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Can Gaming Headphones Damage Ears? 2 Superb Facts That You Should Know About This Topic
Can Gaming Headphones Damage Ears
Sadly yes, an Australian research published in 2010 connected the use of personal listening devices to a 70% increase in hearing loss in children. That is a significant rise, and it is a concern that is mainly being overlooked throughout the globe.
In-game audio supplied via a headset at too high a level (more than 80db) for too long (more than 40 hours per week) affects and ultimately permanently destroys the hair cells in our inner ear that are responsible for conveying sound to the brain.
Scar tissue may grow in your ear after only half an hour of gaming or listening to music at a level exceeding 85 dB. For most headphones, it equates to a paltry 80 percent of maximum loudness. So, although you may be able to hear those footsteps a little better for a few seconds, you’re doing more harm than good, and your headphones can only go so loud before you start damaging your ears, or worse, losing your hearing. In this blog, we also have an article about havit gaming headphones review that you might want to read about it.
As the name suggests, a gaming headphone is a headphone device that’s designed specifically for playing and enjoying video games. It differs from regular headphones as gaming headphones are made with a focus on game-enhancing experiences, such as comfort, microphone quality, and audio quality.”
The duration of time we spend gaming with a headset affects our hearing.
According to the research, the average amount of time players spend playing is 82 minutes. Even if you have a propensity of playing with the volume turned up to an unsafe level, this length of time is unlikely to harm your hearing in the long run since you are taking pauses at a reasonable frequency. This gives your ear’s hair cells time to recover.
A notable finding from the same survey was that 4.3 percent of all gamers said their longest straight gaming session lasted 15 hours or longer! This sort of lengthy gaming session, if done with a closed back headphone and at high noise levels, has the potential to seriously damage your hearing.
Especially when you consider that if you play for double digit hours in one session, the total hours of play and time exposed to other sources of loud noise (traffic, kitchen appliances, TV, etc.) throughout the remainder of the week would certainly put you far above the WHO safe listening limits. When you combine extended playing hours with the fact that 21% of gamers are under the age of 18, the probability that this young generation of gamers will have hearing impairment later in life skyrockets.
While cheap headphones may technically play a game’s sound, a great gaming headset can highlight important noises, deliver rich music, let you customize your soundscape for different applications and communicate with your teammates with a high-quality mic.”
Marshall Honorof, author from tomsguide.com
How To Prevent It
Reduce the volume.
It’s really that simple: just turn down the volume on your headphones or earbuds. But don’t stop there. Make an attempt to keep other sources’ loudness down as well, such as when you watch TV at home.
Also, if you’re having trouble getting the level low enough, make sure your headphones don’t have a separate volume control. For example, I wear Aftershokz and can still hear music when I dial down the level on my iPhone ($499 at Apple).
Make use of noise-cancelling headphones.
If you’re like most people, you use headphones to shut out other noises, and you keep cranking the volume up as the outside world becomes louder. Wear noise-cancelling headphones to offset the constant rise in loudness. You may use passive noise-cancelling headphones, which function primarily by limiting outside noises, such as high-density foam headphones that block your ear from outside sounds. Active noise-cancelling headphones, which function by continually monitoring the noises around you and creating soundwaves that directly cancel out the external noise, are another option.
Use genuine headphones rather than earbuds.
Though the phrases are sometimes used interchangeably, headphones and earbuds are not the same thing. Earbuds are tiny, generally silicone or hard plastic gadgets that fit securely in your ears. “Headphones,” on the other hand, are devices that sit over your ears, generally covering the full ear. The distance between sound and eardrum may be little while using headphones or earbuds, but it is critical in the long term.
Take pauses for listening
If none of the above options are available to you, taking breaks from your headphones may help avoid headphone-induced hearing loss. The longer you listen to loud music, the more likely it is that your ears will be damaged. Consider taking a 5-minute or 10-minute break every 30 minutes or every 60 minutes. To be extra cautious, use the 60/60 rule: Listen for 60 minutes at 60% of your device’s maximum volume, then take a break.
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Establish a volume restriction
In the settings of certain devices, you may establish a custom volume limit. To set a maximum volume on an iPhone, navigate to Settings > Music > Volume limit. Check the settings of your device or the user manual to see whether you can set a volume restriction.
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