Is your mp3 player ruining your hearing?

Your ears can be damaged by loud sounds! This is a fact - an important fact!
Even if you are young, your hearing can be harmed by excessively loud sounds or by continued exposure to relatively loud sounds.

Relatively few people are aware of the relationship between exposure to loud sounds and the actual risk for hearing loss - especially with listening devices such as iPods and car stereos.

Here are the facts:

  • once your hearing is damaged, there is no recovery.
  • Once you have hearing loss, it will probably get worse with age.
  • You may not recognize that you are experiencing hearing loss, since it is likely to begin in the high frequencies.
  • If you seem to be “getting used” to loud music, this may be a sign that hearing damage has already begun.
  • If you hear ringing, roaring or clicking sounds when no outside sounds are present, this may be a sign of hearing loss. If others seem to mumble, or if you hear them speaking and cannot understand the words, you may be experiencing hearing loss.

The truly important message is that hearing damage is cumulative—it adds up over time. Repeated overloading of the auditory system will lead to hearing impairment. Many, many young people are damaging their hearing by playing or listening to dangerously loud music. People are showing up at hearing clinics at earlier and earlier ages seeking help for their hearing loss. Unfortunately, once the loss occurs, the damage cannot be repaired. You can and should take steps to protect your precious sense of hearing.