Is it scientifically harmful to use headphones frequently, and what negative consequences can this have?

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4 Answers

  1. Well, I just have to add that vacuum headphones are considered more harmful than overhead headphones, since they are located closest to the eardrum and create pressure directly at it. You can conduct an experiment: take full-size headphones and vacuum ones, try to listen to one at a fairly high volume first, rest for an hour and listen to other headphones at approximately the same volume. I think you understand which headphones will make your hearing blurry faster and make it harder to perceive the dynamic range.

  2. From the point of view of science, the sound effect of headphones differs little from other sound sources. Same decibels, same impact.

    If you listen to music in a quiet room, and do not try to drown out the rumble of the subway with your favorite music, it is unlikely that something bad will happen to your hearing.

    A separate point is the incompatibility of a specific model of headphones and their listener. Personally, I met with a couple of options that either have a strange frequency response, or bad karma, but after 10 minutes of music in these models, my head started to hurt like hell. I can't describe it from a scientific point of view, but it is likely that trying to force yourself to get used to such headphones can and does harm.

    Another side effect (mainly in-ear headphones) is strong sound insulation. Dangerous in our world, where all warning systems are mostly sound.

  3. From the point of view of physiology – to a greater extent yes, if you take into account all the nuances. Further, I will try to describe in a nutshell what is happening in the mysterious world of sensory systems, but I apologize in advance to all doctors, physiologists, etc., etc., because I try to explain more clearly than scientifically. It is worth considering all this, starting with the source code of the rumor itself. Receptors are primarily responsible for the perception of information (visual, olfactory, auditory, etc. – sensory), since they ensure the transformation of the stimulus into a nervous process. Each sensory system �has a group of receptors that perceive the corresponding information. This group has a specific localization on the body-the receptor surface. The receptor surface of the auditory analyzer is the Cortical organ. It has a limited number of hair cells that perceive sound. These cells perform the primary analysis of audio signals and transmit it to the primary auditory cortex. Roughly speaking, this is the initial information at the physiological level, which comes through a long channel, starting from the vibrations of the eardrum, the work of the hammer, anvil and stirrup, vibrations of the fluids of the inner ear, vibrations of the fibers of the inner ear canal and, accordingly, all vibrations come to these cells. The brain structures located” higher up “are already engaged in the”interpretation” of information(a separate and very long topic). The base that provides the entire process of sound perception is precisely THESE cells. Exactly what I mean. The problem with hair cells is that they don't regenerate like taste or olfactory cells, for example. They have a certain system of protection, but still, they wear out and die quite easily. And in general, their number is not very large. But not about that.

    In short, I tried to explain the reason for my concern as best I could. And now it is worth considering all the above information in the context of noise pollution, which is subject to large, and not only cities. It has a negative impact both on the general state of human health and on hearing in particular, because it constantly makes them tense up, even when we really don't want to or don't notice it (residents of industrial areas or areas near airports are especially familiar with this). �

    Most people have vacuum-type headphones or any other earplugs that do not completely isolate from external sounds (even if you can't hear strangers or sound from cars, this does not mean that these sounds are not perceived by the auditory analyzer). Thus, returning to the question, external noise and headphone noise are combined and have a slight effect on the poor Corti organ, which, alas, is not eternal and can be damaged. Go deaf, of course, do not go deaf, but you can harm your hearing. Well, plus all of the above:)

    Take care of your hearing and don't skimp on good, high-quality headphones 🙂

  4. I already answered a similar question, I duplicate it:�

    Headphones reduce the sensitivity of your hearing aid when used improperly.�

    It is advisable not to use headphones for more than 4 hours a day.

    Take breaks. For example, after 45 minutes of listening – 15 minutes of rest. Within an hour, the hearing aid loses sensitivity to certain frequencies, usually high-mid and high-pitched, which causes us to raise the overall volume of sound. If you give your ears a short rest, this effect is minimized. This is especially true for professionals who often have to work with sound in excess of the norm.

    Of the types of headphones, perhaps the safest are those with ear pads that frame the ears so that the ear is free in the sink, not pressed. Ear pads are not made of leather or leatherette, preferably velour. Open-type headphones. These points are important so that the ears can somehow breathe, because in addition to problems directly with the hearing, a fungus can occur, provoked just by the lack of ventilation. This is partly why I don't recommend earplugs.

    From the medium-sized headphones, I would recommend headphones like Koss Porta Pro. They are lightweight, the design allows air to circulate. The only drawback is the constant pressure on the auricle and in the subway it is impractical and harmful to use such headphones, since they let sound pass from the outside.

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