Traveling A lot? You May Be Injuring Yourself In An Unexpected Way

Every frequent flier knows that traveling can take a toll on your body, and the consequences can come in a variety of ways.

Sitting for long periods of time can impact your circulation, with long-term effects such as deep vein thrombosis. The low humidity and decreased pressure in airline cabins can cause dehydration, and eating airport food can often play tricks on your stomach.

Throw in a lack of sleep, a stiff back, and cramped muscles due to uncomfortable seat design, and it’s a given that you’ll never end a flight feeling better than you started in economy class.

These effects of flying on the body are well documented, but another threat of frequent and extended travel is less talked about—the damage you might be causing to your ears by using your headphones too loud or too long.

‘There Is No Such Thing As A Safe Headphone’

Today’s culture of flying is one in which we attempt to shut out the world through music, movies, and podcasts.

A traveler can spend hours or even the majority of the day wrapped up in their audio cocoon, far exceeding the recommended threshold of noise exposure.

Generally speaking, today’s headphones max out at volumes between 105 and 110 decibels. According to the C.D.C., prolonged or excess exposure to sounds higher than 70 decibels can contribute to hearing loss.

This means that if you are listening to a device at about 80% of its volume, you may be at risk. The type of headphone—noise cancelling or otherwise—does not impact this rule, according to experts.

“‘There is no such thing as a safe headphone,’ Dr. Daniel Fink, a board chair of The Quiet Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing the effects of noise on health, told the New York Times. ‘Especially when so many people have to crank up the volume to compensate for loud environments around them.’”

Airplanes are a prime situation for such compensation, as the ambient noise of the aircraft often requires users to crank up the volume in order to hear at their desired level.

Tips for Reducing Your Chances of Hearing Damage While Traveling

When traveling, consider these tips to reduce your risk of hearing damage:

Consider the “80 for 90” Rule. It is understandable to want to use headphones throughout an entire day of travel to bypass the monotony. But you should limit the time you are listening at high or max volumes.

Cory Portnuff, an audiologist at the University of Colorado Hospital, told the New York Times that a simple rule of “80 for 90” can help monitor your exposure.

“‘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.’”

So, rock out during takeoff, by all means. But, return to a lower volume soon after that’s easier on your ears.

Listen at 60% volume when listening all day. Listening a lower volume can permit longer listening times, and vice versa, Portnuff said. He recommended listening at 60% volume if you want to listen all day—such as when you are traveling.

Use noise cancelling headphones. Remember, there’s no such thing as a “safe headphone.” That is, the type of headphone does not matter in terms of whether it fits inside your ear or covers it—what matters is the volume of the noise when it hits your eardrum.

However, the style can make a difference in terms of how loud you need to turn up the volume in order to hear clearly in the midst of environmental noise.

In that sense, noise-cancelling headphones help block out environmental noise, allowing you to enjoy your music at a lower volume.

Headphones without noise-cancelling abilities might cause one to listen at a higher volume to block out background noise, thus increasing the risk of overexposure.