how to save your hearing in the age of ear buds
February 18, 2012
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You Docs
Beyoncé blaring at the gym. Kelly Clarkson crankin' while you jog. And The Cars grooving on the freeway. We You Docs want you to know that wherever you use earbuds to hardwire your favourite tunes into your brain, you can keep on listening to great sounds by dialling down the earbuds to, at most, 60 pe recent of max volume — then you'll still be able to enjoy Norah Jones 60 years from now.
Turns out your iPod can pump out more than 100 decibels. To keep the delicate hair cells in your inner ear that transmit sound impulses to the brain working perfectly, dial it down so you can hear conversation around you, too. And listen to the lovely sounds of your kids or your sweetheart once in a while. These days the latest devices are built to let you groove to the tunes for hours at a time. Long or repeated exposure to sounds at or above 85 decibels also can injure your hair cells, and make Norah seem unhearable. And any sound (think rock concert or Harley Davidson) that hits 120 to 150 decibels may inflict immediate harm.
Set the volume so that you are still tuned in to the world outside your earbuds (that's, at most, 75 decibels), and so other people cannot hear what's playin'! If you keep it in that easy-listening range, chances are you'll be able to hear The Dr. Oz Show for 40 more years (even if 10 of those are in reruns).
YouDocs Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen are authors of YOU: Losing Weight. Order it at StarStore.ca. Submit questions and find more info at RealAge.com
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