Headache From Headphones

Headache From Headphones


We all are used to wearing headphones or earbuds for many reasons. Some people have to attend online meetings which makes it necessary to wear headphones to listen to colleagues without any noise distortion or to reach your voice to them clearly. The young generation is passionate about music or they have made gaming their profession which requires some kind of audio device to help them level up their work. We must keep in mind headache from headphones and take preventive measures to avoid it.

Listening to music or playing games without getting hearing damage or headaches from headphones is quite inevitable. Some people really don’t care about headaches or tensed eyes from wearing headphones for a long time because they hardly feel it. But, what makes it difficult for most people to listen to music or DJing for a long time with their headphones on their heads?

Does Wearing Headphones Cause Headaches?

Yes! headphones and earbuds cause headaches when you wear them for a long time without giving your ears rest. There have not been any medical findings on the issue of headaches from headphones which have been proved. But, how do you come up with no negative effects on your body when you use any external thing excessively especially when the utility is linked with our brain, eyes, or heads which tend to be the sensitive part of our body and more prone to damage?

Reasons Behind Headphone Headaches

1. Wearing tight headphones

Headphones tend to rest above the head which requires some clamping force to adjust them to their place. So, they apply force from both sides. If they are too tight, they will obviously put more pressure on your head which is why some people may face a change in their head shape i-e; Head Dent.

Read more: How to Prevent Headphone Hair

Some headphones have stretching bands that can be expanded if they are not properly fitting on your head. But, never ignore the pressure applied by tight headphones for a long time, It may lead to some internal damage in the brain’s veins.

2. Shallow Ear Cup Padding

Headphones must be very comfortable to wear which is essential if you have to use them for a long time. Usually, Headphones’ strips and earcups are attached to our heads and ears. So, it is important that both of these are made to create some distance between your ears and headphones to feel relaxed and give a smooth feeling to your ears.

Ear cups are made enough wide to listen to music without any external noise. So, they cover our ears fully, but if they are made from the material that is itching our body or gives rash on the parts where they lie. We may feel pressure on our heads which causes headaches. You must opt for headphones that have foam ear cups and enough padding between your ears and headphones.

3. Using A Headphone That Is Not Suitable For Your Ears

You must have observed that all the fitting devices or other things are made at a standard size that fits comfortably for normal height, and weight persons. If you have purchased headphones that don’t fit easily on your head and you have made yourself bound to wear them forcefully, you are putting more pressure which will directly impact your head. It isn’t your fault rather manufacturer hasn’t made it for your size.

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4. Improper ear tips

Some earbuds are too tight to adjust in our ears and we try to insert them into our ears forcefully which does not maintain the normal position of the earbuds in the ears. There are some after-market ear tips that are available in different sizes and different materials. You can purchase foam ear tips according to your ears’ size and it will be quite comfortable to wear them. It will also improve the sound quality and you will feel better with the noise-cancellation feature.

5. Turning Up Volume

If you listen to music very often, you must follow some precautionary measures which will save your ears’ health and avoid any hearing damage. You must keep your sound level within safe limits. Because, if you try to listen to very high-level sounds too often, hearing damage may occur resulting in hearing loss. It is one of the most common reasons for headaches from headphones due to high-level sound.

6. Excessively Wearing headphones

You must use tech gadgets within their precautionary limits and if you wish to go outside of limits, it can result in damage. You must use headphones for 1 hour a day according to World Health Organization. If you have to listen to music or play games with headphones on your head, you must adhere to safe timings of their usage otherwise it may cause headaches in your head.

If you listen to sound wearing your headphones for more than 8 hours, you are probably at hearing loss risk. If you listen to a volume above 85dB, this is also bad for your ears’ health. The safe listening time is cut in half for every 3-dB rise in noise levels over 85 dB.

Research
Recommended: How Long Should You Wear Headphones a Day

Discomforts of People with Glasses when Wearing Headphones

Headaches

People who wear glasses every time are more prone to headaches. Because, when they wear headphones, they are wearing them above their glasses which ultimately puts more pressure on their head. This is called a compression headache and those people feel it quickly after wearing headphones. When they wear them for a long time, the pain increases with time.

Headaches due to headphones when wearing headphones can be due to the following reasons:

  • Glasses are not designed to feel relaxed and comfortable.
  • Headphones’ ear cups are made from hard material, causing itching in your ears.
  • Ear cup padding is so thick irritating the body.
  • Headphone pressure from its band clamping force has been increased with glasses on our face.

