What if you never took off your Apple AirPods Pro?

TL;DR

Never taking off your Apple AirPods Pro could expose your inner ears to damaging sound and eventually trap enough moisture, dirt, and bacteria to cause infection. The transcript recommends removing them daily, avoiding sleep with them in, and keeping the volume below 75%; it says infection could develop after a week and eardrum damage could follow within two weeks. Read on for the specific hearing, hygiene, and swallowing risks.

Transcript

Walk anywhere today and you'll see Apple AirPods dangling out of people's ears. These cordless earbuds have become a status symbol, I mean, who needs to actually learn to code, when you can just pop in two earbuds and bam! You now work in tech. Although these earbuds currently need to be taken out to charge, Apple is accelerating wireless charging.... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤬 AirPods are a popular status symbol and can survive being swallowed and passing through the digestive system.
• 😒 Prolonged use of AirPods or other headphones can lead to noise-induced hearing loss.
• ✳️ Keeping AirPods in for extended periods can result in increased risk of infection and potential eardrum damage.

Questions & Answers

Q: What happens if you never take off your Apple AirPods Pro?

Continuous wear can overexpose your ears to sound while trapping dirt and moisture in the ear canal. The transcript says this can lead to hearing damage, bacterial infection, a granuloma, and potentially a burst eardrum.

Q: Can leaving AirPods in your ears cause hearing loss?

Yes, extended exposure to sound from AirPods or other headphones can damage the cochlea, outer hair cells, and stria vascularis of the inner ear. The transcript says that longer listening is associated with a greater likelihood of permanent hearing loss.

Q: How loud can AirPods get?

The transcript reports that AirPods can reach between 101 and 139 decibels, depending on the testing lab. It advises keeping the volume below 75% regardless of how long you wear them.

Q: How much headphone listening can put your hearing at risk?

One cited study found that listening for as little as seven hours per week can cause hearing loss, although other studies had less drastic results. The transcript also gives eight hours per day at 85 decibels as the maximum exposure without risk stated by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Q: Why can prolonged AirPods use cause an ear infection?

AirPods can trap dirt and moisture while blocking airflow through the ear canal. The resulting humidity and higher temperature encourage bacteria to proliferate, causing inflammation and infection.

Q: How quickly could an infection develop if AirPods were never removed?

The transcript says an infection would develop after about a week without removing the AirPods. Within two weeks, a granuloma would likely form and the eardrum could potentially burst.

Q: Would permanently wearing AirPods cause earwax buildup?

The transcript says earwax buildup would not be the main issue in this hypothetical scenario because the AirPods would remain stationary. It attributes earwax production to repeatedly putting objects such as Q-tips into and out of the ear.

Q: Can an AirPod survive being swallowed?

The transcript recounts that Ben Hsu swallowed an AirPod while sleeping and was told by a doctor to wait for it to pass. It traveled through his digestive system, emerged intact, and reportedly continued to work despite exposure to stomach acid with a pH of 1.7.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• A man swallowed an AirPod while sleeping and it passed through his digestive system unharmed.

• Leaving AirPods in your ears for extended periods of time can lead to noise-induced hearing loss.

• Not removing AirPods can cause an infection due to moisture and bacteria buildup.