The ‘Healthy’ Habit That’s Silently Damaging Your Hearing, According to Audiologists ...Saudi Arabia

The birds chirping. Our favorite bop on the radio (or wherever you stream music these days). The sounds of loved ones laughing. These sounds make up the soundtrack of our lives. But our daily habits can affect how long and well we hear them.

OK—say, what? Audiologists repeat: Your daily habits can contribute to hearing loss quickly or over time.

"Our habits matter a lot because hearing damage is cumulative and sneaky," explains Dr. Ross Cushing, Au.D., a board-certified audiologist and CEO/co-founder of Live Better Hearing + Balance. "It builds up over years of everyday noise exposure, not necessarily just one loud event. So, small choices about volume and the length of time you're exposed are essentially the only 'treatment' there is for hearing loss prevention because of noise."

Now, we have good news and bad news. Good news first: despite a growing (and aging) population, hearing loss numbers actually dipped a bit—from 16% (28.0 million) in 1999-2004 to 14% (27.7 million) in 2011-12, the National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders (NIDCD) reports. Age is the strongest predictor of hearing loss, but you can still feel empowered knowing you often have some say in how quickly and how much your hearing declines. The bad news is that there are a lot of sneaky, everyday sounds that can contribute to our ears...not working like they used to.

"Activities like mowing the lawn, concerts or loud toys can be damaging," Dr. Melissa Schnitzspahn, Au.D., an audiology manager with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells Parade. "Some sounds, like a firecracker going off, can be loud enough that one exposure can cause hearing loss. If we’re aware of potential threats to our hearing, we can better work to protect it."

Unfortunately, there's a so-called "healthy" habit that audiologists warn can silently damage your hearing—and the effects often begin shortly after birth. They sound off on the popular habit and alternatives below.

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Audiologists warn that using white noise machines can damage hearing, even if you use them with the healthiest intentions.

"White noise is a sound that combines all of the pitches that we can hear at the same level," Dr. Schnitzspahn notes. "A white noise machine emits the sound and is often found to be helpful for sleeping, soothing babies and tinnitus."

Yet, research shows that using a white noise machine can actually negatively affect sleep and hearing.

Dr. Amy Sarow, Au.D., CCC-A, an audiologist and the director of consumer education & audiology with Hearing Tracker, notes that exposure to certain levels can be dangerous to your ears. For this reason, she notes that employers must implement hearing conservation programs, such as providing hearing protection and annual hearing testing, for workers once they're exposed to an average of 85 dBA (A-weighted decibels) over an eight-hour workday.

"Many hearing professionals also use 85 dBA as a practical benchmark because noise exposure above this level becomes increasingly risky as either the volume or duration increases," Dr. Sarow explains. "Hearing loss can happen abruptly, in the case of one brief, extremely loud impulse sound—like a gunshot—or it can happen due to hours of consistent exposure."

Some research suggests that white noise machines can exceed 85 decibels, which can harm hearing during a night's sleep, Dr. Cushing explains.

"Then, if you compound that exposure to many nights, the risk increases," he adds.

Even if you're slightly below 85 dBA, Dr. Sarow warns that it can add up, especially if it's happening for several straight hours overnight—over the course of several nights.

"During the day, that person may also experience other noise due to work or recreational noise exposure," she says. "Repeated over time, excessive noise exposure can contribute to gradual noise-induced hearing loss."

White noise machines are especially common infant sleep tools, but Dr. Cushing warns they're not as risk-free as they seem. "The riskiest scenarios are actually the common ones—the white noise machine turned up loud next to the baby's crib to try to mask out a noisy environment, and left running all night," he tells Parade.

Dr. Cushing adds that babies are especially vulnerable because their ear canals are smaller, which can amplify high-pitched sounds and cause more damage. He also notes that there's concern the noise may affect normal auditory development because—believe it or not—the brain learns to process sounds even during sleep.

Related: 7 Subtle Signs of Hearing Loss That Most People Don’t Notice, According to an Audiologist

White Noise Machines: Best Practices for Hearing Protection & Alternatives

If you're going to use a white noise machine to improve your focus or sleep or help a baby, Dr. Cushing suggests keeping the sound below 50 decibels, measured where your head rests. He recommends the same noise level for adults and infants and notes that the CDC has a free sound level meter app.

He also advises people to keep white noise machines at least seven feet from a bed or crib. If the machine has a timer setting, use it.

"Shorter is safer," he tells Parade. "Ideally, use a timer so the machine shuts off after you fall asleep. Most people only need the masking during the window of time that they are actually trying to fall asleep. That said, if you need to have it all night, then put it on the lowest volume, and put it at least seven feet away from you."

Dr. Sarow says you can also consider alternatives to white noise machines, such as:

She says these products usually produce steady-state noises at lower levels.

Related: This Super Common Issue Could Increase Your Dementia Risk, According to Neurologists—Here’s How To Prevent It

Using a white noise machine isn't the only habit to ditch if you want to protect your ears. Dr. Schnitzspahn says other things to stop doing if you want to reduce your hearing loss risk include:

Listening to headphones too loudly.Not wearing hearing protection when doing loud activities (working, using firearms and attending concerts).Using Q-tips to clean your ears ("They are labeled to clean the outer part of your ear, not to remove wax," Dr. Schnitzspahn points out. "You end up pushing the wax deeper into your ear and forming a wall of wax that then has to be removed by a professional. If your ear canal is blocked, your hearing is blocked.")

"The best thing, when possible, is to prevent noise-induced hearing loss by turning the volume down, limiting exposure duration or using hearing protection," Dr. Sarow says. "Once someone has hearing loss, hearing aids can help to improve hearing and make speech clearer."

Up Next:

Related: I'm a Hearing Doctor—These Are 3 Things I Would Never, Ever Do With My Ears

Sources:

Hence then, the article about the healthy habit that s silently damaging your hearing according to audiologists was published today ( Tuesday 11/08/2026 - 09:30 PM ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.

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