Yet another study has highlighted the dangers facing teenagers from listening to loud music for long periods on a daily basis.
According to a new study carried out in Brazil, young people are increasingly experiencing tinnitus, often a symptom of hearing loss, as a result of using ear buds to listen to music, as well as going to noisy places like nightclubs, discos and rock concerts.
170 students aged between 11 and 17 took part in the study which found over half (54.7%) reported experiencing tinnitus in the previous 12 months. And of the 93 school students who reported experiencing tinnitus, 51 (54.8%) said they had noticed it after listening to loud music.
Tinnitus is often described as ringing in the ears, but other sounds like buzzing, humming, grinding, hissing or whistling can often be heard.
Tinnitus is caused by temporary or permanent damage to cochlear hair cells. These cells are located in the inner ear and they stretch and contract repeatedly in response to sound-induced vibrations.
When they’re stimulated by very loud noise, such as explosions, fireworks, live music or music listened to through ear buds with the volume turned up, the cochlear hair cells are overloaded and can be temporarily or permanently damaged.
Neighbouring regions of the inner ear are forced to work harder and faster to compensate for the loss of function in the damaged or dead hair cells and this gives rise to tinnitus.
For some people it may come and go and only be a minor irritation. But for others it can be continuous and have a significant impact on everyday life. Severe cases can be very distressing, affecting concentration and causing problems such as difficulty sleeping and depression.
Scientists fear that teenagers, who use ear buds regularly and frequent very noisy places, will damage their hearing permanently and may develop hearing loss at a young age.
But it’s not all doom and gloom! There are lots of easy ways that young people can protect their hearing for life without stopping doing the things they love.
Wearing headphones when listening to personal music players can help. Noise-cancelling headphones or retro style muff-type headphones block out background noise, meaning the volume can be lower. Investing in high quality ear-bud style headphones or in-the-ear headphones over cheaper, less effective options, can also make a huge difference. Whatever the style, taking regular headphone breaks to give ears a rest is essential.
Another easy to remember tip is to use the 60:60 rule - listening to music at 60% of the maximum volume for a maximum of 60 minutes a day will keep ears happy and hearing healthy.
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