Using earphones to listen to music from your smartphone or gadget is great fun. There are many activities that can be done while listening to songs through earphones such as exercising, studying, traveling, and one of them is sleeping. Sleeping while listening to music can help relieve stress or just relaxation. Unfortunately, many of us are not aware and aware of the dangers of sleeping using earphones for the health of the body. What's even worse is when we listen to music through earphones as a deep sleep so that even when we wake up from sleep we often encounter music that can still be heard through the earphones. There are several health reasons why the use of earphones while sleeping is not recommended.
- Accumulation of earwax
Earphones that are used overnight or for long periods of time can push earwax deeper, causing buildup. Accumulated earwax often causes an uncomfortable and uncomfortable feeling when on the move. This condition can cause reduced hearing sensitivity and allow for tinnitus or ringing in the ears. - Can cause ear infections
Ear infections can be caused by using earphones for too long and for a long time and can cause pain. In addition, by using earphones for too long, we are not aware of the spread of bacteria in the ear caused by locking the ear's moisture and dirt that has accumulated which can exacerbate the infection. This risk can be exacerbated if we often lend headsets or earphones to other people. - The appearance of hearing loss
Complaints are one of the most frequently experienced. Most earphones produce a sound of 95 to 108 dB and the safe sound limit that can be heard by the human ear is 85 dB. The result is nerve damage in the ear and a lack of sensitivity to sound which decreases if the volume heard is too large and for a long time, leading to hearing loss. - Causes brain damage
During sleep, all limbs are resting. Unfortunately, this cannot be experienced by the brain because if you sleep while listening to music, the brain does not fully rest. If you still ignore it, the electromagnetic conduction in the headset can damage brain cells. - The appearance of necrosis
Necrosis is a condition where there is an injury to cells caused by the blockage of blood supply to related tissues. Necrosis can be caused by using earphones that don't fit in the ears due to changing positions during sleep. Over time, the ear canal can narrow and blood flow becomes increasingly difficult to flow, causing a collection of dead tissue or necrosis which is characterized by dark wounds.
The use of earphones is of course very helpful in our lives, but if the portion of its use exceeds the limit and even gets carried away during sleep it will cause several health problems as above. We must observe the 60-60 rule, meaning limit the volume to 60 percent of the maximum volume and listen for a maximum of 60 minutes
There are several tips to avoid the dangers of using a headset or earphones while sleeping, namely:
- Adjust the earphone volume sufficiently according to your needs. You don't need to turn up the earphone volume too loudly if you can hear the song clearly with enough volume
- Limit the use of earphones in one day so as not to damage hearing. Reduce its use at bedtime. Always remember to remove the earphones before going to sleep.
- Store and put the earphones in a clean and safe place to reduce the risk of exposure to dust and other debris.
That's how to care for your ears and always remember to maintain the health of your ears by reducing the habit of sleeping using earphones to avoid the risk of developing various hearing loss problems from an early age.
The article was written by dr. Irawati, Sp. ENT – KL (Ear Nose and Throat Specialist at EMC Tangerang Hospital).