We all love music and spend hours each day listening to their favorite songs. Moreover, we like to turn up the volume to the max and sing along. People have probably told you many times that you’ll go deaf if you don’t turn your music down. But is it true? Can loud music damage your hearing? Sadly, the answer is yes.
How Noise Affects Your Ears
When you have your headphones on, your ears adjust to how loud your music is. Because of this, you can’t hear other sounds that have a more normal volume. To communicate with people, you need to shout, but you need them to shout, as well. You can only hear them if their voice is louder than the music you’re listening to.
If this goes on for a longer period of time, it will affect your hearing in a very negative way. Because you’ve exposed them to loud noises for so long, your ears won’t be able to register lower frequency sounds. What’s more, your voice will change, too. You’ll find yourself talking much louder than you have before, even when the room is completely quiet.
Can Loud Music Damage Your Hearing for Good?
The hearing loss you experience after listening to loud music may be temporary. For example, after a gig or a concert, you’ll hear the ringing sound in your ears. Moreover, your ears will feel clogged, so you’ll also feel some light pressure. This feeling usually goes away after a few hours and is nothing to worry about. Still, this tells you that you should have earplugs on you the next time you go to a gig.
But can loud music damage your hearing permanently? Well, if you listen to it for a longer period of time, it can. Experts call this condition tinnitus, and it’s most common in musicians. Tinnitus can sometimes last for months or even years, but it can easily become chronic, too.
This is a very unpleasant condition that has no cure. There are only a few treatment options that can help ease the pain and pressure. But you can avoid tinnitus altogether by protecting your ears when exposed to loud noises. Wear earplugs and, whenever possible, avoid loud music and other loud noises.
