Are Earbuds Damaging My Hearing? (Published 2022) (2024)

Q: I wear earbuds to sleep, during Zoom calls and while working out. Are they damaging my hearing? And if so, how does the damage compare with other headphone styles?

Whether you’re taking phone calls, participating in Zoom meetings, listening to music or watching TikToks — headphones are likely a daily part of your life. But what kind of damage are they doing? And do earbuds, which may sit closer to the inner ear than other headphone styles, harm your hearing more?

The idea that earbuds are more damaging to hearing than other headphone types is just false, said Cory Portnuff, an audiologist at the University of Colorado Hospital. “The misconception stems from the thought that, because an earbud sits farther into your ear, it would do more damage than something that sits farther away.”

It makes sense that we would think earbuds are worse for our hearing since they send audio straight into the ear canal, he said, whereas other headphone styles that sit over or on the ear deliver sound from a greater distance. “However, what actually matters is the volume at your eardrum, not where it comes from.”

If you’re trying to prevent hearing damage while using headphones, “there’s an easy rule of thumb,” Dr. Portnuff said. “It’s called 80 for 90 — you can safely listen at 80 percent of the max volume for a total of 90 minutes a day.” If you listen at a quieter level, you get more time, if you listen at a louder level, you get less time. If you’re listening at 60 percent of the maximum volume or lower, generally, “you can safely listen all day every day,” he added.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that, on average, the volume levels of personal listening devices max out at between 105 and 110 decibels. At 80 percent of the highest volume, which is about 85 decibels, the noise would be on par with that of a gas-powered lawn mower or the sound of city traffic from inside of a car. The C.D.C. notes that to prevent noise-induced hearing loss, you should avoid prolonged exposures to ambient sounds above 70 decibels (like that of a washing machine or dishwasher). But environmental noise that is 60 decibels or lower (like from a normal conversation or the hum of an air conditioner) typically won’t cause hearing damage.