Earbuds are used by many people as a method of privately listening to music, but that doesn't mean that they're good for you. If you use earbuds, there's a good chance that you could be harming your ears. Here are three potential ways earbuds hurt people's ears and what you should be looking out for.
Canal
Have you ever heard that nothing foreign should be put in your ears, including something as small and slender as a q-tip? This is common advice given by the majority of doctors. Inserting anything into your ear canal can cause damage and pain.
Ear canals aren't meant to be flexible in order to allow things in. On the contrary, ear canals are supposed to be small and are covered in tiny hairs to help keep foreign bodies out. When you push a earbud in, you stretch the ear canal and increase the risk of having other things get into your ear later. You may also experience pain and discomfort from repeated use of your earbuds if they're too big for your ear canals.
Impaction
Wax impaction is a common problem for people who use earbuds, and it can cause temporary hearing loss.
Ear wax impaction occurs when the wax in your ear isn't able to simply fall out. When you chew, wax slowly migrates out of the ear canal, ensuring that only a normal amount of ear wax remains. When you use earbuds, however, it pushes down any wax that was on its way out and pushes it closer to the inner ear. If done often enough, this can cause a wax impaction that can be painful and can block you from being able to hear clearly out of the affected ear(s). This condition can also potentially cause an ear infection if it isn't treated.
Hearing Loss
Finally, earbuds are one of the greatest risks to your hearing when listening to loud music. While headphones and speakers are also dangerous, all the sound produced from your phone or other music device goes directly into your ear canal. The sound doesn't dissipate on the way to your ear, like it does with speakers and other over-the-ear types of headphones. With earbuds, you're far more likely to induce permanent hearing loss to your ears by damaging the sensitive hairs that you rely upon to be able to hear anything.
For the sake of your ears and hearing, it's best to give up earbuds. If you suspect that you're already having hearing problems due to impaction or damage, it's a good idea to seek treatments for hearing problems. Contact a doctor about the problems you're having with your ears and give up the earbuds right away.
Share12 September 2018
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