Turn It Down, Not Off: Protecting Your Hearing While Using Earbuds and Headphones

For many office workers, music is part of the workday. We put in earbuds to concentrate, wear headphones during Teams meetings, listen to podcasts while completing repetitive tasks, or use music to block out conversations and other distractions.

There is nothing inherently wrong with enjoying music or using earbuds and headphones. The concern is how loud we listen and how long we listen.

Hearing damage from excessive sound exposure can develop gradually, and by the time we recognize that our hearing has changed, some of that damage may be permanent. The good news is that noise-induced hearing loss is largely preventable.

It Is About Volume AND Time

When we think about hearing damage, we often picture extremely loud environments such as construction sites, concerts, machinery, or firearms. However, headphones and earbuds can also produce sound levels capable of damaging hearing.

The important concept is sound dose.

Your hearing risk depends on both:

• How loud the sound is

• How long you are exposed to it

The louder the music, the less time you can safely listen.

According to the World Health Organization, listening at an average level of approximately 80 decibels can be safe for up to about 40 hours per week. At 90 decibels, recommended safe listening time drops dramatically to approximately four hours per week.

This means that a volume that seems comfortable for a few songs may become a problem when that same level is played through earbuds for most of an eight-hour workday.

What Happens Inside Your Ear?

Deep inside the inner ear are delicate sensory structures that help convert sound into signals that your brain can understand.

Excessive noise can fatigue and eventually damage these structures. After loud sound exposure, you may temporarily notice:

• Ringing or buzzing in your ears

• Muffled hearing

• A feeling that your ears are "full"

• Difficulty understanding conversation

• Needing to turn the television or radio louder than usual

Temporary symptoms may disappear after your ears have had time to recover. However, repeated or excessive exposure can cause permanent noise-induced hearing loss or tinnitus. WHO notes that this damage may develop gradually enough that people do not recognize it until their ability to understand speech has already been affected.

Unlike many injuries, permanent noise-induced hearing loss cannot simply be reversed once the damage has occurred.

Are Earbuds Worse Than Headphones?

Earbuds often receive most of the attention, but the real issue is not simply whether the speaker is inside your ear or sitting over it.

The sound level reaching your ear and the duration of exposure are what matter most.

A pair of over-the-ear headphones played excessively loud can damage hearing just as earbuds can. Likewise, earbuds used at a reasonable listening level can be used much more safely.

The problem often occurs when background noise causes us to gradually increase the volume.

An employee starts listening at a comfortable level. Conversations begin nearby, the HVAC system comes on, someone starts a meeting, or the employee moves to a noisier location. Without thinking about it, the volume gets turned up.

After a while, that louder setting begins to feel normal.

Try the 60% Guideline

One simple recommendation from the World Health Organization is to keep personal listening devices at no more than about 60% of their maximum volume. WHO also recommends trying to keep monitored listening levels below an average of approximately 80 decibels.

Remember that the percentage shown on a phone or computer is only a practical guideline. Different devices and headphones have different maximum outputs.

Many modern smartphones, tablets, watches, and headphones can monitor headphone sound levels or warn you when your listening exposure becomes excessive.

Pay attention to those warnings rather than automatically dismissing them.

They are there to help protect something you cannot easily replace: your hearing.

Noise-Canceling Headphones Can Actually Help

Some people assume noise-canceling headphones are harmful because they block outside sound. From a hearing-conservation standpoint, they can actually be beneficial when used correctly.

Good noise-canceling headphones reduce background noise, which means you may be able to hear your music, podcast, or meeting clearly without turning the volume up as high.

WHO specifically recommends well-fitting and noise-canceling headphones as one way of reducing the need for higher listening levels.

There is one important consideration: situational awareness.

Noise-canceling headphones should not interfere with your ability to recognize emergency alarms, evacuation instructions, approaching vehicles, equipment, or other important warnings. Follow workplace rules concerning headphones and earbuds, particularly when leaving the office and entering parking lots, warehouses, shops, construction areas, or other operational environments.

