Headphone Use May Worsen Hearing Loss
(AP, 9/12/05)

When Robert Novak of Purdue University in Indiana and his associates randomly examined students, the investigators found a growing incidence of noise-induced hearing loss, typically involving loss of the ability to hear higher frequencies, among young people. Hearing specialists are also reporting increased cases of tinnitus, an internal ringing or buzzing in the ears, in people in their 30’s and 40’s. Researchers attribute the trend of hearing loss at a younger age to ubiquitous portable music players that are used for too long with the volume set too high. Repeated exposure, especially when the ears are not given adequate rest, increases damage to the inner ear’s hair cells, which are critical to hearing.