The "Loud" Killer

When one considers the plethora of problems surrounding young kids these days (obesity, asthma, and even acne), very few stop to consider one of the most obvious growing concerns of the 21st century. That is premature hearing loss due to exposure to loud music via earbuds (aka noise induced hearing loss).
It's a well known fact that noise-induced hearing loss causes irreversible damage to your ears. This type of hearing loss causes damage to the tiny inner hair cells of the cochlea, which in turn, inhibits the transmission of sound to the brain. This ultimately can lead to a bigger issue: no longer being unable to understand speech. In 2010, a national study found that 1 in 5 adolescents now suffers some sort of hearing impairment. A likely culprit: a combination of ear buds and loud music. At full volume (100 to 110 decibels), a mp3 player can cause hearing loss within just ten to fifteen minutes. If you were to be regularly exposed to sounds at 110 decibels, you would begin experiencing hearing loss in a matter of minutes. If that fact doesn't scare you, it should. Technology has enabled us to be connected to our smartphones and mp3 players all day long, raising the likelihood we will develop a hearing loss from excessive exposure to loud sounds like music.
The key to preventing noise-induced hearing loss is education. Awareness of the problem and learning methods for safe listening are key in reducing the numbers of children with noise-induced hearing loss. So, how do we prevent it? First, we need to educate our children on what safe listening is. We must teach our kids the warning signs associated with listening to music too loudly. The two biggest signs include ringing in the ears and temporary hearing loss. In conjunction with educating our children, we also can set the maximum volume limit on your child's MP3 player. On an iPod or iPhone, go to Settings - iPod - Volume Limit, and at most, lock the maximum volume limit at 50 to 60 percent (70 to 80 decibels) of the total volume. We also can utilize new ear bud technology that helps reduce background noise. Currently, there are two excellent solutions for accomplishing this: sound-isolating headphones and noise-cancelling headphones. Both of these technologies block out background noise, which in turn enables you to listen to music at a lower, overall decibel level.
In order to reduce the number of children suffering from noise induced hearing loss, we must become advocates and educate our friends, families and children about this growing problem to hinder its steady climb in the coming decades. It's easy for one to underestimate the long-term consequences associated with prolonged exposure to loud music from an mp3 player with earbuds. After all, noise induced hearing loss typically takes years to become noticeable.