Rosbin Syed, an audiology specialist at Central Middlesex Hospital in London, says loud music played through headphones has the same negative effect on hearing as when a large airliner takes off. The normally established tolerable limit of sound volume for a longer period is 85 decibels, when taking off an aircraft it can reach 110 decibels.

This is demonstrated by hard data showing a significant increase in the number of patients under 30 with hearing loss in the UK over the past ten years. But the problem is certainly not just for this country.

“It’s not that hard to imagine how long-term exposure to such noise affects hearing. Ten to twenty years ago, we commonly saw similar hearing problems that we now face in our thirties. In addition, it is a global phenomenon, ”said the daily quoting the expert.

“The worst part is that when people come to us with problems, the worst is already done,” he adds.

Additionally, the hearing loss and damage is irreversible – for many people facing this problem, the main culprit is long-term exposure to excessive noise or loud music.

In each ear there is an area called the cochlea – the so-called snail, which receives sound in the form of vibrations and has up to 15,000 fibers. These sensors play a major role in capturing and transmitting sound, but they are very sensitive. If they are damaged, hearing loss occurs.

“The World Health Organization (WHO) warned in 2015 that nearly half of the young population between the ages of 12 and 35 are repeatedly exposed to excessive noise levels,” added Ayla Ozmen, policy expert. health care at Action on Hearing Loss. .

Syedová adds that a warning, which would be placed on every package of headphones of all kinds, could also help to potentially mitigate the effects of listening to loud music from headphones.

“There must be regulations to ensure that all headphones meet acceptable standards,” she added. As he also states, loud music can in many cases also be the trigger for what is called tinnitus – that is, whispers, whistles or ringing in the ears.

But it is not just loud music listened to through headphones that is dangerous. Equally dangerous are music levels in nightclubs, where they also exceed 100 decibels. Under such conditions, it is safe to stay for a maximum of 15 minutes for hearing quality.

If a person wants to do something good for their hearing, it does not immediately mean that they should put the headphones on and not go to clubs. A good choice to alleviate potential problems can be quality earplugs, which are comfortable and certainly do not degrade the experience of listening to music, for example at concerts, as many people think. High-quality headphones with ambient noise cancellation can also be a variant if one wishes to reduce ambient noise, for example in vehicles. The volume of the music being played may not be set to maximum automatically.

“It is better to take these preventive measures as soon as possible, because the hearing damage is really irreversible”, conclude the experts.