Since the advent of portable music and mp3 players, these devices have grown in popularity and demand. MP3 players have since been a part of the culture of young people, especially those in the 18-30 age range. But there is a great cause for alarm.

Studies have proven the connection between music that is played too loud and for a longer duration of time, can cause hearing damage. This advice is relative because some are born with ears that can withstand loud noise for a longer period of time, but others have more sensitive ears.

The best way to avoid premature hearing problems is to prevent listening to loud music. Both short term and long term exposure to high music levels can damage the cochlea, the cells in the ears responsible for passing on sound from the ears to the brain.

The World Health Organization suggests keeping the decibels of mp3 players at 84 and below. A safe way to measure if you are listening to your mp3 player too loud is by checking the volume of the player. If it is set to more than half, you may be listening too loud. Prevent premature hearing loss by not turning up the music to 100% volume capacity. Earphone types need to be considered as well, choose those that can sit slightly outside the ear for these are safer.

Since hearing problems occur gradually, they are not detected right away. Put your mp3 player at a safe volume where you can still hear what is going on around you. It is best to protect your ears while you can instead of paying the price for hearing loss later on.