It seems that everywhere we look these days people of all ages are privately enjoying music and other forms of audio through the use of headphones. For me, a run of any distance is doomed to failure without my headphones and my iTunes playlist. It has even become a common sighting to see people driving and shopping with their headphones on.

While there is no denying that headphones offer a medium for blocking out distractions from the world around us and contribute to the convenience of our listening pleasure, what are the perils of too much headphone use? Numerous studies have shown that these devices put our hearing health at risk, and that our teens and young adults are most affected.

Therefore, what can we do to minimize our risk of hearing loss while still indulging in our personal listening devices?

  1. Turn the volume down! Set your headphones on a lower setting and always try to avoid maxing out the volume.
  2. Skip the headphones. Try enjoying the natural sounds of nature while you are on your next morning run, or spend some time reflecting or mediating from time to time to give your ears a break.
  3. Set a limit for headphone use. When you are utilizing headphones. Limit the amount of uninterrupted time that you are spending using headphones by giving your ears a break every 20-30 minutes.