Most people today always have their earbuds on when listening to music from their phones and other gadgets. They listen to music wherever they go and whatever they do such as when commuting, while exercising, and while working. This is evident especially to younger ones. It’s their way to zone out from the real world and to drown out distractions. However, using earbuds can have an effect to our hearing, safety, and health.
If you listen to music often using earbuds, you don’t have to worry about how it can affect your hearing, safety, and health as long as you’re using it right. Here are some of the ways you can do to avoid hearing issues and accidents due to earbuds.
Follow the 60/60 Rule
The 60/60 rule means you should play your music at no more than 60 percent of the maximum volume for no more than 60 minutes a day. The volume of some phones and MP3 players can go up to 110 decibels (dB) which can cause damage depending on how long you’ll listen to music at that volume. And even when listening to music at 60dB, you still need to give your ears a break after 60 minutes.
Never Listen to Music at 85 Decibels (dB) or Higher
Any sound or music that is over 85 dB can cause damage to our ears, therefore, we should avoid listening to music at this volume. Based on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, if your work needs you to be exposed to sounds of 85dB for 8 hours or longer, you are legally required to wear a protection because this can put your hearing at risk. The same risk goes with listing to music at a high volume which we should avoid.
Turn the Volume Down if Other People Can Hear Your Music
We use earbuds so we can keep our music or sounds to ourselves and avoid distracting other people. But when individuals around you are able to hear the music from your earbuds, it means that it’s too loud and you need to turn the volume down.
Aside from people hearing your music, another way that can tell you to turn the volume down is when you raise your voice to be heard or if you can’t hear what people near you are telling you.
Avoid Background Noise While Listening
You should also avoid listening to music using earbuds when there is too much background noise. For example, if you’re mowing the lawn, you should not put your earbuds in and listen to music because this can cause a double whammy to your ears. The sound produced by the lawn mower is around 106dB and if you add the sound from your earbuds, the total level of sound can have a negative effect to your hearing.
Do Not Shove Your Earbuds Too Far in Your Ears
There are times when the earbuds won’t stay in place or they often fall off from our ears. If this happens, do not try to shove them too far in your ears because it can cause you harm. Earbuds are designed to go into the ear canal at a safe distance and it’s unlikely that you can push them further into your ears unless they are faulty which can cause damage.
Be Alert While Using Earbuds
Another way to be safe when using earbuds is to always stay alert. Whether you’re listening to music while on a morning jog or commuting to work, it’s important to still be in tune with your surroundings to avoid accidents. Try to focus on what you are doing and at the same time to what you’re listening to. Always stay vigilant of your surroundings and proactive about the people’s behaviors around you.
Regularly Clean Your Earbuds
It’s rare to get infections from earbuds but it’s still hygienic to regularly clean them because our ears sweat. You should clean your earbuds at least once every week. Also, avoid sharing earbuds with other people especially those earbuds that go into the ears. If you’ll be using other earbuds, for example in an airplane, make sure that they are sanitized, or you can use earbud covers to be safe.
Following these tips will keep you safe from using earbuds and will enable you to enjoy listening to your favorite music.