All around campus iPods have become one of the hottest accessories to have, but some iPod users may be sacrificing their hearing for style.
Hearing loss in America has doubled over the past 30 years, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Although many factors can cause hearing loss, such as disease and aging, there is no question that loud noise can cause trauma over time.
Edward Gosharn, director of Audiology Clinical Services at the Memphis Speech and Hearing Center, said that any noise-making device played too loudly can cause problems, including iPods.
"Anything that can exceed 85 decibels could potentially cause hearing damage over a prolonged period," Gosharn said.
Gosharn said conversation usually ranges from 55-60 decibels. He said too-loud noise can be difficult to determine because 85 decibels, which would be painful as white noise, such as static on a television, could be much easier to tolerate in the form of music.
Gosharn recommends asking someone such as a parent or spouse to listen to determine if the volume is too loud.
"With anything someone is listening to, they may be prone to turning it up louder and louder," Gosharn said. "So you actually get accustomed to loudness levels that are hazardous to your hearing."
Gosharn said some early signs of hearing damage include ringing in the ears after listening to loud sounds, or developing the inability to understand conversational speech.
Unfortunately, hearing loss sometimes goes unnoticed until it's too late.
"It's insidious because it comes on so gradually that very often one doesn't notice until it becomes permanent and you can't reverse it," Gosharn said.
Anthea Selkirk, a senior architecture major at The University of Memphis, listens to her iPod using the earbuds that came with it.
"I had a summer job at a firm where I sat and listened to my iPod all day, and I started to get migraines, which I've never had before," she said. "Once I stopped listening to the iPod so much, the migraines stopped."
E. Mauricio Olivera, a senior graphic design major and owner of two iPods, said he avoids cranking up the volume.
"I try not to because it's not healthy for you," he said.
Olivera also said that listening to his iPod for several hours causes him to feel uneasy.
"When I listen to it all day, I experience discomfort around the earphones and headache," he said.
Gosharn recommends listening to an iPod "certainly not all day - something reasonable like an hour or so."
Those interruptions between iPod listening sessions can give your ears a chance to repair some of the damage that could have occurred, according to Gosharn.
"The nerve endings in your ear have the ability to restore themselves and rebuild the chemicals in their cells so they become refreshed," he said. "So you're less likely to have damage if you take frequent breaks from the noise exposure."
