Not to be a killjoy, but you should probably get some earplugs. 

Whether it’s nails scratching on a chalkboard, a police siren, a balloon popping next to our ears, or yet another fire drill in the dorms, we can all think of some loud sounds that make our ears bleed (not literally, hopefully). 

While we know to avoid these sounds, there are countless other sounds present in our daily lives that actively cause harm to our health, even if we don’t notice it. Oftentimes, we don’t realize just how loud the sounds of our city environment can be because they are just a standard part of modern life, but long-term exposure has measurable negative effects on our bodies. Sounds we listen to recreationally, such as music in our headphones, can have a similar impact.

Humans have long observed adverse effects on hearing from occupational noises as well as natural sources. In 1713, the famous physician, Bernardino Ramazzini, wrote that Italian coppersmiths would eventually become deafened from their work hammering copper all day. In the ancient Latin work Natural History, an encyclopedic account of natural history compiled in 77 AD, the author observes a loss of hearing in residents living near the rapids of the Nile River.

While high-amplitude sound has impacted hearing health for centuries, modern advancements have exacerbated the danger to societies. Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have increasingly been packed in bustling cities and exposed to noisy industrial machinery, increasing noise pollution. In recent years, this has been even further exacerbated by technologies such as speakers, televisions, phones, and computers that easily allow us to blast enjoyable yet loud sounds. 

To understand the threat that loud sounds can pose to our health, we must first understand how they are measured. What we experience as the pitch of a sound is related to its frequency, measured in Hertz, a unit which represents the number of cycles of the sound wave in a second. A higher pitch correlates with a higher frequency. The perceived volume of a given noise pertains to its amplitude— the measure of the relative strength of a sound wave, which corresponds with the height of the wave. Decibels (dB) are the unit of choice to quantify the amplitude of sound energy, with a larger amplitude corresponding to a higher volume, which in turn results in a higher decibel value. 

It is important to note that the decibel scale is not linear. Rather, it is logarithmic, meaning that each 10 dB increase represents an increase in sound intensity by a factor of 10. A sound that was 20 dB would be 10 times more intense than a sound at 10 dB, a sound at 30 dB would be 100 times more intense, 40 dB would be 1000 times more intense, and so on. An increase of just three decibels corresponds with sound energy doubling.

When the amplitude of a sound is too great, it exerts more force on the inner ear fluid inside the cochlea. The fluid is moved more, causing damage to the hair cells which are crucial for sending signals to the brain regarding auditory information. 

Sounds at 70 dB or below have a low likelihood of having adverse impacts on hearing and have no restrictions on safe exposure time. Once a sound reaches 85 dB, it has a safe exposure time of eight consecutive hours before hearing loss becomes a risk. For context, normal breathing is typically around 10 dB, an average conversation occurs between 60-70 dB, and emergency sirens are between 110-129 dB. 

Young people are particularly vulnerable to causing completely preventable damage to their hearing. Common recreational listening activities such as listening to music through headphones at maximum volume and attending loud venues such as concerts, sporting events, and clubs are measured to have noise levels between 94 and 110 dB on average. 

Given that sound energy doubles with each three-decibel increase in amplitude, the amount of safe listening time is also halved with each three-decibel increase. Recall that for sound at 85 dB, you can safely listen to it for up to eight hours. This means that at 94 dB, the lower threshold for some common recreational activities, a safe level of exposure would only be one hour at a time. 

It is hard to believe that such common activities could be so damaging, but the threat of a hearing crisis is very real. Despite its preventable nature, a staggering 17% of teenagers and 19% of people in their 20s show signs of noise-induced hearing loss. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1 billion young adults are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices. 

So, what can we do as students to protect ourselves?

As students living in a city, we will unfortunately always be exposed to noises that are out of our control whether it’s from traffic, construction, or noisy roommates. According to the WHO, noise is the second largest environmental cause of health problems, just after the impact of air pollution. While we can’t always control our environment, there are a couple of measures we can take to limit our recreational exposure while still enjoying the activities we love. 

Wear earplugs at loud venues. 

They’re cheap, easy to carry around, relatively inconspicuous once they’re in your ears, and you’ll be able to enjoy a night out while listening to music at a comfortable level. I know that you’re thinking they’re weird. I used to be a doubter too— until I had my ears ring for two days straight after a particularly loud night at the bar. Not worth it!

Take breaks.

When listening to music on your headphones or at a venue, make sure you take breaks every once in a while to give your ears a rest from being bombarded by sound waves.

Limit the volume on your devices.

If you have an iPhone, it will automatically send you notifications reminding you to reduce your audio levels if it thinks that your audio exposure is too high. For more detailed information about audio exposure, you can check the Health app, which will give you a breakdown of your weekly listening. \You can also set up your iPhone to automatically restrict volume levels in your headphones. Go to Settings > Sound & Haptics > Headphone Safety > Reduce Loud Sounds, and use the slider to set a maximum decibel limit. 

If you have a Samsung, you can adjust your media volume as well by going to  Settings > Sounds and Vibration > Volume > Media Volume Limit to set a maximum volume. Samsung doesn’t indicate a decibel level, but the slider turns orange when levels are too high.

Other Android phones vary in terms of their volume-limiting options – if you have a non-Samsung Android, do some research to find out what options your phone has.

Be aware of your rights.

While this doesn’t necessarily pertain to recreational noise, it is important knowledge for students entering the workforce or working to support their studies. A 2017 study found that an estimated 42% of Canadians are exposed to hazardous workplace noise, and an estimated one-third of workers have some degree of hearing loss. 

Saskatchewan, like many other jurisdictions, has regulations in effect to protect workers from the dangers of occupational noise exposure, which can be found online. A general rule of thumb is that if you have to raise your voice to be heard by someone an arm’s length away, your environment can be considered risky and might require additional hearing protection.

Happy hearing!