Hearing
music; noise; hearing; sounds; ears; cochlea; loud; deaf; deafness; eardrum; sound;
Contents
This topic aims to get you thinking about how loud music might be affecting your hearing, and how you can protect your ears against loud noise so that you can go on enjoying music.
About your ears
Have you ever wondered how your ears actually work?
- All sound travels through the air in waves.
- The outer ear catches the waves and directs them down the ear canal, causing the eardrum (at the entrance of the middle ear) to vibrate.
- There are three tiny bones in your middle ear, which then transmit (carry) these vibrations to the inner ear. Check out the diagram to see what they are called.
- Once they arrive at the inner ear (cochlea), there are thousands of tiny hair cells that react to the vibrations, then send nerve signals to the brain via the auditory nerve.
The result of this is that you hear the sound.
The hair cells in the ear aren't like the hairs on your head. They are called that because they carry rows of bristles, which look a little like hair under a very powerful microscope.
What sort of music or noise can harm your ears?
- The amount of damage that noise can do to your ears depends on the amount of energy in the noise.
- The energy depends on both the intensity of the noise (how loud it is) and how long you are exposed to the noise.
- The amount of energy in the noise and the damage it can do to your hearing increases very rapidly as it gets louder. In fact, noise energy doubles for every 3 decibels (3dB) increase in the loudness of the sound - and 3dB is such a small increase in loudness that you probably wouldn't even notice it.
How loud is too loud?
- Well, if you can't understand what people are saying to you because of the noise around you, get away from there because your hearing is at risk!
- Any noise that leaves you with ringing in your ears can also be dangerous and should be avoided, or at least turned down!!
What sort of noise causes the harm?
For young people in particular, the most dangerous noise is amplified music, for example in gigs and clubs. Headphones, car stereos and mobile phones are also having a bad effect on the hearing of young people.
Headphones
Headphones are fine if you use them safely.
- Research shows that 25% of people listen to headphones at a level that will cause hearing damage. Follow the 60/60 rule - don't have your player above 60% of the maximum volume, and don't listen to it for more than 60 minutes at a time.
- One study suggests that listening to headphones at 80% for 90 minutes a day can lead to hearing loss. The authors say that this can take years for the damage to show up, so young people might not notice a loss of hearing until they are in their late 20s.
- At 100% for only five minutes you could do damage.
What happens?
Structural changes to some of the hair cells and nerves in the inner ear happen immediately after being exposed to very loud noise for a long time.
You might experience:
- dulled hearing
- difficulty in understanding speech
- feeling full inside your ears
- ringing or high-pitched noise in your ears.
These effects may go away after a few hours, but sometimes it can take several days. Testing of the ears after a few days may show that there is some repair, but some hair cells remain permanently damaged.
Being exposed to loud noise often will mean losing hair cells as you get older, so that it is harder to pick up the detail in sound.
- It becomes very difficult to hear when several people are talking at the same time.
- You will not be able to understand them and you will have to start asking people to repeat themselves.
Caring for your ears
- When using any power tools (eg. chain saws, lawn mowers), earmuffs should be used.
- In night clubs - where much of the damage is done - do not stay long, don't go too often and keep well away from the loudspeakers - or go somewhere else where the music is not so loud.
- If your ears are ringing after a rock concert for more than 12 - 16 hours, you should talk to a doctor or audiologist.
- Keep away from firing guns and exploding fireworks.
Josh says:
"Chillin' to cool music is fantastic. Sometimes you really want to just let go and feel the beat. The trouble is that you can have too much of a good thing. Ask any older rock star - if he can still hear you!
Music's great, but unless you've got a fantastic memory, turn down the volume".
Resources
South Australia
- Hearing Assessment Unit, Children, Youth and Women's Health Service: Telephone 8303 1530
- Your local doctor
- The Second Story Youth Health Service (TSS):
- Central: 57 Hyde Street, Adelaide
- South: 50a Beach Road, Christies Beach
- North: 6 Gillingham Road, Elizabeth
- West: 51 Bower St, Woodville
Contact TSS via the Youth Healthline: 1300 13 17 19
General
References
Deafness Research UK. 'New study provides guidelines for safe levels of iPod listening'. 18th October 2006
http://www.deafnessresearch.org.uk/New+study...
Williams W. 'Personal Stereo Noise Exposure'. Australian Hearing: National Acoustic Laboratories. Media Release,
http://www.nal.gov.au/Publications/Personal...
The information on this site should not be used as an alternative to professional care. If you have a particular problem, see a doctor, or ring the Youth Healthline on 1300 13 17 19 (local call cost from anywhere in South Australia).