Certain Headphones Are Safer For Your Ears. Doctors Share The Best Ones For Adults And Kids

“It is well documented that prolonged exposure to loud sounds damages the hair cells in the inner ear, which are crucial for hearing,” Honeycutt told us. “Once these cells are damaged, they are unable to regenerate, which causes permanent hearing loss.” 

According to Honeycutt, while the otolaryngology academy/associations don’t endorse specific audio brands, “The best style of headphones would be over-ear and on-ear headphones, as these will seal off the ear better, allowing for the reduction of ambient noise. This overall reduction limits the risk of hearing damage as the volume from headphones is not competing with background sounds.” 

Honeycutt describes that in-ear headphones or earbuds sit closer to the eardrum and are less effective at canceling out background noise, meaning you’ll likely turn your listening volume higher. 

Regardless of what headphones you go with, Honeycutt recommends following the “60/60 rule” — only using headphones for 60 minutes at a time and keeping the volume on your phone or device at no more than 60% of the max. 

“After each hour, take a break for at least 10 minutes to allow your ears to recover,” Honeycutt said. ” And consider turning on the Hearing Notifications feature, if you have an iPhone, this will alert you if your audio exposure has been loud enough for long enough.” 

Dr. Guy Talmor, MD, an ENT and Allergy Associates in West Nyack, NY says the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules for sound exposure are also helpful to consider, regardless of your occupation. In simplest terms, the rules say the louder the sound, the shorter you should be listening to it. 

“If [headphones] are set to 85 decibels or less and not used for exceedingly long durations, the likelihood of noise-induced hearing loss will drop,” he said. “For reference, a typical conversation is held at around 55-60dB, while a sound level of 85dB typically corresponds to heavy street traffic or a loud device such as a blender.”