Constant Noise, Bad for Ears?
February 2, 2020 10:21 AM   Subscribe

Am I slowly destroying my hearing, by constantly listening to white noise?

During the summer, I literally have fans running 24 hours a day. And, no matter what time of year, I sleep either with a fan on or a white noise app playing on my phone.

Is this bad for my hearing?

Does it make a difference, whether I'm listening to a fan or a white noise app?
And, when listening to a white noise app, does it make a difference whether I'm listening from a speaker a few feet away, or through headphones (not earbuds, but headphones)?
posted by meese to Health & Fitness (3 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
It depends how loud it is. This paper suggests an absolute limit of 70dB if the noise is continuous. The wikipedia page on sound pressure says the EPA has chosen the same limit. So I guess that’s a starting point to work from.
posted by pharm at 10:42 AM on February 2, 2020 [3 favorites]


Just a check, might you already have hearing damage? If someone told me they were in the habit of surrounding themselves with white noise 24/7, my first guess would be "oh, is that to counteract the ringing from your tinnitus?" Had a relative who lived for decades 'self-medicating' with constant low-volume radio, until they got a "oh, is that why silence has always been uncomfortable?" diagnosis.
posted by bartleby at 12:18 PM on February 2, 2020 [2 favorites]


I'm an audiologist blah blah blah. Pharm above is totally correct. Noise induced hearing damage is a function of level and exposure time. The JASA article linked above is a good paper - I would agree that 70 dBA is the limit for a continuous exposure. You can download a sound level meter on your phone (I recommend the NIOSH app if you want a free one) that will give you a decent idea. Estimating the sound level when listening to earphones is complicated for a bunch of reasons. If you're using regular earbuds and you would have to raise your voice to have a conversation about an arm's length away, it's probably over the limit.
posted by Lutoslawski at 9:35 AM on February 3, 2020 [1 favorite]


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