Hearing damage caused by ageing and productive noise has received widespread attention, and recently many young people and even many teenagers have come to the hospital due to tinnitus and hearing loss, and foreign studies have shown that the hearing loss of teenagers caused by recreational noise is on the rise year by year, and some research centers count about 5 million new teenagers worldwide with hearing damage caused by noise every year.
The more common types of recreational noise include music players (Walkman, MP3), cell phones, KTV, bouncing and other high volume sounds. Here we introduce their hearing damage mechanism and results one by one.
1.MP3
More and more people like to open MP3 players anytime and anywhere, plugging in headphones, amplifying the volume, listening to favorite music like no one else. Walking in the street can see many people taking the car, walking, waiting for the bus are plugged headphones to listen to M P3, to pass the time. And it brings entertainment to everyone at the same time is quietly damaging people’s hearing. In foreign countries, the world’s leading music player manufacturer ipod (Apple) company has been sued by consumers, the reason is that the use of ipod damage consumers’ hearing.
First of all, let’s look at the mechanism of wearing headphones to listen to MP3 easily lead to hearing damage: MP3 configuration of earbud headphones and the external ear canal is very tight, the sound into the ear canal without buffering and playback margin, the sound signal than before to raise 9 decibels. The very strong sound pressure is concentrated on the thin tympanic membrane, causing abnormal excitement of the auditory organs; however, the hearing hair cells that feel the sound transmission will atrophy or decrease under the stimulation of 80-90 decibels for a long time, causing hearing loss. We all have this experience, initially into the noise environment, hearing will appear mild decline, once returned to the quiet environment can be quickly and completely recovered, because the short time, low intensity noise will lead to temporary hearing loss, and accompanied by temporary threshold shift (temporary threshold shift, TTS), this damage can be recovered after a certain period of time. However, long-term exposure to noise can lead to damage and degeneration of the auditory hair cells and a reduction in blood supply to the inner ear, resulting in irreversible hearing loss, i.e., permanent threshold shift (PTS).
It has been reported that any sound above 90 decibels can cause some degree of hearing loss if the exposure time is too long. However, most of the sounds emitted by MP3s exceed 100 decibels and can even be as high as 120 decibels. This sound is almost equivalent to the volume of a jet plane during takeoff.
The greatest damage that hearing loss can do to adolescents is to affect language development, followed by delayed mental development, making it difficult for them to integrate into the rapidly evolving modern society. In addition to causing damage to the auditory system, excessive stereo sound will cause the same cardiovascular, neurological, digestive and endocrine system dysfunction as noise, such as: increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, reduced gastric juice secretion, dizziness, headaches, memory loss, etc.
2.Mobile phone
In addition, with the widespread use of cell phones around the world, cell phones have gradually become an important “human health killer”.
Unlike ordinary ionizing radiation, the wavelengths of 900 MHz ~ 1,800 MHz electromagnetic waves emitted by cell phones have not yet reached the extent of DNA damage, but such microwaves can be radiated to a depth of 4-6 cm within the skull, stimulating the movement of water molecules and cells, resulting in an increase in the temperature of the corresponding tissue 0. 1 ° C, causing headaches, cerebral blood supply disorders, facial skin burning sensation, as well as the ear and the skin around the ear Thermal reactions such as headache, impaired cerebral blood supply, burning sensation in the facial skin and burning sensation in the ear and peri-auricular skin. Non-thermal reactions such as changes in sleep patterns, increased blood pressure, and cognitive dysfunction can also occur. In addition, although not all experts agree that prolonged cell phone use leads to increased incidence of brain tumors and auditory neuromas, the potential carcinogenic effects of electromagnetic waves emitted by cell phones have raised the concern of many experts. Moreover, prolonged use of cell phones is similar to excessive noise stimulation damage to hearing, resulting in irreversible hearing loss.
3.KTV etc.
Nowadays, many young people are addicted to KTV, bars and discos, and are exposed to the shocking sound roar all night long. The noise caused by disco and rock music can reach 100 decibels, or even 120 decibels or more, which can lead to tinnitus, deafness, deafness and other symptoms, as well as deafness, which is clinically called “disco hard of hearing”, This is clinically known as “disco deafness”, which is an acute acoustic trauma.
Similar to the hearing damage caused by prolonged wearing of MP3 headphones, excessive noise stimulation causes damage to or loss of the outer and inner hair cells of the cochlea, resulting in temporary or permanent hearing threshold shifts. Noise stimulation can also cause changes in the synaptic connections of peripheral auditory nerve fibers, and trigger structural and functional changes in the central auditory system. The main manifestations are complex reorganization of frequency tuning curves, reduced integration of sound signals, and reduced speech recognition. In addition, rapid changes in volume can lead to acute acoustic damage to the auditory organs, including damage to the inner ear hair cells and displacement of the capsule. Animal tests have demonstrated that a certain intensity of negative shockwave pressure can cause mechanical trauma to the middle and inner ear, with significant impairment of hearing function.
