According to the figures managed by the World Health Organization (WHO), there are no less than 1.1 billion adolescents and young people at serious risk of losing hearing early because of the sound aggression they suffer in bars, local nightlife, discos, sporting events ... but especially because of the excessive volume at which they listen to their favorite music using headphones.
To reach this alarming conclusion, WHO specialists have carried out an exhaustive analysis in countries with medium and high incomes; areas in which the use of such devices is very widespread. It seems that almost half of the population between 12 and 35 years of age is exposed to noise levels that are harmful to their ears and 40% correspond to sound aggression in places of leisure.
Lack of risk perception
According to those responsible for this follow-up, young people and adolescents are not aware of the risk of listening to loud music with and without headphones, but especially with these, because it is an activity that they like, entertains them and is not unpleasant , as can happen with other types of noise.In addition, they also have no idea of the relevance of losing hearing for the future of their physical, professional and personal development or of the terrible consequences that this implies in their education, in their interpersonal relationships and in the search for employment, for example.
Finally, experts warn that the hearing loss is sometimes temporary, but sometimes it is irreversible and that once the sensory cells are damaged they are not recoverable, which makes it even more important to take preventive measures at this stage of life.
What does WHO recommend
WHO explains that the damage caused by sound in our hearing depends on the volume at which we hear it, as well as the time during which we are exposed to harmful noise and the frequency with which we do it.In general, it is recommended that the highest permissible level of exposure to noise in the workplace be 85 dB for a maximum of 8 hours per day. Many workers and clients of nightclubs, bars and sporting events are exposed to even higher levels of noise and, in addition, in a habitual way.
The solutions proposed by specialists, however, do not seem feasible. One would be that these enclosures conform to these recommendations regarding the noise level. The other, that users were not exposed more than 15 minutes to the levels that are usually in these places; around 100 dB.
For their part, to protect their hearing, adolescents and young people should keep the volume of their personal audio devices at a low level, put earplugs when they go to noisy places and wear headphones or earphones that fit well with the anatomy of the heard and that isolate from ambient noise. In this way, young people will not be forced to increase the volume of music to eliminate interference with it.
Likewise, it is advisable to heed the warnings about exposure to noise already incorporated by most smartphones (devices in which young people listen to music preferentially) and the newly manufactured headphones.
In addition, and in the same way that it is convenient to rest your eyes when we have been using devices with screens for a long time, it is advisable to make hearing breaks and not use the headphones for more than one hour a day.
Finally, the specialists believe that it would be convenient to include the auditory revisions within the health routines of the young people and adolescents who, in any case, should go to the otolaryngologist if they notice hearing loss, have a sensation of a plugged ear, feel as if they had fluid inside the ear canal or perceive buzzing or beeping.
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