Is Your Workout Playlist Harming Your Ears? Risks of Earbuds While Exercising

Many people listen to music while exercising to reduce boredom and boost workout performance. But here’s the catch: using the wrong type of earbuds can put your ear health at risk, leading to issues like otitis externa and noise-induced hearing loss.

We all know that music can work wonders for our workouts. It stimulates areas in the brain, like the amygdala and cerebellum, helping to fight fatigue and sharpen focus. 

A study from the University of Edinburgh found that listening to music during exercise can boost performance to levels similar to those achieved when individuals are not mentally fatigued.

However, those earbuds might be doing more harm than good. When sweating it out, the external auditory canal—the passage that connects your ear to your eardrum—can become a breeding ground for bacteria, especially with the added humidity and warmth. As body temperature rises during exercise and sweating occurs, the ear’s internal environment becomes warmer and more humid, raising the risk of developing otitis externa.

If you start feeling itchy, full, or even painful in your ear, you might be experiencing the early signs of this condition. And if you’re tempted to scratch with cotton swabs or your nails, stop right there! Doing so can injure the delicate lining of your ear and open the door to secondary infections.

But that’s not all. Wearing earbuds can also increase the likelihood of noise-induced hearing loss. A study published in the journal PLOS ONE found that over 17% of middle and high school students reported hearing loss linked to earbud use. This damage affects auditory cells, making a full recovery tricky.

To enjoy music while protecting ear health, consider using open-ear or bone-conduction headphones. If you choose to use earbuds, limit their use and ensure both your ears and the earbuds are kept clean.

If sweat gets on your earbuds, take them off immediately and dry the area thoroughly. Remember to keep the volume below 50% and give your ears a breather—remove them for at least 10 minutes after every session!