Earbuds can rupture your eardrums. Earbuds are designed to blast music directly into your ear canal. When you turn up the volume, the vibration of sound goes straight to your eardrums. This practice may cause your eardrums to rupture that may lead to a complete hearing loss.

For reference, exposure to sound levels above 85 dB (equal to a lawnmower or leaf blower) can cause possible ear damage with exposure of more than two hours, while exposure to sound of 105 to 110 dB can cause damage in five minutes. Sound less than 70 dB is unlikely to cause any significant damage to the ears.

To help avoid damaging your hearing:

1. use noise-cancelling earphones or headphones – do not just turn the volume up to cover up outside noise.
2. turn the volume up just enough so you can hear your music comfortably, but no higher.

When you constantly wear earphones and listen to music on a very loud volume, then you are simply damaging your eardrums. The fact of the matter is that noise over 90 decibels is bad for your ear. It can lead to a severe loss of hearing or even deafness.

Side Effects of Using Earphones

• NIHL(Noise-Induced Hearing Loss)
• Tinnitus.
• Hyperacusis.
• Hearing loss.
• Dizziness.
• Ear infection.
• Excessive ear wax.
• Pain in the ears.

Believe it or not, earbuds can damage your hearing in the same way that things like chainsaws and motorcycles can. That may seem weird because earbuds are so small. But the damage is all in the volume. Turning the volume up and listening for long periods of time can put you in real danger of permanent hearing loss.

Earphones can damage the ears if they are used for a long period of time at a high volume, and can result in partial to complete hearing loss, also known as noise-induced hearing loss. The damage can be permanent as the sound from earphones cause the hair cells in the cochlea to bend severely.

“As a rule of thumb, you should only use MP3 devices at levels up to 60% of maximum volume for a total of 60 minutes a day,” says Dr. Foy. “The louder the volume, the shorter your duration should be. At maximum volume, you should listen for only about five minutes a day.”

When headphones are worn for several hours each day, traction alopecia is a reality. While wearing headphones you regularly need to adjust them for the sake of comfort. However, with each adjustment, there is rubbing (traction) on the scalp. This causes traction alopecia or hair loss.

D. Over-the-ear headphones are a much better choice than earbuds. Not only do you not have to worry about funneling sound directly into your eardrums, but most over-the-ear headphones are also, as a general rule, more comfortable to wear than earbuds.

Unlike cell phones, noise-cancelling headphones do not emit low level radiation and do not pose any of the potential hazards that could stem from frequent use of a cell phone held next to the ear. Acute loud noises can damage hearing, interfere with sleep, raise blood pressure and stress levels and cause headaches.

There’s no hidden danger of any kind of hearing loss from noise cancelling, that’s the number one thing. You do not perceive, on any level, the anti-noise” confirms Oclee-Brown.

Active noise cancelling headphones are really good for listening to music at low volumes. Listening to music at high volumes is also one of the major causes of hearing loss. Hence, active noise cancellation headphones are also good for protection against hearing loss.

Fear Hearing Loss? Five Headphones Designed to Protect Your Ears

• V-Moda Over-Ear Noise Isolating Headphone: $99.95.
• dB Logic EP-100 Earbuds: $29.99.
• AudioTechnica Premium Solid Bass In-Ear Headphones: $119.95.
• AfterShokz Bluez Open Ear Wireless Headphones: $99.95.
• Maxwell Safe Soundz Headphones: $19.99.

You may be experiencing a symptom called listener fatigue. That is where your eardrums work hard to manage the volume that flows through your ear canal. The louder the volume, the bigger the strain on your eardrums, which then causes the feeling of fatigue. The longer you wear headphones, the more your ears may hurt.

Are noise-cancelling headphones worth it? Yes. If you wish to protect your hearing, reduce environmental distractions, and enjoy a better audio experience, then this technology will surprise you with its impactful results.

While both passive noise isolation and active noise cancellation allow you to listen to music at lower volumes than earphones without ANC, passive noise isolation is better for your hearing overall. This is because active noise cancellation neutralizes outside noise by creating an equal and opposite noise.

Overall, noise cancellation in headphones doesn’t affect your hearing negatively. You may hear a slight hissing sound when you the ANC is turned on, but that’s about it. However, for some people this can be irritating and even result in dizziness. Keep in mind, that this hissing sound does not damage hearing.