Countermeasures
According to the WHO’s “Global Fact File on Deafness and Hearing Impairment”, at least 1/2 of hearing impairments can be prevented. Therefore, hearing protection focuses on prevention, and we talk about corresponding measures to protect hearing in the following points.
Choose your environment: Try to listen to music in a quiet environment, because tests show that the output sound of most headphones in a quiet environment is similar, once the outside environment becomes noisy, the output effect of headphones will be disturbed to varying degrees. In addition, because of the unstable blood supply to the inner ear during exercise, it is best not to listen to MP3 or use cell phones while exercising.
Control the volume: listen to MP3 or use cell phones when the volume to 40 to 50 decibels, to achieve a clear degree can not exceed the maximum volume of more than 60% (MP3 maximum volume of 100 decibels when).
Control time, pay attention to rest: wear any headphones, even if the volume is appropriate, but also not for too long, not to wear headphones to sleep. According to the type of MP3 music listened to, the length of the different, too intense music, about 1 hour should take a break, listen to a CD length should take a break of 15 minutes. Light music, human speech, and slower pop music can be rested once in 100 minutes or so. In addition, minimize the use of cell phones for a short period of time. Some experts have experimented and found that within 10 minutes of using a cell phone, people’s hearing does not change significantly, so we recommend that each time you use a cell phone to control the time within 10 minutes.
Avoid noise and choose earplugs: Stay away from noise environments such as “bouncing disco”, renovation percussion electric drill, strong rock percussion music, firecrackers, gongs and drums. Choose ear muffs or sponge ear plugs to protect your hearing. There are two types of earplugs: reusable and disposable. A good hearing protection, whether it is earplugs or earmuffs, should have the following characteristics: ① good fit with the ear; ② effective noise filtering; ③ comfortable when wearing; ④ easy to use. In the earplug type hearing protection products, the more popular one in the international are a kind of foam earplug with slow rebound elasticity. It has the advantages of easy to carry and store, good noise reduction effect, and can be suitable for different people’s ear canal, and feel comfortable when wearing. Ear muff products also to the diversity of development, some can be used directly with the helmet, some can be shockproof, some can be folded and so on.
Lengthen the distance: When using a cell phone, try to place the phone as far away from the ear as possible to reduce the side effects caused by electromagnetic waves.
Change headphones: Avoid wearing plug-in headphones when using MP3, and try to choose headphones. Even if you buy plug-in headphones, you should preferably buy high-quality products.
Regular check: This includes checking the quality of the Walkman, especially the sound quality and volume; it also includes personal hearing tests. If dizziness, earache, tinnitus, hard of hearing or deafness occur, as well as symptoms such as peripheral discomfort, fatigue, distraction and depression, insomnia, and digestive disorders, it is even more important to see a doctor for an ear examination in a timely manner.
Treat before it is too late: If there are signs of hard of hearing or deafness, it is important to treat them early. Using drugs such as low molecular dextrose, vitamin B1, B12 and salvia can improve blood circulation and promote neurotrophic metabolism, and if necessary, hyperbaric oxygen treatment may also be used to receive better results.
In addition to the above mentioned methods of hearing protection, there are several points that should also be noted.
Don’t pull out your ears too often. Many people like to use hard objects to pull out their ears, which can easily damage the outer ear canal and even the eardrum, causing otitis externa and tympanitis. The use of multiple ear-pulling tools can also cause cross-infection. The self-cleaning mechanism of the ear can discharge cerumen on its own. Even if the discharge of cerumen is blocked due to institutional reasons, it is recommended that patients go to the hospital for treatment.
Preventing drug-related deafness. Many drugs can cause deafness, such as gentamicin, streptomycin, kanamycin, aspirin, quinine, etc. We should use these drugs with caution or disable them, and if they must be used, be sure to read the instructions carefully or follow medical advice.
Frequent massage of the auricle with the palm of the hand or fingers helps blood circulation in the ear and is beneficial to the health of the ear, but care should be taken to massage gently to prevent the occurrence of auricular pseudocysts.
Pay attention to rest, avoid excessive stress and strain, prevent mood swings, and regulate a reasonable diet.
Hearing protection is a long way to go, so I hope we can all start now to love our ears and listen to the most beautiful sounds.