Loud music is bad for your ears- by Grace

Recently, music has become a part of people’s way of lives. Many people probably cannot live without their iPods, or mp3 players. However, when you listen to music, do you watch the maximum volume you turn it up to? Have you ever wondered what loud music can do to your ears?

In June 2008, the results of an Australian governmental study revealed that the higher the volume of music people listen to (especially with earphones or headphones), the higher their risk of developing a permanent hearing problem. The study also shows that an alarming two thirds of Australia’s population suffer from inner ear damage, brought about by listening to loud music.

Almost three quarters of these two thirds are aged between eighteen and thirty-four, and have tinnitus, a condition where those afflicted hear ringing sounds in their ears. It is a problem that is associated with permanent ear damage.

This may be because of the lifestyle people are developing more and more each day- listening to loud music everywhere, like in bars, pubs, in buses or trains, or at home, usually with headphones or earphones.

But how can you tell if your music is too loud? Professor Harvey Dillon of the Hearing Australia organization (one that is government-funded) says that as a rule of thumb, if people have to raise their voices or shout at you to make themselves heard, then sorry, your music’s too loud already. Also, he warns that most people don’t realize that the damage inflicted by listening to music that is too loud is permanent.

So, please watch the volume of the music that you listen to, and don’t make people have to raise their voices so that you can hear them. Best of all, if you’re in a noisy environment and can’t hear your music, don’t turn it all the way up- just turn your music player off and wait till it’s quieter, so you don’t have to turn up the music volume. This is better for you, and for others.

Information taken from http://news.softpedia.com/news/Loud-Music-is-Bad-for-The-Ears-87686.shtml.

Image taken from http://www.maryhaydavis.com/images/listening_to_music.gif.