10% of young people aged 15 to 30 never lower the volume of their music, at the risk of irreversible damage to their hearing. 10% of young people aged 15 to 30 never lower the volume of their music, with the risk of irreversible damage to your hearing.
Hissing, tinnitus, hearing loss … The consequences of exposure to loud noise can be irreversible. But how do you know where to place the cursor? Sound and hearing specialists respond.
Hearing disability is no longer just for the elderly. The 15-30 year old generation, almost born with headphones on their ears, gets drunk on sound every day. To the point of creating more or less serious hearing problems. According to an Ipsos study, more than three-quarters have already experienced hearing problems, such as tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears) or hearing loss after high exposure to noise. However, 10% of youngsters never turn down the volume. How to listen to music without risking being deaf early? Our tip as the twelfth edition of Sound Week started on Monday.
What is loud sound?
“Starting at 80 decibels, we begin to consider a sound to be loud or very loud,” says Dr. Jean-Michel Klein. For comparison, the average sound volume is 30 decibels (db) in quiet places, 40 to 60 db during a conversation, 70 to 80 in a bar or restaurant, and 105 and 120 during a concert, as the website recalls. from Inpes, Ecoute-ton-oreille.com.
By adjusting the volume of your music in a quiet place, this allows you to create references. And save them, resisting the temptation to turn up the sound at the same time as the background sound. “It is a matter of education,” adds Dr. Klein. As a child, children receive sound toys, which will accustom them to being in noise. Once they are teenagers, the risk is that they will listen to their music again. stronger.”
What noise level can be dangerous?
From this risk threshold of 80 decibels, depending on the situation and the person, the volume can cause hearing problems. “The perverse side is that there is no fixed rule or warning signal. It is like driving too fast on a small road. You can do it ten times and fall into the ditch only the eleventh,” says Dr. Klein, an ENT doctor in Paris. and president of the National Union of specialists in otorhinolaryngology. The same for sound: some will damage your hearing from the first hearing of a loud sound, others after a few hours. Some after five or six long exposures in a nightclub, for example. The tolerance threshold varies from person to person. Therefore, people who have had repeated ear infections in childhood may be more vulnerable.
“The problem is not just listening too loud, but also listening to music at a sustained level for a long time,” explains Christian Hugonnet, president and founder of Sound Week. This acoustic engineer recommends taking fifteen minute listening breaks. “You have to get used to listening too much and learning to put on headphones regularly.”
The ear can be damaged before pain is felt. The pain threshold is in fact 120 dB, well above the danger threshold. And in some cases, the damage is irreversible.
What signs should they alert?
Ear “cottony” that corresponds to an impression of hearing the sound surrounded by a veil, whistling, tinnitus are symptoms that should be concerned. But it can also be hyperacusis, which makes noise intolerant or even a loss of treble, the first affected. So many signs that the ear has suffered. “When you ask someone to rehearse, it’s not a good sign. Same thing when you start talking out loud,” adds Christian Hugonnet. Risks are irreversible damage to the audience. And inflict early hearing aging.
When should you consult? As soon as the “abnormal” signs do not go away a few hours after exposure or after a night’s sleep, go to your otolaryngologist or, if necessary, to the emergency room.
