Istanbul Gelisim University - Exposure to loud sounds for more than 8 hours is harmful to hearing

Exposure to loud sounds for more than 8 hours is harmful to hearing

Noting that the studies on the harm of headphones to human health in recent years have shown that being exposed to sounds of 85 dB for more than 8 hours is harmful to hearing health, Audiologist Lect. Mehmet Uyar said, “It makes people restless, prevents verbal communication, reduces work efficiency. It causes sleep problems. It causes damage to the sense of hearing and auditory canals.”

Technological developments affect our lives more and more every day. Headphones are one of them. Earphones were previously an accessory attached to the music player, but they have entered our lives more and more with the developing mobile phone technologies. Stating that technology can harm people as well as being beneficial, Audiologist Lecturer Mehmet Uyar said, “Many studies have been conducted on the harm of headphones to human health in recent years, and these studies show that being exposed to sounds of 85 dB for more than 8 hours is harmful to hearing health." Talking about the effects of noise on human health, Audiologist Mehmet Uyar added, “It makes people uneasy. It inhibits verbal communication. It reduces operating efficiency. It causes sleep problems. It causes damage to the sense of hearing and paths.”

THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF EFFECTS ON THE HEARING SYSTEM

Stating that noise has two kinds of temporary and permanent effects on the hearing system, Uyar said, “If a normal ear is exposed to harmful noise for a long time, hearing sensitivity occurs and this occurs as a temporary decrease in hearing threshold. But this returns to normal after a while. This phenomenon usually resolves after two hours of exposure to noise. Most temporary threshold changes resolve within the first two days, approximately 16-18 hours. A temporary threshold change of more than 40 dB is diagnosed as pathological and is associated with a permanent threshold change. Permanent hearing loss can be defined as irreversible hearing loss that occurs prominently at 4 kHz. While hearing loss is at its highest level in the first 2-3 years, it progresses gradually after 10-15 years. Hearing remains the same after exposure to noise is eliminated. It is a clinical picture that continues with tinnitus and dizziness. It can be seen in one ear. As hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss can be seen alone or together with conductive hearing loss.

Uyar continued his words as follows:

“In this type of noise-induced cochlear hearing loss, partial or complete damage to the organ of Corti can be seen with rupture of the eardrum, rupture of the ossicular system, fistula formation in the round and oval windows due to trauma in the middle ear and inner ear. Listening to loud music with headphones for long periods of time can have temporary and permanent effects on the auditory system.”

ATTENTION TO THESE SYMPTOMS

Noting that tinnitus and headache are the main complaints arising from the use of digital musical instruments, Uyar said, “Hearing loss and related problems can be observed in 10 percent of those who listen to music with headphones. Early symptoms such as humming and ringing may be ignored by the person. However, hearing loss can be noticeable when the person's communication with the environment is impaired, and in this case, it may be too late. Our advice to young people who like to listen to music with headphones is to apply to a specialist without wasting time when the first complaints about their hearing systems begin to occur (buzzing in the ears, pain, hearing loss, ringing etc.).”