Just as we protect our skin from excessive sun, we should also protect our ears from excessive noise. This is what scientists are pointing out about the trend towards hearing loss seen in recent years. In other words, we need to be aware of how loud the noise is around us and how to keep our exposure at safe levels. According to the World Health Organization, 430 million people worldwide have hearing loss, and by 2050 this number is estimated to increase to more than 700 million, or one in ten.

But teenagers are the most vulnerable because they use devices such as: smart phones Headphones and join entertainment venues such as nightclubs that exceed safe listening levels.

Study. A systematic review published in BMJ Global Health suggests that unsafe listening practices are common in adolescents and may be a major contributing factor to hearing loss. In fact, she points out that 24% of teens who listen to music with headphones or go to discos often are at risk of becoming deaf. In total, between 670 and 1,350 million people are at risk.

The study also confirms the high rate of these unsafe listening practices among teens: 23.8% listen to unsafe levels of music on devices, and 48.2% are in noisy clubs or bars.

Risk. Damage is given not only by the intensity of the noise, but also by the time we are exposed to it. According to a report by the World Health Organization, people using portable audio devices can be exposed to the sound level of an industrial worker of 85 decibels for eight hours a day, in 15 minutes of 100 decibel music. And the sound limits are between 75 and 105 decibels, these thresholds should be considered dangerous to WHO.

The study authors think that unsafe listening practices, for example, exceed 80 decibels for 40 hours a week.

Reasons? The main ones are using loud headphones or going to entertainment venues with loud music. Research shows that hearing loss is caused by a combination of the sound being too loud, listening at a loud volume for too long, and the frequency of exposure. More than a decade ago, the same authors reported hearing loss from nightclub, pub and concert attendance in young Australians aged 18-35.

They then concluded that 13% of youth (18 to 35 years old) received an annual noise dose that exceeded the industry maximum acceptable.

Coup. We use the hairy cells of the snail in our ears to hear properly, but over time exposure to loud noises wears them out, leading to temporary hearing loss or tinnitus – the ringing sound people make after going to a concert or the gym. A disco usually resolves as cells heal, but regular exposure to loud or prolonged noise can cause permanent damage to hair cells and other parts of the ear, resulting in irreversible hearing loss that may require the use of hearing aids, hearing aids or cochlear implants. .

Also, according to this article from EL PAÍS, exposure at an early age may make people more vulnerable to age-related hearing loss in the long run. Hearing loss in children includes: reduced school performance, motivation and concentration. In adults, increased risk of serious conditions such as loss of psychosocial well-being and cognitive impairment.

Is it preventable? A good way to tell if you’re in danger is to notice if you hear a certain ringing in your ears when you’re leaving a concert or in a disco with very loud music. In 2015, WHO launched the initiative Make listening safe to encourage young people to protect themselves. In fact, anyone can access free noise risk calculators to calculate how bad their exposure to certain sounds is. Most phones come with an app that can monitor safe listening levels and limit exposure.

With the results in the table, it becomes clear that the solutions are through regulatory approaches and a complete reshaping of the industry as we know it. Or be deaf.

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