By : ContextoLatino . com
Mp3 Usage and Hearing Loss
Mp3 players , portable CD players , mobile phones , and other electronic devices bring the convenience of music wherever you go . Headphones preserve the privacy of the music listener and allow music to be enjoyed without disturbing others . But for those who pop in ear-buds or wear earphones and listen to their music too loudly , hearing loss could be an unfortunate side effect of this convenience .
Research indicates that prolonged exposure to music at loud levels , primarily received through ear-buds , can lead to hearing loss . In fact , Pete Townshend , famed rocker from The Who , credits loud headphones with causing his profound hearing loss and tinnitus , a ringing in the ears .
Robert Novak , director of clinical education in audiology at Purdue University in Indiana , is seeing a greater number of young people with “ old ears .” Meaning , hearing loss experienced is on par with a person much older . This is a trend that has been escalating since the Walkman became popular in the early 1980s . In fact , hearing specialists are seeing individuals in their 30s and 40s --those who were frequent Walkman users -- who have intense tinnitus and a whooshing in the ears .
The trouble now is that teenagers and young adults tend to wear iPods and other mp3 players for much longer intervals than those who enjoyed the Walkman . Extended rechargeable battery life enables 20 or more consecutive hours of music enjoyment . Many listeners are
tuned in all day and not giving their ears a rest .
Preventing Hearing Loss No one is saying to give up music enjoyment . Just take a few precautions to safeguard the ears .
* Turn down the volume : Research has found that teenagers tend to listen to music more loudly than young adults . Keeping the volume tuned to 50 to 60 percent of the maximum volume on the device can help prevent significant hearing damage .
* Switch headphone style : Ear-buds that sit inside of the ear canal could be more damaging than the muff style headphones . While not as streamlined , these headphones could help protect the ears .
* Take frequent breaks : Take off the headphones several times a day to give the ears a rest from the noise .
* Listen to music in a quiet environment : Loud ambient noise may cause you to turn up the volume on your music player to an unsafe level . Do the majority of your listening when it ’ s quiet around you so you can keep the volume low .
* Watch your decibels : If you can measure decibel levels , experts say that 65 to 70 decibels , the level of normal conversation , is safe . At that level , a person could listen indefinitely without worrying about contributing to hearing loss .
This feature is sponsored by : Dr . Robert Casañas Dr . Casañas is a Board Certified Internist and Board Certified Pain Management specialist . Dr . Casañas practices out of two offices , Unicorn Medical Office in West Tampa and Lunasol Institute in Westchase . Submit your question for Dr . Casañas by emailing him at : AskElDoctor @ thelatinvillage . com or contact him directly at 813-789-2799 .