“We’re Sleeping Our Way to Deafness”: The Hidden Cost of Earbuds at Night

LAGOS, Nigeria — We do it without thinking. We lie down, plug in our earbuds, and let music or a podcast carry us into sleep.

For millions of Nigerians, it has become a nightly ritual, as automatic as switching off the light.

But ENT specialists are now warning that this seemingly harmless habit could be quietly damaging our ears in ways that may not become apparent for years.

The risk, experts say, is twofold.

First, there is the prolonged exposure to sound. When you sleep with earbuds in, your ears are exposed to sound continuously, without the breaks recommended for safe listening.

The World Health Organisation warns that the risk of hearing damage depends on the loudness, duration and frequency of sound exposure.

Prolonged exposure can initially cause temporary hearing loss or tinnitus.

Repeated or continuous exposure can permanently damage sensory cells and other inner-ear structures.

Second, there is the physical blockage of the ear canal. Keeping earbuds inside the ear canal for prolonged periods traps moisture and interferes with the normal movement of earwax, creating conditions that encourage infection and other ear problems.

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The Science of Irreversible Damage

Dr. Mustapha Lawal, a Specialist Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon at the National Ear Care Centre, Kaduna, explained that prolonged exposure could initially cause a temporary threshold shift, in which hearing becomes temporarily less sensitive.

The effect could occur even when the sound was not extremely loud, if the exposure continued for several hours.

“If the noise is not that loud, however, it is on for several hours,” he said. “Once it has gone through what you call a permanent threshold shift, then that one is irreversible”.

According to him, giving the ears adequate rest is important because continued exposure could allow temporary hearing changes to progress to permanent damage.

Prolonged noise exposure could also affect concentration, communication and quality of life, particularly when hearing difficulties begin to interfere with everyday interactions.

Professor Adoga Agida Samuel, a Professor of Ear, Nose and Throat and Head and Neck Surgery at the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Benue State, warned that sleeping with earbuds could also affect the health of the ear canal.

Prolonged occlusion of the ear could encourage inflammation and infection, while some users could also react to materials used in earbuds.

A Nigerian Problem, A Global Crisis

The concern is particularly relevant in Nigeria, where a WHO regional report puts the prevalence of disabling hearing loss at 6.7 per cent.

A Nigerian study involving 272 prolonged headphone and earphone users and an equal number of non-users in Kaduna found hearing loss in 17.6 per cent of users, compared with 7.4 per cent among the control group.

Most hearing loss among users was mild, bilateral and sensorineural, with high frequencies the most affected.Globally, the WHO estimates that more than one billion people aged 12 to 35 are at risk of hearing loss because of unsafe recreational exposure to loud sounds, including sound from personal audio devices.

The agency recommends keeping volume below 60 per cent of the maximum and taking regular breaks from listening.

The 60/60 Rule

The advice from specialists is simple but often ignored: follow the 60/60 rule.

Keep the volume below 60 per cent of the maximum, and limit listening sessions to no more than 60 minutes at a time.

And above all, do not sleep with earbuds in.

For a generation that has grown up with earbuds as a constant companion, the warning is a wake-up call.

The damage may not be immediate. It may not even be noticeable.

But it is cumulative. And once it becomes permanent, no amount of volume can bring it back.