Yes, noise-canceling headphones play a role in protecting your hearing but their effectiveness will depend on the situation you are in.
Noise-induced hearing loss is a big problem in our busy world.
Our ears are regularly exposed to dangerously high decibels but wearing noise-canceling headphones is an easy way to protect your hearing.
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According to the World Health Organization 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of hearing loss due to exposure to damaging levels of sound through personal audio devices and noisy venues such as nightclubs and sporting events.
Noise-canceling headphones reduce the need to turn up the volume on personal devices to dangerous levels and can reduce the amount of noise exposure experienced in loud environments.
Passive noise-canceling headphones act like soundproofing for your ears, they use material to physically stop the sound from reaching your ear canal.
They are worn by airline pilots as they provide a good level of overall protection.
They are not particularly great at isolating low-frequency sounds but you can expect protection from mid and high-frequency sounds such as a baby crying or dog barking.
In summary, passive noise cancellation headphones are able to protect your hearing to some extent and are generally effective against all types of noise including sudden, impulsive noises such as the noise of a firework, gunshot, or heavy weights being dropped in a gym.
Active noise-canceling headphones measure the sound waves of external noises and creates the opposite sound so the noises cancel each other out before they reach your ear.
Due to the way the active noise cancellation works they need time to work meaning they are more effective against constant noises such as the hum of traffic or an airplane engine.
Active noise-canceling headphones are most effective when the sound is consistent and remains at more or less the same volume, you can even use them without music.
Unfortunately, this means they are not effective against loud impulsive noises as the technology isn’t able to work quick enough to cancel out these sudden sounds before they reach your ears.
Active noise-canceling headphones also need to have battery power in order to work, they are generally effective against low frequencies but aren’t great when it comes to high-frequency noises.
In summary, active noise-canceling headphones are a high tech option that are ideal for enjoying music without having to crank the volume up.
This is important for protecting your ears too as listening to music at high volumes is one of the key causes of hearing loss.
There are a couple of different ways these headphones can protect your ears.
If you are looking for protection against noise in a range of environments you should consider a pair of headphones that use both types of noise cancellation.
The NHS actually recommends using noise-canceling headphones as a way to prevent hearing loss by avoiding listening to music at dangerously high volumes.
Turning up music loud when trying to drown out outside noise is one of the biggest dangers to hearing.
The best type of headphones to protect your hearing will depend on the situations you are in.
The below list can give you a rough idea of what situations the headphone types are best suited to:
Remember, you can also get noise-canceling headphones that use both technologies but these may cost more.
Also Read:
Noise Cancelling Headphones Vs Noise Isolating Headphones: Which Are Best?
Let’s clarify that noise-canceling headphones are not classified as professional hearing protection equipment. Common hearing protection devices include earmuffs and earplugs.
These are affordable options that can reduce the sound you are being exposed to. Let’s compare noise-canceling headphones and protective ear muffs in case you are trying to decide which is best for you.
Choosing between ear protection and noise-canceling headphones really depends on the noise you want to reduce, where you will be using the headphones and what you feel most comfortable wearing.
Protective ear muffs and passive noise-canceling headphones work very similarly. Both can provide good protection against noise in general but you should choose the option that is best for the job at hand.
If you are specifically looking for ear protection (for example you work in construction or somewhere where there’s a lot of noise) then it may be best to go for standard protective ear muffs.
Protective ear muffs will be able to protect your hearing from a wider range of noise and will block enough noise to reduce your exposure to a safe level.
If you are looking for noise-canceling headphones because you work in a loud environment, you may want to consider if wearing high tech (sometimes expensive) noise-canceling headphones is going to be suitable and worthwhile or whether you will risk damaging or losing them.
The good thing about noise-canceling headphones is that they can be a lot smaller in size and offer more mobility and comfort than the larger protective ear muffs.
If you are looking to protect your ears and enjoy music or podcasts at the same time, go for the noise-canceling headphones.
If your priority is protecting your ears from noise pollution and you’re not fussed about size or style then go for low-tech ear plugs or ear muffs instead.
If you are choosing between active and passive noise cancelation headphones, we have already discussed the main differences between them. To summarise:
If you want to listen to music while wearing noise-canceling headphones you may be wondering if the audio quality will be impacted by the headphone technology.
Active noise cancellation involves generating sound waves which requires battery power to work.
This often means that the sound quality is slightly compromised and is why many people prefer passive noise-canceling headphones when they want to continue enjoying high-quality music. This slight degradation of audio quality may not be noticeable if you aren’t sitting still listening to every note of the music.
However, if you will be listening to the music carefully you will likely notice the reduced quality.
With that said, it is usually not noticeable in the higher-performing, premium headphone models so that may be a good option for people looking for active noise reduction headphones that offer high audio quality too.
Yes, noise-canceling headphones are safe to use.
They do not emit any dangerous radiation and can actually protect your ears from harmful noise.
However, if you play music at full volume you risk damaging your hearing.
The Royal National Institute for Deaf People say that long exposure to sounds over 80dB(A) can damage your ears. To put this into perspective, the following are sound levels of common noises:
The amount of time you can be safely exposed to these noises decreases as the decibels rise.
You can be exposed to 60dB conversation for 12 hours without experiencing risk (aside from irritation) but you shouldn’t be exposed to a road drill for more than 7.5 minutes as the loud noise can cause harm.
The Health and Safety Executive actually have a daily and weekly noise exposure calculator so you can work out how much noise you are being exposed to on a regular basis.
Noise-canceling headphones can help protect your hearing but they are not protective ear muffs so don’t expect too much from them.
They can also cause damage if you play music too loud when wearing them so take care.
It’s important to remember that not all headphones are created equally and noise-canceling headphones don’t offer a noise reduction rating (NRR), a number which is found on hearing protection equipment as they need to adhere to a specific standard.
Noise-canceling headphones are perfect for enjoying your music or podcasts without needing to turn up the volume to dangerous levels in an attempt to drown out external noise.