Headphones and hearing loss

Sound solutions
The only way to prevent hearing loss is to reduce your exposure to loud noise -- that means using earplugs when exposed to high noise levels (such as during a concert or while using power tools) or avoiding loud sounds if possible and limiting the use of personal music players. That's an easy enough solution for regulating one's own behaviour, but how do you protect your kids, other than explaining to them the dangers of too much loud noise?

One solution is to use better headphones. The earbud-style headphones that come with music players are typically low quality and do not block outside noise, causing listeners to turn up the volume in order to hear their music better. Headphones that go over the ears will block more noise and therefore volume levels can be kept lower while maintaining sound quality. Many people also recommend noise-cancellation headphones, says McLeod, which reduce outside ambient noise. However, even with better headphones, she says, it's still important not to go over the recommended 60 minutes per day at 60 per cent of the maximum volume.

Another option recently offered by Apple is software that allows you to set a personal maximum volume limit on your iPod. The software also gives parents the ability to set a limit on their children's music players and lock them with a code -- offering peace of mind to parents that even if their kids do listen too often, at least they're not listening too loud.

So if you or your kids are listening to an iPod, turn it down. Your ears -- not to mention the person sitting next to you on the bus -- will thank you for it.

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