Question

Now Hear This: Turn the Volume Down!
Listening to loud music through headphones for too long can harm your hearing, experts warn

If you listen to a portable music player, hearing experts have a message for you: Turn it down! A recent poll found that 51 percent of high school students and 37 percent of adults have experienced at least one symptom of hearing loss.

What could be the cause? Kids and teens are listening to portable MP3 music players, such as Apple iPods, louder and longer. These players have maximum sound levels as loud as a jet engine!

Answer 1

A Look at Hearing Health
The poll was conducted for The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Results showed that 28 percent of high school students and 26 percent of adults have had to turn up the volume on their televisions.

Twenty-nine percent of students reported saying "what" or "huh" during conversations compared with 21 percent of adults. Seventeen percent of students and 12 percent of adults said they have heard ringing in their ears.

More than half of the adults polled said they listen to their music players between one and four hours, or even longer, at a time. Most students said they listened for less than an hour at a time. Fifty-nine percent of students said they played music at a high volume, compared with 34 percent of adults.

Calling for More Research
Experts say more research is needed to prove a definite link between portable music and DVD players and hearing loss. But they suspect these players are contributing to hearing problems.

"Many kids who are using this type of technology are plugging virtual rock concerts into their ears," said Pam Mason of the ASHA.

Protect Your Hearing
How can you protect your hearing? Experts recommend turning the volume down and cutting down on music listening time.

They also suggest switching from earbuds to larger earphones. Earbud headphones, like the ones often used with iPods, carry sound directly into the ear canal. Traditional earmuff-style headphones allow the sound to spread out, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Answer 2

1. What does the author suggest doing to protect your hearing?
Listening to music longer
Using larger earphones instead of earbuds
Turning up the volume of portable music player
Stop watching television

Answer 3

Using larger earphones instead of earbuds