Q: I sleep better when I block out noise by listening to music with my earbuds. But I worry about damaging my ears. Is there a safer way to use them for sleep?
Many people pop in earbuds at bedtime, hoping that soothing music, guided meditations, an intentionally boring podcast or a blast of white (or pink or brown) noise will drown out honking horns, a snoring partner or racing thoughts.
There is some scientific evidence behind the idea. In small studies of health care workers — who tend to be at increased risk of sleep issues — wearing earbuds improved sleep quality and made people feel more rested.
We asked ear specialists whether the habit poses any significant health risks. While they agree it’s often OK, there are some considerations to keep in mind.
Earbuds block more than noise
Your ears are open to the world to let sound enter, but the opening has another important role: It allows moisture out.
In-ear headphones, especially ones that form a seal (some are labeled “noise isolating”), can trap moisture and create a breeding ground for bacteria, potentially increasing the risk of an ear infection, said Dr. Jennifer Alyono, a clinical associate professor of head and neck surgery at Stanford Medicine.
If you shower at night, you’re likely to have extra water in your ears to begin with, said Dr. Carrie Nieman, an ear, nose and throat surgeon and an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. If you want to dry out your ears before bed, she recommended using a blow dryer on a low setting (and not too close to your head).
The risk of infections isn’t great, though it’s higher if you are prone to them to begin with, have skin irritation or scrapes in the ear or have existing ear drum damage.
Signs of an infection include pain, discomfort, prolonged itching and fluid leaking out of the ear (which might be smelly).
Earbuds can also create wax buildup by interfering with the ear’s natural self-cleaning process or possibly by pushing it deeper into the ear canal, said Dr. Zachary Schwam, an ear surgeon at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. If you notice earwax stuck to the tip of your earbuds, it’s a clue this might be happening.
Not everyone will have symptoms from impacted wax, but if your hearing seems muffled during the day, or if there’s a feeling of pressure, fullness or itching in your ear, or a ringing sound, Dr. Nieman recommended seeing a doctor for a cleaning or trying an over-the-counter earwax removal kit.
She also pointed to a small study that found that wearing earbuds more frequently was associated with a greater risk of skin irritation, which was itself associated with increased rates of infection. Though the study was limited, she said, it suggests that when people wear earbuds often and for long stretches — say, all night, every night— they could potentially develop a sensitivity to the material the products are made of.
If your earbuds make you itch or cause pain, consider replacing them.
Keep the volume down
Sustained exposure to loud noises can cause irreversible hearing damage, Dr. Schwam said. But “assuming somebody’s not absolutely blasting” music or white noise to go to sleep, he said, the volume is unlikely to be a problem, even over eight straight hours.
As a reference, normal conversation is typically around 60 or 70 decibels and safe for an unlimited amount of time, according to the World Health Organization. But listening to sounds at 80 decibels — such as a noisy restaurant or loud music playing through headphones — for more than 40 hours per week can damage your hearing.
If you already have some hearing loss, you might have to turn up your sleep tracks to dangerous levels, which could do even more damage. There are iPhone controls that allow you to monitor and limit the device’s decibel levels. You can do this with built-in tools on some Android phones or by downloading a decibel-measuring app.
Listening at a high volume or using noise-canceling headphones while you’re sleeping could be dangerous, though, if it keeps you from being able to hear an alarm, Dr. Alyono said. You may want to test your smoke detector while listening to your preferred sleeping track to make sure you can hear it.
You have options
If wearing earbuds to bed works for you, and you don’t have a predisposition to skin sensitivities or ear infections, experts said you don’t have to worry too much about a slight risk of infection. Consider picking a pair of earbuds that doesn’t seal off the ear canal completely.
Some are designed to be softer and lower-profile, so they’re more comfortable to wear while sleeping and less likely to make your ears sore.
Alternatively, over-the-ear headphones or headbands with integrated speakers might allow more airflow and trap less moisture than in-ear buds, Dr. Nieman said. Or you could check out small, flat speakers that go inside your pillowcase so you can hear your A.S.M.R. sleep podcast without bothering anyone else in the room.
By Amanda Schupak
