Are you listening??? Then listen CAREFULLY!!! Ear-phones are damaging your ear.

Are you listening??? Then listen CAREFULLY!!! Ear-phones are damaging your ear.

The flow of tunes through the wire right into your eardrums may be indeed a treat; even soul satisfying. From rock to jazz and sugam sangeet to karaoke of your favourite Rehman tunes, all is good till the threat they pose, not the music, your EAR Phones.

Add to it the amount of time you spend on your cell phone and lo !!! The perfect recipe for deafness is being cooked up.

Expert warn that this prolonged exposure to cell phone and the cumulative effect of radiation and the music through ear phones can actually damage your ears.

Now, don’t tell me you knew it. Yes you did. But never bothered to care. Many a times, you tune into your choicest F.M. channel after a hectic day to re-wind while you are on your bed. And you doze off while the radio is on.

All this amounts to NHIL- Noise Induced Hearing Loss, a common ear problem being treated by ENT specialists. Everyday doctors receive several cases of sudden hearing obstructions that can be avoided.

While in many cases, the damage can be reversed, it depends on the multiple factors like the stage of loss, severity of damage etc. Moreover, it requires administration of Steroids and they bring in their wake, numerous side effects.

So, what happens that causes hearing loss?

Pinna or the external ear collects the sound and passes it to the ear canal. At the end of the canal is a tissue which is known as eardrum. The ear drum vibrates and converts the sound into energy which is transmitted to long coiled tube filled with fluid called Cochlea.

This part has the hearing nerves, where sound becomes electricity and is sent to brain. The tiny hairy structures that convey the sounds to the brains get damaged and are stripped of their outer covering leading to hearing loss.

So how do I know about the hearing loss?

Look for the obvious symptoms. Gradual hearing loss, inability to accept certain high pitch sounds, or shouts indicate it’s time for you to visit an ENT specialist.

High pitch sounds and loud music like heavy metal are proven culprits. Soothing low sounds like drums, tabla, acoustic guitars, and flutes are not harmful.

The Million Dollar Loss..Eh??

Earphones, especially earbud earphones (the ones that can be inserted into the ear canal) amplify the sound about 8 times and are even more harmful. As far as possible, avoid using earphones. Learn to use the speakers and adjust with them.

Use your phone or Bluetooth for long time and you invite the following problems

Using phones or Bluetooth for long times can heat up the fluids in your ear tissues resulting in clicks and buzzing sound in your head. This could lead to auditory illusion (Which do not exist, but you feel the sensation)

Pain in your ears.

Tingling sensation in nearby tissues

Disturbed moods and emotional imbalance.

Lack of concentration

Memory loss

Exhaustion and loss of sleep

Early cataract in eyes

Changes in levels of hormones like dopa mine and serotonin responsible for behavior and sleep

Changes in bio-cycles like sleep, eating habits, metabolism, sperm production, abnormal foetal developments, miscarriage etc

So Now what?

The choice is simple:

All those hacks that you would have read and never applied. IT IS NOW OR NEVER. NATURE WILL NOT REPLACE YOUR NATURAL BODY PARTS. YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE OF WHATEVER IS GIVEN TO YOU.

Hold your phone away from body while talking.

Switch between the ears for longer conversations.

Use phones on speaker mode or on low volume.

Carry the phone away from the body

Text more than voice calling wherever possible

Get your ears cleaned and treated by ENT specialist at regular intervals

Stay put while talking and be in a strong signal area. Avoid talking in a moving car or train.

Wait till a signal connects your call before putting the phone on your ears

Avoid conversations longer than 10 minutes and avoid using cell phone for more than 60 minutes a day

Keep mobile phones away from children, especially the ones below 7 years of age

Avoid phone while near machinery or during driving as it lowers reaction times

Get  your blood sugar and cholesterol measured at regular intervals. Diabetes tend to deaden nerve endings and may cause deafness. Likewise high cholesterol causes blocks in the blood vessels of the ears, leading to damage. 

Stay Safe.