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)?
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)?
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]
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]
posted by Lutoslawski at 9:35 AM on February 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by pharm at 10:42 AM on February 2, 2020 [3 favorites]