Technologies

I Asked Audiologists if My Earbuds Are Damaging My Ears

I spoke with ear health experts to learn more about the risks of wearing earbuds and which headphone style is best to prevent hearing loss.

I experienced hearing loss for the first time in early 2025 due to a case of eustachian tube dysfunction, which is when the tube connecting the middle ear to the back of the nose no longer functions properly. Even after I recovered, I was scared it would happen again. So as a wellness writer with 10-plus years of experience who understands the importance of being proactive with my health, I decided to do everything in my power to prevent hearing loss from affecting me again.

While researching ear health tips, I discovered that a common piece of technology, my earbuds, could have been contributing to my hearing issues. To find out if that’s actually the case, I spoke to ear health experts. This is what they had to say, and what they taught me about preserving my ear health.

Earbuds, ear health and hearing risks

Earbuds can pose a few risks, according to Dr. Ruth Reisman, a licensed audiologist and New York hearing aid dispenser. They can trap heat and moisture in the ear, increasing the risk of ear infections. With repeated use, earbuds can also push earwax deeper into the ear, leading to buildup or impaction. Plus, if your earbuds don’t fit correctly or you wear them for long periods, they can cause irritation or soreness in your ear canal.

“Earbuds sit directly in the ear canal, which can increase several risks. The biggest concern is noise-induced hearing loss if volume is too high or listening time is too long,” said Reisman. “I have witnessed all of these problems in the course of my 15 years as an audiologist.”

When you listen to content at high volume, particularly for an extended period, Dan Troast, an audiologist at HearUSA, explains that it can permanently damage the delicate hair cells in your inner ear. Earbud use combined with high volume can cause:

Noise-induced hearing loss
Tinnitus (ringing, buzzing or hissing in the ears)
Sound sensitivity over time

Misusing earbuds is also common. If they don’t have noise cancellation, you might repeatedly turn up the volume to avoid hearing background noise, which can put you in an unsafe listening range fast. However, even listening at a moderate volume can become a problem if you do so for hours each day.

“Early signs of overexposure include temporary muffled hearing or ringing after listening sessions — both are warning signals from the auditory system,” Troast said. Even if you periodically experience temporary ringing in your ears, it can ultimately increase your risk of developing chronic tinnitus.

Earbuds and radiation

In my search for ear health tips, I came across several articles discussing whether wireless Bluetooth earbuds can cause harm through radiation. I asked Reisman if this is true.

“Current scientific evidence doesn’t show that the energy from Bluetooth earbuds causes harm,” she said. “These devices emit far less radiation than cell phones and remain well below established safety limits. From an audiology standpoint, sound exposure is a far greater risk than radiation.”

The 60/60 rule you’ll want to follow if you wear earbuds

Both Reisman and Troast recommend the “60/60 rule” to people who wear earbuds. The 60/60 rule means you listen at no more than 60% of the maximum volume for no more than 60 minutes at a time.

“Daily use is fine if the volume stays safe and ears are given time to rest,” Reisman advises. “I usually tell patients to take a 15- to 20-minute break for every hour of use.”

If you haven’t already, Troast recommends checking whether your devices have built-in hearing health settings that automatically monitor volume exposure. For instance, on your iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad, you can set up headphone notifications to alert you to lower the volume when you’ve reached the seven-day audio exposure limit (such as 80 decibels for 40 hours over seven days). Or, you can activate the Reduce Loud Audio feature to have your headphone volume automatically lowered once it exceeds your set decibel level.

Safer types of headphones for your ears

Over-the-ear headphones are generally safer, according to Reisman, because they sit outside the ear canal and don’t concentrate sound as directly on the eardrum. Since they aren’t in the ear canal like earbuds, they’re also less likely to cause irritation or earwax buildup.

“Over-the-ear headphones can be safer — if they allow for lower listening volumes,” said Troast. “Even better are noise-canceling headphones, which reduce background noise, so listeners don’t feel the need to crank up the volume.” Just make sure you’re still aware of your surroundings, especially if you’re outdoors near traffic.