How to Stop Headphones From Hurting Your Ears?

If you are passionate about music or play games regularly with your headphones, you must follow the guidelines given in the steps below to prevent headaches.

(i)Don’t use earphones for long periods of time

If you wear your headphones or earphones too long, you must give your headrest and you must take breaks timely which will keep your health maintained and avoid you from any hearing damage or headache.

You must follow the 60:60 Rule which explains that your sound level must be below 60% and you should use your headphones for 60 minutes a day. 

(ii)Don’t Wear Headphones Uselessly

Nowadays, people have made it a style to wear their headphones when they don’t have any special work to do with them. Some people also wear them to ignore the public, so that no one can engage with them and they look busy listening to music or attending calls.

You should leave this habit straight away because it will put unnecessary pressure on your head which is the main cause of headaches.

How to Stop Headphones From Hurting Your Ears

(iii)Set Your Headphone to Your Convenience

If you are also using headphones, most of them come with stretchable strips which you may adjust according to your comfort. You must adjust them keeping a distance between your head and headphones.

If you are using earbuds that you have to insert into your ears forcefully, you may try ear tips that are of different sizes according to your ears’ shape and size. It will help you feel comfortable.

(iv)Keep volume low

Keep your headphones’ volume low if you have to wear them for a long time. Because high volume may damage your ears’ health or it may cause hearing loss.

You must adhere to safety measures related to minimum volume which are good for your hearing and ears’ health.

(v)Find Your Suitable Headphones

You may experience your very first headphones not being very comfortable, or not having good sound quality, or not relaxing in terms of their structural designs. That’s why you should try different headphones and find the ones which are suitable according to your head size and you also feel comfortable wearing them.

Let’s suppose, if you wear glasses regularly, you must go with glasses-specific headphones which are specially made for you people, and hopefully, you will feel much better wearing them instead of other standard headphones.

Reasons Behind Headphone Headaches

Tips on Choosing Comfortable Headphones

Unfortunately, if you are still uncomfortable with your headphones then you must try new headphones which is the last and better option for you.

You must note that not every expensive headphone is worth buying according to your need and usage. You must follow the tip, we have extracted in order to provide you with a detailed buying guide to purchase your new headphones.

  1. Weight

Headphones that weigh below 0.55lbs are considered lightweight headphones and those above 0.75lbs are considered heavy-weight headphones.

Headphone padding plays an important role in order to provide your head and ears with sufficient support which also reduces pressure. Low-weight headphones don’t exert much pressure on your head and there is a good chance that you do not damage your hearing even if you use them for a long time.

  1. Clamping force

Headphones sit above your head and they catch your ears from both sides with ear cups. So, the headphones apply clamping forces through all sides. These forces exert pressure directly on your head. You must purchase headphones that have stretchable strips and fit according to your head size and comfort. You can wear them and test clamping force before buying.

  1. Ear-tips

If you wear earbuds and you feel that they are too tight and you forcefully insert them into your ears, you can try ear-tips according to your ears, larger ears need larger ear-tips. If they are of the appropriate size, you will comfortable and they will not irritate your ears. Choose earbuds that sit comfortably into your concha.

  1. Ear cups

Ear cups are made to make you listen to music clearly without any external noise. They must be according to the size of the ears. If you have large ears, try large ear cups which have more comfortable padding and will improve your listening experience as well.

  1. Adjustability

If your headphones have better adjustability and if they are more flexible to fit according to the size and shape of your head, they are a better choice for you. Because you can adjust the strip and move the padding accordingly and ultimately it will increase your comfort.

Conclusion

Headaches from headphones have many causes which you can prevent in order to give your head comfort and avoid any hearing damage.

Common reasons are as follows:

  • Increased volume of Headphones
  • Wearing tight Headphones
  • Improper Ear-tips
  • Headphones’ ear cups are not comfortable 

You must follow the 60:60 rule if you listen to music with headphones regularly and you must purchase headphones by keeping in mind some important tips explained in detail in this article.

I hope you have enjoyed the article. If you have any queries, don’t hesitate to comment below.

People Also Ask

When you wear something tight which compresses and puts pressure on your head like goggles or headphones. Headphones put too much clamping force from their strip and ear cups.

  • Try to wear weight or relieve pressure on your head.
  • Hydrate very often.
  • Routine relaxation
  • Take little caffeine

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