What is the effect of headphone on ear after using for 1 hour?

The increasing role of technology in life has brought many diseases along with it. These include earphones or headphones, which can cause problems related to your ears due to prolonged use. According to research, if a person listens to music in a loud voice for more than 80 decibels for more than an hour every day, then he may have to face a hearing problem or he may become permanently deaf.

Deafness-
According to a study, if a person listens to songs in more than 90 decibels for more than two hours, then he can be prone to many diseases besides being deaf. Actually, the ear has a hearing capacity of only 90 decibels, which reduces by 40 to 50 decibels over time by listening to songs continuously. Because of which the person does not hear a distant voice.

Heart disease-
Hearing songs in a loud voice not only damages the ears but also the heart of the person. Hearing the songs in a fast voice makes the heart beat faster and starts beating faster than normal speed. Due to which the heart can be harmed.

Headache-
The electromagnetic waves emanating from the earphones have a bad effect on a person's brain. Because of which he starts having problems with headaches or sleeplessness.

Ear infection
If you also share your earphones while listening to songs at the office or home, then avoid doing this. By doing this, the risk of infection in your ear is greatly increased.

Ear numbness
Hearing songs from headphones for a long time can make a person's ears numb. Because of which the ability to listen may decrease with time. Hearing songs in a loud voice not only affects the ability to listen but also causes many mental problems. According to the doctors, the use of earphones more often causes symptoms like tingling, dizziness, sleepiness, head and ear pain, etc. in the ears.

If you listen to music with headphone for more than one hour, especially, on high pitch volume, is harmful to hearing. It should be kept in mind that hearing loss can not be recovered, so the doctors suggest that we listen to music with moderate volume. They advise us to maintain a maximum of 60 decibels while using headphone or earphone. It's also advised to remove the headphone from ears for a minimum of 5 minutes after listening for 45 to 60 minutes. If someone increases volume for more than 80-85 decibels and keeps on listening for more than an hour, gradually it will start damaging hearing power.

An ear has three parts - outer, middle and inner part. The inner part is also called the cochlea. It has hair-cells and function of hair-cells is to send sound to the brain and it makes us listen to music/sound. If music is listened on high volume, hair-cells begin to decay and gradually, over the time, these cells are completely damaged, as a result, the sound doesn't reach the brain and it causes loss of hearing.

You can notice it if hair cells are being damaged. When you keep on listening to music for hours and after taking off headphone if you listen ringing, buzzing or roaring sound it means now hair cells are being affected by listening to music. It's advised to using noise-cancelling/controlling earphones to protect your hearing.

You should also avoid those places where music is played on high pitch volumes such as in marriage function, music club or any party. Get your hearing tested by a doctor. If someone is working at such places where he continuously listens to loud music/sound he should take another job instead, as in the long run music of high pitch, volumes may cause heart disease and also can be harmful to the brain.

Hearing for long-duration using headphones will create many health issues. We should not use them continuously and we should stop after 45 to 50 minutes and give some rest before starting again hearing.
Both the volume we use to hear and also the duration will have an effect on the hearing capacity The following are some of the ill effects we may get due to this.
1, Tinnitus: The prolonged hearing may damage hair cells in the cochlea and this may result in a ringing, buzzing, or roaring noise in the ear or the head. This is called tinnitus. Many of the persons who suffer from this may develop very high sensitivity even to normal sounds. In medical terms, this condition is called Hyperacusis.

2. Hearing Loss: Loud music or long exposure will make the hair cells bend down severely and can lead to temporary or permanent hearing loss.

3, Dizziness: The prolonged hearing will increase the pressure in the ear canal and this may result in dizziness.

4, Ear infections: The earphones will block the passage of air into the ear. Because of this, infection in the ear may take place. The growth of bacteria may be on the higher side. These bacteria may stay on the earphones. So these infections will harm the ear a lot. By any chance, if the headphones are shared this infection may go from one person to the other person.

5, Pain: The usage of earphones may induce pain. This pain may get extended to the inner ear also. The pain may extend to the jaws as well as to the top of the head.

6. Effect on the brain: The headphones will develop electromagnetic waves. These waves will give rise problems to the brain. . Ear infections can also affect the brain.
One can avoid these problems by following the following points.
1, Use as low voice as possible
2, Never go for long durations and high sounds. Restrict hearing for a maximum of 45 minutes at a stretch and never use higher volumes.
3. It is advisable to use noise-cancelling headphones.
4. Use over-the-ear-model headphones
5, Sanitize the headphones to avoid the buildup of bacteria, sweat and shed skin.
6. Never use the headphones used by others. If there is no option sanitise them and use them.
7. Never use earphones while travelling by car, bus, train or even walking.

