Healthnotes Library

New Year, New You, Old Ears?

By: Sarah Klimasewski, Au.D.

Published and reviewed January 2011

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With every New Year comes a host of resolutions. Time and time again, number one on the list relates to getting in shape, joining a gym, losing 10 pounds, etc. Any way you look at it, the bottom line is exercise. And given the fact that things are cold, slippery and wet outside this time of year, most of us will look to indoor activities to work out.

One factor many people do not consider when assessing an exercise program is the role of music. Music is a wonderful motivator. Whether it's coming through earbuds on a treadmill or speakers during a spinning class, music can make a difference. Ironically, if the level of the music is too loud, it may be causing permanent damage to the ear while other organs benefit.

Sound intensity, or loudness, is measured in decibels, or dB. A barely audible sound, considered the threshold for hearing, may be at about 0 dB; normal conversational levels may be at 50-65 dB. Does this mean that conversation is 50 times as intense as a sound at threshold? No! Decibels grow logarithmically, meaning they grow in intensity very quickly and the actual number may be deceiving. Going from 0 to 50 dB, for example, is increasing the sound intensity by a factor 100,000! A small change on the dB scale can be translated into a large change in terms of the intensity of the sound in the ear. Like a reverse funnel, the further down we go, the larger the change is.

Any sound over 85 dB is potentially damaging to the ear. Aside from the loudness level, time is important. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) states that workers can be in an environment for 8 hours if the noise level does not exceed 85 dB. For every 3 dB increase in noise level, the time one can safely be around it is halved. So a level of 88 dB is safe for 4 hours and a level of 91 dB is safe for only 2 hours. Jumping ahead, if the noise level is 100 dB, it will begin to cause harm to the ear after only 15 minutes! Fortunately, the reverse is true as well. Turning the volume level down, therefore decreasing the intensity level is an easy way to ensure longer listening time.

Determining the actual level of the noise in any environment is only possible with the use of a noise level meter. Most people starting a workout routine do not consider this a necessary piece of equipment, however, there are some relatively inexpensive devises available to the general public for purposes like this. One study conducted by researchers at George Mason University measured loudness levels in exercise classes in the area and found the levels are far above what is considered a safe level.

Aside from measuring the sounds around us, one can follow some basic common sense type guidelines when determining how loud is too loud. First, if you have shout or raise your voice to someone who is about 3 feet away in order for them to hear you, the level is probably too loud. The same is true when using an mp3 player. Ideally, you should be able to hear and converse with the person on the treadmill next to you while listening to your music.

Another sign the level may be too loud is tinnitus or a ringing/buzzing in the ears after noise exposure. This is your body telling you that exposure was too loud for your ears and some damage may have occurred. This is a common occurrence after seeing a band play amplified music in an indoor setting. Most people have experienced what's known as a Temporary Threshold Shift (TTS). We walk out of the venue, where it is relatively quiet and notice an underwater type of feeling, and may experience tinnitus too. TTS does subside in about 24–48 hours. If not, a visit to an audiologist may be necessary. If this occurs after a workout, be sure to look at ways to decrease noise exposure. It is the gradual accumulation of noise that causes hearing loss in many cases, not a one-time episode.

A change in hearing is usually a subtle one. Continuous exposure to loud sounds usually affects the high frequencies in speech first. High frequency sounds are consonants such / s /, / f /, / th / and / sh /, among others. These high frequency sounds occur quite often in speech and carry a lot of information. They also tend to lose power in noisy situations, such as a restaurant. Another sign that hearing may be changing is the increase in difficulty in hearing in noise. Hearing in noise is challenging enough, but with even a mild amount of hearing impairment in the high frequency region, it can become even harder to follow conversation in the presence of background noise. Many physicians fail to identify hearing loss when conversing with a patient in an office setting. This is usually quiet and well lit: an ideal listening situation that many people, even those with a moderate amount of hearing loss, can do well in.

In audiology, our goal through patient education is to catch a hearing loss early. Why you may ask? We cannot undo the damage. Although this is a fascinating area of research, at this point we cannot prescribe a pill to reverse damage to the ear, but we can educate our patients on being proactive and change their listening habits to prevent further damage from noise. Being proactive may mean asking the exercise instructor to turn back the level of the music, or even wearing a set of earplugs during class. Go ahead and try it, chances are you won't miss the added noise level and still have a great workout while protecting your ears. Other techniques may involve situating yourself away from the speakers in a class, perhaps in the middle of the room. Don't be shy about bringing this up to your instructor, however. He or she is more at risk than the participants if they are teaching multiple classes throughout the day. And an increase in overall health, including the ears, should be the goal.

If an mp3 player is your source for music, consider purchasing earphones that fit over the ears or block out background noise. In most cases, the volume is turned up to harmful levels as the level of background noise increases. Depending on the gym environment, background noise may or may not be an issue. If this noise level can be controlled, the overall level of the mp3 player can be kept lower with the same perception of loudness for the listener.

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The role of music intensity in aerobics: implications for hearing conservation. Journal of American Academy of Audiology, 2005; 14(1):29-38.
www.animations.physics.unsw.edu
wwww.noisyplanet.nidcd.nih.gov
www.oshanoise.com
www.physics.gmu.edu/faculty_staff/exercise.html

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