Wearing headphones frequently can lead to long-term hearing damage. The risk is higher today, with over a billion young adults at risk of permanent hearing loss. This damage primarily occurs due to tiny hair cells in the ear that can be damaged by loud or prolonged sound exposure. When these cells are bent, they may not recover, causing irreversible hearing loss. Volume levels and exposure duration both contribute to this damage. The danger often arises because people unknowingly listen at dangerously high volumes, especially in noisy environments. Audiologist Dr. Amy Sarow explains that even small increases in decibel levels can dramatically increase loudness , making it easy to surpass safe listening thresholds . To avoid permanent damage, it's recommended to monitor decibel levels and limit exposure , or adjust the surrounding noise level to reduce the need for louder audio.
Vocabulary :
• decibel (noun): A unit measuring the loudness of sound.
• hair cells (noun): Tiny cells in the ear responsible for hearing; sensitive to sound.
• permanent (adj): Lasting forever, unchangeable.
• hearing loss (noun): The partial or total inability to hear sounds.
• exposure (noun): Contact with something, such as noise, for a period of time.
• logarithmic (adj): A scale where each step represents a multiplication, often used for sound.
• threshold (noun): The point or level at which something begins or changes.