The main concern with the headphones is the constant sound emission to the ear canal with the cut off of air passage and such is the condition is detrimental to our ear. Continuous use of ear phones even for an hour daily would cause detrimental effects as listed below-
1) Hearing loss - It may happen due to over usage of the earphones for approximately for an hour on daily basis. This would lead to gradual detorioration of the hearing loss and the extent of damage can be ascertained by ENT specialist only.
2) Tinnitus - We may feel some buzzing or ringing sound in the ear or head due to constant electrical vibration of sound waves known as Tinnitus. This could affect the brain nerves ultimately due over usage of the headphones.
3) Ear infection- Ear infection may develop due to engagement of earphones in the ear canal and there is restriction of air passage while using an ear phone. Moreover, there may be accumulation of bacteria over the surface of the earphones if the same is not dis infected properly.
4) Dizziness- Many times the pressure inside the ear canal develops due to loud voice and this can cause temporary or permanent hear loss.
5) Formation of excess wax in the ear region- Excess usage of headphones for a long time would develop excessive ear wax thus accelerating the chances of ear aching and frequent ear infection apart from speedy formation of wax in the ear region.
6) Effect of brain - The electromagnetic wave generated by the headphone is detrimental to the brain - cells. High decibels would affect the nerve fibre of the brain.
Precautions needed while using earphones-
1) Use low volume in case of its use and that too for a small period.
2) Sanitise the earphone prior to use to avoid the accumulation of bacteria.
3) Restrict its use on high sound pitch.
4) While traveling by car, buses, train or even in course of walking avoid its use to avert accident.

Our ears are sensitive parts and are not to be exposed to high volume sound for a long period whether it is from loudspeakers or headphones. There are three things, combination of which can damage the ears and our hearing and these things are intensity or volume of sound, duration for it is there, and distance at which it is generating. Depending on them the net result or effect will be on our ears. Scientifically speaking, any sound above about 85 decibels for a prolonged time can harm the ears and reduce the hearing power ultimately leading to deafness. It is also found that even a sound around 80-85 decibel for long periods might harm and thus the safe limit is put at 70 decibels. This is the reason why some workers working in noisy factory environment are asked to wear ear protection to avoid the sound to reach the ear drums. As a comparison the music played in headphones at high volume is generally corresponds to 90 to 110 decibel range and it is definitely harmful for our ears. To understand the decibel scale one has to understand that sound intensity at 110 decibels is almost 100 times than that of at 85 decibels. So the difference is very significant and that is why we should be particular about it. In some medical researches on hearing loss it was found that there is prevalence of hearing loss in most of the places in world and that can be attributable to the increasing use of earphones and headphones.
If one feels dizziness, ringing or buzzing in ear, heaviness in head, pain in inner ear, then one should be careful for using the headphone for longer intervals. In case of sustained problems it is advisable to consult an ENT doctor who could take an audiogram to see if any particular frequencies are much harmful and things like that.
Those who are using headphones should follow some good practices so that the harm to the ears is not done. Some of these are -
1. Take a break after at least 30 minutes and remove the headphone.
2. Always use lower volume.
3. Avoid using cheaper headphones which might be emanating higher electromagnetic radiation. So, it is better to go for reputed brands.

When an earphone or headphone is plugged into the ear continuously for one hour just once, there may not be problem.
However if it is done regularly then that will gradually cause many problems.
1. Sweating and infection: Plugging ear for long time prevents natural ventilation in that place and sweat may accumulate. It will wet the sponges or padding in the headphone or ear plug and that may promote growth of bacteria and fungus. This will cause ear infection.
2. Peripheral pain: When something is kept pressed at a body part regularly and for long duration, the elasticity of the skin and soft muscles get affected and causes pain and swelling.
3. Causing harm to the eardrum and nerves. The ear drum and the sound transmitting nerves are very delicate. Sound focused and fed by plugging a headphone or earphone will be of more decibels than what we would have been hearing normally. This causes more strain on the sensitive and delicate parts inside the ear and slowly they lose their elasticity and flexibility. This may lead to slow hearing loss or distortions.
4. Other accidents and hurts: When one is plugging earphone or headphone into the ear tightly, the person does not hear other sounds around him. The person may not hear many alert and warning sounds and thus suffer from hits and collisions, falls, and other accidents.
So one should use earphone and headphone to the optimum and reduce periods low as possible and take out and give breaks. The sound should be kept as low as possible to hear clearly. The sponge and padded parts and surfaces should be cleaned and kept hygienic. One should not use headphone and earphone while on the move.