We expect to lose some of our hearing in old age, but what about today's teens?
Sure, we need to speak up a bit for Great Grandma to hear us, but there's some scary findings in the hearing of today's teens too. A new national study shows one in five teens has already lost a bit of their hearing, and earbuds could be to blame. Although the hearing loss is considered slight, it can be a big problem. Slight hearing loss can cancel out consonants such as t, k and s, and subtle sounds such as a whisper or dripping water.
Of course teens listening to loud music is nothing new, each generation finds a way, but today's teens are listening much longer. Constant listening at high levels creates scar tissue in the inner ear, so it's important to keep the levels down, and give your device, and your ears a break.
Source: Dr. Gary Curhan, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston
I spent close to 20 years in the radio industry. I used headphones regularly and kept them turned up loud! Well, now (in my late 40's) I have Meniere's disease. It's an inner ear dysfunction / hearing loss. There is no cure and in some cases can cause severe vertigo symptoms. I have very limited hearing in my right ear and have some dizziness on occasion. My ear specialist is convinced the damage was caused by the use of loud headphones. I hope young people heed good advice and turn them down and limit the amount of time listening!
ReplyDeleteSame here Ken, and being surrounded many people in the broadcasting and music industry, I find myself having to speak up alot. I'm sure they would all let young people know, if they could do it over again, they would have protected their hearing. And it hurts my ears to think about what damage those subwoofers in cars are doing.
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