Open earbuds could also be a safer option. They use bone-conduction technology, which transmits sound through the earbones and the skull rather than directly to the eardrum. “Several headphone companies claim open earbuds are better for your hearing health and are more hygienic,” said David Carnoy, CNET’s resident headphone expert.

Since open earbuds don’t sit inside or cover the ear:

Warmth and moisture, like sweat, won’t build up, which can cause ear infections.
Debris, such as dust, won’t transfer from the earbuds into the ear.
They won’t push earwax deeper in your ear, which can lead to impaction.
Don’t rub or press on the ear canal, reducing discomfort or irritation.

However, if you listen to content at high volumes, no headphone style is completely safe. What matters most for your ear and hearing health is total sound exposure over time, so make sure you’re monitoring your volume level and giving your ears breaks.

Expert earbud tips

If earbuds are your preferred headphone type for listening to your favorite music, shows and podcasts, Troast offers the following tips from an audiology perspective:

Use built-in volume limit settings on smartphones.
Choose noise-canceling earbuds or headphones to avoid increasing volume in loud environments.
Take regular listening breaks.
Avoid sleeping in earbuds.
Get a baseline hearing test, especially if you use earbuds daily.

If you’re already experiencing tinnitus, it’s especially important that you manage your volume level to prevent it from worsening.

Carnoy adds that there have also been instances of people being allergic to the materials used for earbud tips. If you have a known allergy, make sure your earbuds don’t use that material, or replace the tips. If you do have an allergic reaction, stop using the earbud tips until you can find a substitute.

Lastly, Reisman advises keeping your earbuds clean, avoiding sharing them and ensuring they fit properly. Most earbuds come with tips in different sizes, so you can find the right fit for your ear size.

When to see an audiologist or doctor

If you experience ringing in the ears, muffled hearing, ear pain or frequent infections, Reisman recommends you consider an evaluation with an audiologist.

You’ll also want to pay attention to early warning signs of inner ear damage from noise exposure, such as ringing in the ears, difficulty hearing or needing to turn up the volume over time.

If you’re already experiencing hearing loss, Troast said that addressing it with hearing aids can provide relief. Tinnitus, on the other hand, can be treated with evidence-based approaches such as sound therapy or specific counseling strategies.

“Hearing damage is gradual and cumulative,” Reisman said, “but it’s also largely preventable with smart and healthy listening habits.” And that includes using your headphones — or, in my case, earbuds — responsibly.

Technologies

Trump warns ‘we’re going to hit them hard’ after Iran targets U.S. forces in Jordan: Report

The latest attacks prompted oil prices to climb above $90 a barrel, as energy market participants monitored the prospect of renewed supply risks.

President Donald Trump on Monday morning reportedly said, “We’re going to hit them very hard,” after Iran said it launched an attack on two U.S. bases in Jordan in response to an American strike on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend.

“There will be a response,” Trump said on a call to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, according to Yingst.

The president also reportedly told Fox that U.S. air defense systems intercepted all but one of the missiles launched at the bases by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, and that the remaining missile was allowed to pass through after it was determined that it would not strike anything significant.

The Guard said the U.S. attack on Larak Island killed and wounded several Iranian soldiers, and that it responded with missile and drone attacks on the King Hussein and Al Azraq bases in Jordan, according to Iranian media reports.

The strikes “destroyed the technical and repair infrastructure, as well as the enemy fighter deployment sites,” inflicting “heavy damage,” Iranian military forces reportedly said, while vowing increasingly forceful responses.

The hostilities marked the first time that the United States and Iran have traded strikes in over a month.

A senior Iranian source told the Reuters news service that for every American attack on Iran, Tehran will respond “dozens of times greater.”

“No target in the region is beyond Tehran’s reach,” the source told Reuters.

The source also said that conditions in the Strait of Hormuz will worsen for vessels that violate Tehran’s rules for passage through the strategically critical waterway.

American forces hit two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday after the U.S. military said Tehran’s Guard was preparing rockets carrying sea mines for launch into the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command confirmed to MS NOW.

“Earlier today U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz,” Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson, said in a statement to MS NOW.

