Is your music making you deaf? Here are tips on how to avoid it

MANILA, Philippines — Imagine yourself at a loud concert. You're rocking it out with the live band hitting the drums and cymbals at top volume, the music competing with the screaming audience as you try to drown out the noise and sing the famous lines of your favorite songs.

The loud noise… The constant struggle of your ears to hear beyond the noise. Ordinary people like you are capable of causing strain on your ears. 

When you listen to music for hours on full blast through ear buds plugged into your smart phone, you are guilty of hurting your ears. You usually start off listening to music on your ear plugs at a tolerable level, and then you start feeling like a rock star and pump up the volume. Your ears thus become desensitized to loudness, and before you know it, you are experiencing temporary hearing loss.

It’s a condition that affects the quality of your hearing for a short period of time. This should already serve as a warning, but if you choose to ignore it, your repeated, long-term exposure to blaring music will give you tinnitus. It’s that annoying ringing in your ears that can damage part of your inner ear or cochlea, resulting in permanent hearing loss.

Here’s the ultimate warning: Once you lose your hearing, there is no getting it back.

Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed), through its ENT Center (Dr. Ariston G. Bautista Center), thus suggested ways to prevent noise-induced hearing loss:

Lower your volume. 

“The best way to avoid noise-induced hearing loss is to decrease the volume of what you’re listening to. How do you know when loud is too loud? If you’re listening to music on your ear buds or headphones and cannot hear what a person talking to you from arm’s length is saying, then that’s too loud,” said Joseph Ray Richard R. Cedeño, MD, of MakatiMed.

Lessen your listening time. 

“Instead of listening to loud music for hours on your ear buds, take breaks every 30 minutes to allow your ears to rest. You can also observe the 60-60 rule. Don’t go over 60% of the maximum volume for any longer than 60 minutes,” the doctor advised. 

Use good ear buds or headphones. 

“Noise-canceling earphones block out external sounds that interfere with your music. With these types of earphones, you don’t have to increase the volume of your smart phone because your favorite songs will sound clearer. Consider using over-the-ear headphones instead of in-ear or ear-plug-style models, too. This type of headphones put distance between your inner ear and the speaker and thus spares you from too-loud music,” Dr. Cedeño warned.

Treat your ears with tender, loving care. 

The ear is a self-cleansing organ that produces wax to prevent dust and harmful particles from getting into its inner parts. Still, take good care of it.

“Instead of cotton swabs, use a damp towel to gently clean excess wax around the canal. Towel-dry your ears after showering or swimming, as too much moisture in the ears attracts bacteria, which could attack the ear canal. If water gets into your ears after a dip in the pool or beach, Simply tilt your head to the side and tug at your ear lobe o let the water out,” Dr. Cedeño advised. 

“Exercise,” he added, “is also a good way to keep our ears in shape. Cardiovascular workouts like running, walking and cycling get the blood pumping to all parts of the body, including the ears, keeping them healthy and working well.”

For more information, contact MakatiMed On-Call at +632 8888-8999.

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