The Amount of People Suffering from Noise-Induced Hearing Loss is Rising Due to Personal Music Devices.

Hearing loss is becoming more prevalent in the younger generations due to increasing the volume level when listening to personal electronic devices.

Noise-induced hearing loss is caused by exposure to loud sounds, which can be prevented. In comparison, age-related hearing loss cannot be prevented because it is hereditary in nature. When hearing loss occurs the hair cells in the cochlea become destroyed. The inner ear is comprised of both the cochlea and vestibular system. The cochlea is responsible for sound detection whereas the vestibular system is dedicated to balance. Exposure to noise has changed in recent years. It went from being caused by both boom boxes and car stereos to headphones where the sounds are delivered directly into the ears. Overall, noise-induced hearing loss can be prevented and is becoming common in younger populations due to personal music devices. Dr. Matthew Goupell, a professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at the University of Maryland, explains the dangers of listening to loud music.

Turning the volume up too high while listening to devices such as iPods, iPhones, and MP3s for a long duration causes hearing problems such as temporary deafness or hearing loss. When having repetitive damage to the ear at such a young age can result into causing permanent hearing loss and this is now occurring quite frequently. Nerve cells carry signals from the ear to the brain and these cells have a protective layer called the myelin sheath, which assists the electrical signal to move faster. When these layers are exposed to loud noises, the myelin sheath is stripped. This in turn causes temporary deafness, and disruptions in the electrical signals and therefore distorts the sound being presented to the brain. This temporary deafness can be relieved once the nerve cells repair, but this can only happen so many times before the damage is irreversible.

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, prolonged exposure to sound over 85dB can cause hearing damage.

A personal music device can hit a sound level of 100dB to 110dB at the maximum volume. Therefore, hearing loss is occurring frequently because the population as a whole is using personal music devices more than ever before, which puts the population at risk. Studies show that 80% of people listen to their personal music device at harmful levels above the background noise. Dr. Alison Grimes, president of the American Audiology and head of the Audiology Clinic at UCLA Medical Center believes that noise-induced hearing loss is on the rise for children compared to the older generation (60-70 years old) because of the misuse of volume control on personal music devices. Hearing loss is the third most common health problem in the United States. This affects more than 31 million people which is why prevention is the key to stopping this type of hearing loss.

Noise-induced hearing loss is irreversible and the best way treatment is prevention. 

The Turn it to the Left campaign hopes to educate children to turn the volume down on their personal music devices to prevent hearing loss before it can begin. Children can be suffering from noise-induced hearing loss and not become aware of it until years later. An audiologist can detect this hearing loss through a hearing evaluation. This type of hearing loss usually builds up over a period of time and usually does not have a quick onset. A way to reduce the risk of noise-induced hearing loss is for users to use a standard ear bud at about 80% maximum volume for less than 90 minutes a day. If a user chooses to listen to louder music, the duration should be kept as short as possible. For instance, when using the maximum volume on a personal music device, a user should keep the duration to no more than 5 minutes. It is essential for users to remember when listening to music to keep the volume low, and the duration short. In the following video Dr. Goupell describes a simple way to monitor ones sound level when using a personal music device.


When users of personal music devices listen to music at any volume above 80dB at young ages, they are likely to develop moderate hearing loss between the ages of 18 and 40. The hearing damage caused by gradual noise exposure takes years to become apparent. While there is no treatment to regenerate the damaged hair cells in the cochlea, currently there is research being done to hopefully achieve this goal of regenerating the hair cells. Dr. Goupell explains how rats are being used to help with finding potential ways to restore their hearing, which can then be applied to humans in the future.


Noise-induced hearing loss is commonly diagnosed because a user listens to their personal music device for a long duration and at a high sound level. This topic is controversial and some people believe that the personal music devices' and ear buds' manufacturers should put more emphasis on warning the user of the potential risks involved with both these technologies. While others may believe that if user would develops a noise-induced hearing loss due to personal music devices, it is the user's fault.

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While the topic of hearing loss due to personal music devices may be debatable among the population, the most important information that is agreed upon is that prevention is key to stopping the high occurrence of noise-induced hearing loss that is present in the younger population.