When you think of hearing loss, the causes that most likely come to mind are aging, genetics and damage from screaming loud concerts at the Easy Street Lounge. While protecting your hearing during concerts is crucial, loud music isn’t the only source of noise-induced hearing loss.
Video games are another source of noise-induced hearing loss you may not have considered. Let’s take a look at how video games can impact hearing and what you can do to protect your and your children’s ear health.
How Does Loud Noise Damage Hearing?
When a bird chirps in the park, the chirp creates sound vibrations collected by the outer ear. They then travel from the outer ear to the middle ear. Tiny bones in the middle ear amplify the sound waves and send them to the inner ear. In the inner ear, the sound waves travel through the cochlea. Fluid in the cochlea moves in response to the sound waves. As the fluid shifts, tiny hair cells move, creating electrical impulses that travel through the auditory nerve to the brain, where they are interpreted as sound.
You are born with approximately 16,000 of these tiny hair cells. When you hear a loud noise, the hair cells can become overworked and die, leading to permanent hearing loss. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that the threshold for noise-related hearing loss is prolonged exposure to noise above 70 dB or above 120 dB immediately. If video games expose you or your child to noise above the threshold for hearing damage, permanent hearing loss can occur.
How Loud Are Video Games?
A January 2024 review examined 14 studies to determine the risk of hearing loss posed by video games. The review found that sound levels ranged from 43.2 dB (mobile devices) to up to 80-89 dB (game consoles), with an average exposure time of at least one hour at a time. In addition to baseline sound levels, many games included sound bursts (sound lasting less than 1 second) as high as 119 dB. The combination of extended exposure to sounds as high as 80-89 dB and short exposure to sounds above 100 dB can leave video gamers at risk of developing noise-induced hearing loss.
How Can You Protect Your Hearing?
You don’t need to stop playing your favorite video games to protect your and your children’s hearing. Instead, consider implementing a few safety measures, including:
- Wear over-the-ear headphones and keep the volume below 70 dB
- Limit video game play to less than one hour at a time
- Check your video game settings for options to mute or lower the volume of sound bursts (blasts, shouting, etc.)
To learn more about protecting your hearing or treating hearing loss, contact Gary D. Schwartzberg, Au.D., Doctor of Audiology today to make an appointment with one of our specialists.