With electronics getting cheaper every year, noise cancelling headphones have become so popular that almost everyone you see either has a pair in their pocket or actively using them to block out noise.
The technology is not only handy for reducing external noise, but can also help protect your ears against loud and sudden noises. However, a new report suggests they might be damaging the ability to understand words.
According to the BBC, five audiology departments from the United Kingdom’s National Health Service said that an increasing number of people are having touble hearing. On diagnosis, it was found out that their hearing was normal, but some were diagnosed with auditory processing disorder, or APD for short, a condition where the brain is unable to understand sounds and spoken words.
While the root cause of the issue is still unknown, the report suggests that prolonged use of noise cancelling earphones and headphones may be to blame. For those unaware, APD commonly affects people who have had a brain injury or often have ear infections.
In case you are wondering, people with APD find it hard to understand people talking in noisy environments, differentiate between similar sounding words and trouble processing spoken instructions.
While there is still no solid evidence of noise cancelling headphones causing APD, Claire Benton, the vice president of the British Academy of Audiology told BBC that noise cancelling headphones may cause the brain to “forget” how it should process environmental noise.
Doctors have repeatedly cautioned users about the health risks associated with listening to music at high volume, but the new warning suggests that even low volumes can be detrimental.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd