Loud Music May Cause Hearing Loss

By Lina Marie Barreneche

Monarch Hearing and Balance Center

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Loud Music May Cause Hearing Loss

Next to aging, exposure to loud noises and loud music is one of the main causes that lead to severe hearing loss. Let's suppose you are stopped at a red light in your car and all of a sudden, you hear trembling outside and you feel your car shaking. You turn around you see a young boy in his car who has his music on the maximum volume.

One thing that the driver does not realize is that any kind of loud music can cause temporary and even permanent hearing loss. The constant “pounding” and the blast of music, even going to loud concerts can have devastating effects for your hearing in the long run. Exposing your hearing to loud music and noise for long periods of time are very common causes for deafness. When we are exposed to concerts or events where they have very loud speakers, over time the mechanism of the inner ear will be injured. It is important to remember that noise-induced hearing loss can occur at any age. The effects are usually temporary and with enough time, the ears will go back to normal; however, too much exposure to very high levels of decibels can cause a long term hearing loss.

There are three important parts to the physiology of the ear The outer ear, middle ear and the inner ear. A thin membrane, called the eardrum divides the middle ear and the outer ear. When sound is funneled through the canal, it hits the eardrum and causes the eardrum to vibrate. Once the sound is sent through the middle ear to the inner ear or cochlea the sound is transformed into sound vibrations and into nerve impulses that are transmitted to the brain through the auditory nerve. Excessive exposure to loud noise or music can damage the tiny hair cells in the cochlea and lead to a hearing loss.

There are several ways in which we can protect or reduce the effects of loud noise on our ears. Ear plugs are an excellent way to protect our hearing especially when going to loud concerts or working in loud environments. Stereos, mp3 players and other types of amplification devices should be kept to a moderate level because they have the tendency to damage hearing by the use of the tiny “ear buds” that we use for our music. Use these devices with caution and moderation while enjoying music, since a hearing loss is not reversible, but can be prevented.