“Last week, CENTCOM completed clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping routes. U.S. forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway,” he said.

Larak, a small Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, has become a key military and shipping control point for Tehran, used by the Guard to monitor vessel traffic through one of the world’s most important maritime routes.

Sunday’s attack was the first publicly acknowledged U.S. strike on Iranian positions since late July.

The back-and-forth strikes come as the U.S. Defense Department on Monday announced that it had reached seven-year procurement contracts with General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin to increase production quantities and speed up delivery schedules for “critical subcomponents” for systems used to intercept ballistic missiles.

The systems are Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement.

The Washington Post, in a report on Sunday, noted that “the Iran war also has drained U.S. supplies of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors — vital not only to the protection of American assets in the Middle East but to regional allies as well — and long-range Tomahawk missiles.”

“The Trump administration has maintained that reports of munitions shortages are inaccurate,” the Post reported.

The war has dragged on for six months and sharply disrupted vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy shipments.

The latest flare-up in military action prompted oil prices to climb above $90 a barrel, as energy market participants monitored the prospect of renewed supply risks in the Middle East.

International benchmark Brent crude

Trump on Monday extended his military threats against Iran to Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export terminal.

Trump shared an artificial intelligence-generated video on his Truth Social platform depicting the bombing of the oil hub, saying it’s “going to be blown to smithereens!”

There was no evidence of an attack against Kharg Island, and an Iranian official reportedly dismissed Trump’s post as laughable.

On Monday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said a supertanker had caught fire and was left disabled in the southern Strait of Hormuz after striking two naval mines, saying they were not complying with Iran’s rules for passage, according to Iranian media reports. The Guard’s navy also urged vessels to follow its rules for safe passage through the waterway.

Separately, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that the U.S. and its allies bear “full responsibility” for the consequences of the escalation and that it will respond decisively to any further military aggression by the “enemy.”

Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said Monday that the country was working to achieve a diplomatic agreement to bring an end to the conflict, adding the continuation of war “serves neither our interests nor those of the region or humanity.”

Speaking alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kyrgyzstan, Pezeshkian said Monday that the U.S. side “has not fulfilled its commitments,” state media reported.

The U.S. Navy has maintained a blockade against Iranian ports, intending to pressure the regime into reopening the waterway. Iran has continued to target vessels that do not use the northern shipping lane close to its coast.

Another tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting inbound in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, using the southern lane along the Omani coast, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre. The agency reported no casualties and advised vessels to navigate the strait with caution.

Technologies

Brent crude exceeds $90 following U.S.-Iran hostilities flare-up

Oil prices jumped after U.S. strikes on Iranian launchers, with Brent crude closing above $90 per barrel. The escalation has heightened tensions, disrupting energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil prices surged Monday after U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, marking a return to combat between Washington and Tehran. Brent crude futures for September delivery gained 2.7% to close at $90.49 a barrel, while front-month U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures added 2.8% to settle at $85.76 per barrel. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson, confirmed in a statement that U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island, with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz. According to the Associated Press, Sunday’s attack was the first publicly acknowledged U.S. strike on Iranian positions since late July. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps reported that the U.S. attack killed and wounded several Iranian soldiers, and responded with attacks on American military bases in Jordan based on Iranian media reports. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump extended his military threats against Iran to Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export terminal, posting on Truth Social that it’s “going to be blown to smithereens!” Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy shipments, has been severely disrupted by the Middle East conflict, which has entered its sixth month. “Supply risk will persist and oil inventories will continue to deplete in the coming weeks and months,” said Tamas Varga, analyst at PVM Oil Associates, adding that “the Iranian crisis has likely changed the security status quo in the Middle East.” “Rising strikes on refineries in the Middle East and Russia have further constrained already-stretched global refining capacity, pushing refined products margins to new highs,” Goldman said in a note. —Verum’s Anniek Bao contributed to the report.

Technologies

Trump warns ‘we’re going to hit them hard’ after Iran targets U.S. forces in Jordan: Report

The latest attacks prompted oil prices to climb above $90 a barrel, as energy market participants monitored the prospect of renewed supply risks.