 players, smart phones and their accompanying ear buds make listening to music easy and convenient, but earbuds can be damaging because they sit closer to the ear drum.
"My fear is that people are turning them up higher than they really should be turning them up so that it's too loud," Chargo said.
It's a legitimate concern. The World Health Organization released a report last year warning that 1.1 billion teens and young adults were at risk of noise-induced hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices.
"Loud music is the same as loud noise, and over a period of time, if they don't watch the volume and keep it down to a safe level, then they will lose their hearing," Chargo warned.
"As for what constitutes being "too loud," Chargo says normal conversation is about 65 decibels, so if you're listening to music twice as loud as a conversation, then you're at risk of damaging your hearing.
"Hearing loss is such a gradual process that you don't see it," Chargo said. "You don't see the effects until it's too late."
A word of warning for those of us glued to our headphones to turn down the volume.
"The kids may not like it, but I think they will get used to it," he said.
One way to tell if the music you're listening to is too loud is if your ears ring or start buzzing after you've been listening to music.
Chargo recommends people adjust the volume output settings in their smart phone, which can limit the decibel level of the maximum volume.
Delane Cleveland
www.ccxmedia.org
Learn about our mobile app - bit.ly/CH12app
/ ccxsports
/ ccxnews
/ ccxmedia.org
Channel 12 is on Comcast cable in the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis and includes the cities Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, Maple Grove, New Hope, Osseo, Plymouth and Robbinsdale.
12 сен 2024