Give Your Ears a Break

Office employees can spend a surprising amount of time wearing headphones.

You may start the morning listening to music, switch directly to a Teams meeting, go back to music, attend another virtual meeting, listen to a podcast at lunch, and then put your earbuds back in for the afternoon.

Your ears may receive very little quiet time during the entire workday.

Take periodic listening breaks. Remove your earbuds or headphones and allow yourself some time in a relatively quiet environment.

If you do not need headphones for a particular meeting or task, consider using your computer speakers at a reasonable level instead.

These breaks reduce your total daily sound exposure and give your ears an opportunity to recover.

Louder Means Less Time

The relationship between sound level and safe exposure time is important because decibels do not work like a simple percentage scale.

NIOSH uses an occupational noise exposure recommendation of 85 dBA averaged over eight hours and recommends that allowable exposure time be cut in half for every 3-decibel increase in sound level.

The practical lesson is simple:

A small increase in volume can result in a significant increase in sound exposure.

Turning your music "just a little louder" throughout the day can make a much bigger difference to your ears than you might expect.

Protect Your Hearing Outside the Office Too

Hearing exposure does not reset when you leave work.

Consider the total amount of noise you experience throughout your day and week. After spending hours wearing headphones at work, you might:

• Listen to loud music during your commute

• Mow the lawn

• Use power tools

• Attend a concert

• Go to a sporting event

• Ride a motorcycle

• Use headphones while exercising

• Listen to loud entertainment at home

All of these exposures contribute to the sound your ears experience.

Protecting your hearing therefore requires thinking beyond your workstation.

Watch for Warning Signs

Do not ignore changes in your hearing.

Consider having your hearing evaluated if you experience persistent:

• Ringing, buzzing, or humming in the ears

• Difficulty understanding speech

• Trouble following conversations when background noise is present

• Difficulty hearing higher-pitched sounds

• A need to continually increase television, music, or headphone volume

WHO recommends seeking professional evaluation when persistent tinnitus or hearing difficulties occur.

Simple Habits That Protect Your Hearing

You do not have to stop listening to music to protect your ears. Instead, develop better listening habits.

Keep the volume reasonable. Try to stay below about 60% of maximum device volume.

Use noise-canceling headphones when appropriate. Reducing background noise can reduce the temptation to overpower it with louder music.

Take listening breaks. Your ears do not need headphones in them every minute of the workday.

Use your device's hearing-safety features. Pay attention to headphone-level notifications and sound-exposure warnings.

Do not compete with noise. If you have to turn your headphones significantly louder because the environment is noisy, consider moving to a quieter location instead.

Be aware of your surroundings. Never allow headphones or earbuds to prevent you from hearing alarms, warnings, vehicles, equipment, or important workplace communications.

Protect your hearing away from work. Use appropriate hearing protection during loud recreational or household activities.

Pay attention to changes. Ringing ears and muffled hearing after listening are warning signs, not proof that you had a really good playlist.

Your Hearing Has to Last a Lifetime

Music can help us focus, improve our mood, reduce distractions, and make the workday more enjoyable. Headphones and earbuds are also valuable tools for virtual meetings and communication.

The goal is not to stop using them.

The goal is to use them intelligently.

Turn the volume down. Take occasional breaks. Use noise-canceling technology appropriately. Monitor your listening exposure. And remember that if your music needs to be extremely loud to overcome everything happening around you, the better solution may be to reduce the surrounding noise rather than increase the volume.

You can always turn up your favorite song.

You cannot turn up hearing that has been permanently lost.

Enjoy the music—and protect your hearing so you can continue enjoying it for years to come.

References

World Health Organization, Deafness and Hearing Loss: Safe Listening, updated March 6, 2026.

World Health Organization and International Telecommunication Union, Safe Listening Devices and Systems: A WHO-ITU Standard.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC, Understand Noise Exposure and occupational noise guidance.