Why you need to use your earphones cautiously

The advent of smart phones has changed the music listening experience over the last decade. With instant access of music at your fingertips, you can enjoy music on-demand anywhere and at any point of time. 

These days it is very common to find people listening to music using earphones while commuting, at night before going to sleep, at their workplace, while working out in the gym etc. Well, it is indeed a great way to relax yourself, but, at what cost?

No, we aren’t talking about the cost of your smart phone or earphone, but, rather about the possibility of hearing impairment that can potentially and irreversibly damage your ears.

As per the WHO, 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at the risk of hearing loss due to the unsafe use of personal audio devices, including smartphones, and exposure to noisy environments such as nightclubs, bars and sporting events.

The World Health organization suggests the highest permissible noise exposure per day should be up to 85 (decibels) dB for maximum of eight hours. WHO also claims that noise levels can reach up to 100 dB in nightclubs, bars and sporting events is not safe for more than fifteen minutes.  

Ear Phones

Most ear phones are capable of producing a decibel levels between 85 dB to 115 dB. As per 2011 research study, "some player/headphone combinations can produce sound levels reaching 120 or 130 decibels". Having said that, you can have a vicarious sense of the relation between the sounds produced from earphones and sounds you commonly hear everyday in the below list.

As per the experts advise "Noise above 85 dB over a prolonged period of time may start to damage your hearing. Loud noise above 120 dB can cause immediate harm to your ears"

What is the risk of prolonged exposure to high decibel levels?

As per the doctors, prolonged exposure to abnormal sound levels can result in a health problem called Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) which can damage the ears resulting in deafness .

Conclusion

You need to be very careful with your ear phone usage on daily basis. Best practice is to limit the usage of earphones with lower or moderate volume. Avoid going to places where decibels reach abnormal levels and avoid listening to music at a high volume in confined spaces like cars. 

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                         PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                             FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                 
   https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                      
 FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com

Beware! Bursting balloons may cause hearing loss

Popping balloons - a common birthday party favour - can be louder than shotgun blasts and may lead to permanent hearing loss, a new study has warned.

Scientists at University of Alberta in Canada measured the noise generated by bursting balloons and were startled to find that the impact, at its highest level, was comparable to a high-powered shotgun going off next to someone’s ear.

Researchers said they are not out to be party-poopers, but they want to use their findings about bombastic balloon noise, to raise awareness about general risks to hearing.

“This research is a conversation starter,” said Bill Hodgetts, an associate professor of audiology.

 “We are not saying don’t play with balloons and don’t have fun, just try to guard against popping them. Hearing loss is insidious - every loud noise that occurs has a potential lifelong impact.

“We want people to be mindful of hearing damage over a lifetime, because once you get to the back end of life, no hearing aid is as good as the once healthy built-in system in your inner ear,” said Hodgetts.

Hodgetts and hearing expert Dylan Scott wanted to explore the balloon noise that often goes hand-in-hand with birthday parties, where the urge to pop the floating toy is irresistible.

“I thought the acoustic insult on those kids’ ears must be something to be concerned about, so we asked the question, how loud are these things?” said Hodgetts.

Wearing ear protection and using a high-pressure microphone and a preamplifier, researchers measured the noise effects by busting balloons three different ways: popping them with a pin, blowing them up until they ruptured and crushing them until they burst.
The loudest bang was made by the ruptured balloon at almost 168 decibels, four decibels louder than a 12-gauge shotgun.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety recommends that the maximum impulse level any Canadian should experience should not exceed 140 decibels.

Even one exposure could be considered potentially unsafe to hearing for both children and adults, researchers said.

“It’s amazing how loud the balloons are. Nobody would let their child shoot something that loud without hearing protection, but balloons don’t cross people’s minds,” Scott said.

The results for the other two methods were slightly lower, but still a concern, he said.

Hearing damage occurs when the delicate hair cells - which don’t regrow - in the inner ear are worn down by noise.

People need to start viewing cumulative hearing loss the same way they think about an equally passive but very real health concern like sun damage, Hodgetts said.

 this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes 
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement