Headphone notifications. Can smartphones save us from hearing loss?
Modern smartphones display alerts when the volume on our headphones is too high. How can overexposure to loud music affect hearing?
Anyone who has not ignored the warning displayed on their smartphone screen that the volume on their headphones is too high, please raise a hand. It turns out that these alerts are not displayed randomly, but in accordance with the guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which based them on a study on hearing and hearing loss.
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Over 1 billion young adults are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices.
More and more people at risk
WHO warns our hearing is getting worse on a global scale. By 2050, 2.5 billion people will be struggling with severe hearing loss, 700 million of whom will require treatment and rehabilitation. The causes cited by the organisation as threats to our ability to hear include:
- cerumen impaction (impacted ear wax)
- trauma to the ear or head
- loud noise/loud sounds
- ototoxic medicines
- work related ototoxic chemicals
- nutritional deficiencies
- viral infections and other ear conditions
- delayed onset or progressive genetic hearing loss.
In developed countries, which include Poland, noise and loud sounds are one of the main risk factors for our hearing. Noise levels up to 70 decibels, such as the sound of a washing machine running, are safe for the ears. Exposure to noise above 85 dB (the noise level of e.g. a petrol lawnmower) for more than 2 hours is already hazardous to hearing. The longer the exposure to noise, the greater the risk of irreversible damage.
Are smartphones too loud?
The maximum volume of smartphones and headphones is usually 100 dB or slightly more. Just 5 minutes of noise exposure at this level significantly increases the risk of permanent hearing problems. However, it is probably worth not ignoring the warnings displayed by smartphones. Not even the annoying ones, informing us that, given our habits over the past seven days, our headphones volume has just been turned down automatically.
On most smartphones you can permanently set the maximum decibel level to 85 dB. On some, with the help of special apps, you can manipulate the volume settings for various smartphone functions, e.g. to make the ringtone louder than the music. There are also apps that allow you to measure the volume level of your surroundings, as excessive noise comes from more than just our phones.
Sources: who.int, wired.com
