Painful for Your Ears
Do you often listen to music at loud volumes? You should know that this habit is bad for your hearing, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The human ear has three different parts. The outer ear is the part you can see. The middle ear and inner ear are inside your head. That doesn't mean those parts can't be hurt. They can be harmed by loud noises. Over one billion young people are at risk of hearing loss due to listening to loud noise for long periods of time, said WHO. Listening to music or watching a TV show at loud volumes can harm your hearing.
Sounds are measured in decibels (dB分贝). A whisper is 30 dB. A friend talking is about 60 dB. The sound of a busy road is about 85 dB and the sound of a rock concert can be about 100 dB. The United Nations has standards for safe listening. It is not safe to listen to sounds that are louder than 85 dB for eight hours or 100 dB for 15 minutes.
Loud noise is harmful to the inner ear. Most of us are born with about 16,000 hair cells (听毛细胞) in our inner ears. These cells detect (探测) sounds. However, listening to loud noise for a long time can make these cells work too hard and cause some of them to die. This is what causes hearing loss.
Some people might think that their music isn't all that loud. But this can depend on where you are. For example, if you are in a noisy place like the subway, you might turn up your music too loud without realizing it. Later, when you listen to it the same volume in a quiet place, you might feel uncomfortable.
What can be done to protect your hearing? Use noise-canceling (降噪) headphones. These headphones get rid of background noise. You don't need to turn up the volume as much. Keep your device volume at 50 to 60 percent. Limit daily use of headphones. Listen to sound on your mobile devices for a maximum of one hour per day.
The less loud noise you hear, the better!
