Whenever I need to make something happen in a hard workout, like run 400 meters in 65 seconds after an hour of exercise, I suddenly have zero regard for my ears.
I’ll throw on a banger, crank my Apple Watch’s volume toggle as far north as it goes, then run as fast as my exhausted body will allow. However it goes, whatever time I hit — it always feels the same. It’s a state of being that I despise and cherish in equal measure. I am filled with dread beforehand, and filled with gratitude when it’s over. I know how healthy it is for me to empty the tank once in a while, for body, mind and soul.
And yet: I have a sneaking suspicion that this ritual can’t possibly be good for my ears. How many times can you zap your auditory ossicles without incurring some sort of permanent damage? And if my ears are indeed suffering — how should I measure and consider their health, against the health of my heart (or my brain)?
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First things first: music is a performance-enhancer. As a team of exercise scientists catalogued in this study, music can help reduce one’s perception of fatigue “through dissociation and distraction.”
That doesn’t mean you need it for a good workout — I know many runners, cyclists and lifers who prefer to exercise without it. But there’s a reason Peloton instructors have to know how to curate the perfect playlist.
Deployed accordingly, the right song can function as instructive (think: lower BPM for warm-ups, cool downs or steady state cardio) or inspiring (soaring chorus or motivational lyrics for a high-octane effort). At its best, it can even help induce the vaunted flow state.
How Loud Is Too Loud?
So we all agree that music is useful. But surely it’s useful without needing to blast it off one’s cranium? Even short bursts of exposure to loud noises can damage cochlear hair cells. (Those are the special transducers that convert sound waves into electrical signals, and send that auditory information to the brain.)
According to global studies released in 2020, a quarter of people aged 12-35 listen to sounds at unsafe levels. If you’re listening to your headphones at their highest setting, that’s somewhere in the range of 94–110 decibels (dB) — meanwhile, a mark of just 85 dB is enough to damage your ears over time.
What does ear damage look (or sound) like? You’re probably familiar with tinnitus, the annoying ringing that’s vexed many a retiree. As many as 60 million Americans deal with it, but fortunately only 10% of cases require professional intervention.
Still, hearing loss has sobering correlations with an increased risk of dementia, depression and even fall risk. That last one kind of surprised me. But it has a lot to do with environmental awareness and mental energy. It’s exhausting to spend one’s twilight years always trying to figure out what someone’s said, or where that noise is coming from. It can really dent your sense of autonomy, while inflating your medical bills.
What Can You Do About It?
You have some options here. Experts at the World Health Organization recommends that you follow the “60-60 rule”: never listen at 60% of the volume capacity for longer than 60 minutes. If you don’t trust yourself, consider setting a maximum volume limit on your device.
The precise pair of headphones matters too. Noise-canceling headphones drown out ambient noise, meaning you’ll be able to hear your music over a loud train without having to crank the volume. (Just keep in mind that you’ll be less aware of your surroundings as a result…not so safe if you’re running on roads.)
I’m a fan of bone conduction headphones, like this pair from Shokz, which lets you listen to music without having to stuff speakers directly into your eardrums. That said, they’re not a free pass: if you crank the volume, you’re still flooding the cochlea with stimulus, just through a different route. They’re more useful for situational listening.
If you’re a fan of in-person workout classes, keep in mind that they regularly crank music in the 93-101 dB range, according to a 2021 study. Obviously, you don’t want to be the guy that asks an exuberant trainer to turn down “Lose Yourself.” But 15 minutes at 100 dB can do serious damage — so be mindful if that’s your primary medium for exercise.
Finally, it’s up to you to decide whether a track workout sprint, or max effort on the bench press, should warrant an all-out assault on your ears. As always, I think it’s important to separate wellness goals from athletic ones. We make all sorts of sacrifices in service of the former, and as long as I’m still chasing certain PRs, I think I can justify it. But I know I’m borrowing against something I might not get back.
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