Everybody loves to listen to music, and since the pandemic happened, many people cannot “break up” with their headphones in any way, because you know Covid and quarantine, headphones definitely became the best thing to use.
Moving on from pandemics because it is a quite critical situation, I would like to move on and tell you guys the topic of today’s article.
In this article, I will be talking about another super-critical topic that has been talked about and talked about throughout the years of the existence of headphones. Can you wear headphones with an ear infection? Can wearing headphones make that situation worse? As dangerous as it sounds, there is an answer to this question and I am not sure that you will like it! Anyways, the first thing that I will be mentioning will be the definite answer to the question asked, and then, I will also tell you some other things that headphones may cause, having in mind different advantages and disadvantages that they offer to us.
Let us get straight to the point and let’s get this article started because I am pretty sure that you don’t want to lose your time!
Can You Wear Headphones with Ear Infection?
I am well aware of the fact that you guys want to wear headphones for long sessions during the day, but still, considering different infections on your ears, I would advise you not to do so!
If you already have an ear infection it is essential to know that headphones can make it worse, even more, so you shouldn’t wear headphones, especially in-ear headphones, in case your ear is infected in some way.
What I would like to add here is that some people say that they have worn headphones even though their ears were infected, but still, many otolaryngologists worldwide consider headphones are “monsters” when it comes to infections in general. If I were you, I would definitely believe the doctors and not make my ear even worse.
How do headphones make ear infections worse?
Headphones in general, wired and wireless ones, are basically electronic devices, and it doesn’t matter what they use in order to get connected. Electricity has to do a lot with temperature and humidity, and these two things come in your ears pretty easily, by just using headphones, especially if you use them for extended periods during the day. Temperature and humidity are the worst enemies if you guys already have an infection in your ears.
What can I do to not make worse my ear infection?
The first thing that you guys should do is to not use headphones in any way, especially in-ear headphones! The headphones can block the air from moving around on your ears, and when an infection isn’t “breathing” it can become worse and worse. If you notice that you have an ear infection (symptoms will be mentioned below), or your doctor says you have one, try to avoid some things.
Can’t I just use over-ear headphones?
As you can notice, above I did a specification on the types of headphones, as I said that you shouldn’t wear in-ear headphones in any way! The next question that comes to mind is definitely can one use other types of headphones? Well practically yes, you can use other types of headphones, such as over-ear headphones, but open-back ones! If you have no idea about them, check out the best open-back headphones under $100 and under $200. Open-back headphones won’t isolate the sound in your ears as they allow air to pass through the earcups.
Other Facts – Related to Health and Wearing Headphones
Everything that I mentioned above may scare you a little bit, but still, it is better to be known than to get your health in a super-bad situation. That’s why, in this section, I will mention for you some other things that are related to headphones and your health as well.
How to determine that I have an ear infection?
Nobody likes doctors until they are in need of one! Well, I would say directly go to the doctor, but there are some symptoms that are related to ear infections and basically, you can notice yourself if you have an ear infection. The chronic middle ear infection symptoms include:
- Pressure Inside the Ear
- Discomfort Inside the Ear
- Ear Drainage
- Noise Induced Hearing Loss
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Headphones
Headphones have their advantages and their disadvantages whenever in use, well, just as everything does. However, you guys should always be more concerned about the disadvantages than the advantages because it is better if you know what may cause you damage. Still, I would like to start by mentioning the advantages firstly.
As advantages while wearing headphones are known:
- Aesthetic Purposes – many people wear headphones to look good, and they achieve this
- Noise Cancellation and Isolation – when you don’t want to be bothered by anything
- Better Audio Quality – some people say that the sound quality of headphones is better than in speakers
As disadvantages while wearing headphones are known:
- Ear Infections – the main one
- Ear Wax – 100%
- Ear Pain – most of the time
- Tinnitus – in some people
- Hearing Loss – in children mostly
- Dizziness – likely to happen
- Lack of Focus – in everyone
All of the above mentions are caused due to your ear canals being damaged. Your ear canal is quite important when it comes to all this not only for the risk of developing ear infections but even worse things like hearing loss.
Just please take care of your ears doesn’t matter which one is the affected ear, ear infections are bad.
Final Words, Conclusion
Coming through the end of this article, I would like to mention to you guys that you should be very careful when using headphones, especially if you are suffering from an ear infection. It may look like it doesn’t cause anything but still, headphones can become the factor that you can completely lose your hearing ability. That doesn’t mean that you will definitely not hear anymore if you use headphones, but making worse an ear infection can lead to that.
I really hope that you didn’t get worried since I mentioned some really bad things that could happen, but you should always have in mind what might happen to you, even with music. So yeah do your best to prevent ear infections and external ear canal infections, later on, those things can lead to serious things.
There’s nothing else that I can mention besides I hope you have fun and don’t forget to take care of yourselves!
Further Reading
Read all about the best headphone for ear health. You can also check if headphones can cause vertigo, and if headphones can cause headache.
Equipment Tester & Reviewer
I’m an unbiased audio equipment tester & reviewer, dedicated to keeping you up-to-date on the latest and greatest in audio gear.
