Most people have suffered from a headache at least once in their life but there are many different causes of headaches. Can headphones be one of those causes? The studies below show us that the volume you have your headphones on cause headaches and hearing problems.
Studies conducted in 2010 have linked prolonged listening to loud music through headphones or earphones to tinnitus. Tinnitus is an incurable disorder that causes ringing in your ears that can be painful and annoying.
The same researchers that conducted that study in Germany did another study whereby they interviewed 489 teenagers who claim to suffer from headaches and 536 teenagers who claim they do not.
The two groups were compared and the researchers found out that daily consumption of music was significantly associated with different types of headaches.
Milde-Busch said that “It cannot be concluded whether the habit of listening to music is the cause of frequent headaches or the consequence in the sense a self-therapy by relaxation.”
Now that we know that listening to music daily is linked to one of the causes of headaches, the question still remains, can headphones cause headaches?
Headphones can, in fact, induce a headache and even a migraine. Headphone headaches are not medically recognized at the moment however, it has happened to us more than once. These headaches are caused by wearing the headphones themselves.
If you wear your headphones for long periods of time on a regular basis then a headache from the design of the headphones can occur. The headaches manifest through pressure exerted on your ears and temples due to the design of the headphones. These headaches feel like a normal headache you get when you have not had enough water to drink or bumped your head on the coffee table.
In more extreme cases, some people begin to experience phantom headphone headaches when they are not even wearing headphones at the time.
These headaches can be prevented and even stopped but you need to take the following steps to ensure that you stop the headaches dead in their tracks. If you do not want to make a lifestyle change, then you can always take a tablet to get rid of the headache but this will not prevent them from coming back.
How to stop headphone headaches
1. Stop wearing headphones every day
Headphone headaches will begin to disappear when you reduce the amount of time you expose your ears to the headphones themselves. There is no reason to have the headphones over your ears if you are not using them. Take your headphones off when you are not using them to reduce exposure.
Please keep in mind that if you are beginning to get sore ears from the headphones, you need to stop wearing them right away and find new ones. This will prevent damage to your hearing as well as to your ears.
2. Reduce your listening time
Sometimes it is hard to stop using headphones all together so the next best thing would be to limit your time using them on a daily basis. In other words, try your best to only use them in hour-long intervals.
This will allow your ears, temples and muscles around them to relax and get a break from the pressure exerted by the headphones themselves. Instead of listening to your headphones for 4 hours at a time, listen to them for an hour and have a small break and then go back to it.
3. Adjust your headphones
Headphones are not custom made. They are designed to fit on the average sided head however, they do come with adjustable straps to ensure that the headphones are comfortable for everyone to use. Please make sure that the headphones are not too tight on your head as the tightness causes pressure which will result in a headache.
It might take a few tries before you get the size perfect but you need to keep playing around with the headphones. If you feel like they are ok on your head but you are still getting headaches, try to make them a little bit bigger just in case.
4. Turn the volume down
More often than not, your headache is caused by the pressure of the headphones as well as the volume you have them on. Keep in mind that if you have headaches from the headphones, there is a chance that the loudness of them are causing damage to your ears. The damage can cause hearing loss and problems in the long run.
5. Find new headphones
there are so many options out there for you to choose from. You need to make sure that the earmuffs fit nicely on your ears and that the headphones are not too tight on your head. Once you find the perfect pair, you are able to help treat the symptoms of headphone headaches.
Please keep in mind that if you have followed these steps and you are still experiencing headaches, you need to go and see a doctor make sure that everything is fine and that there is not an underlying problem that needs to be solved medically.
Headphones might cause headaches when they are not used correctly however, there are a lot safer to use than earphones. The reason being is that you are not exposing your eardrums to the loud music directly but the sounds come through indirectly. This will help preserve your hearing for the future you.
The moral of the story is that you want your headphones to be comfortable and if they are causing headaches, you need to take the relevant steps to ensure that you are looking after your hearing, your ears as well as the muscles in your temples. Keep in mind the more you pay for the headphones, the better quality they are.
Sometimes it is worth spending a bit more money to ensure that you keep your body and senses safe.
