We all have those days when there’s a lot of work to be done in the studio and you literally need to have headphones on for long hours.
For most people, even just listening to music is enough a hobby for them to have headphones on the whole day.
Plus, some people work better with music on.
While this may be fun and all, it’s also worth questioning the safety of having headphones on for the entirety of a long 8 hour day of work.
This post will discuss this with some detail.
With that said, Can I use headphones for 8 hours?
It’s not really ideal to use headphones for as long as eight hours continuously. Unless you’re taking frequent breaks, playing them at a moderate volume and not experiencing any ear fatigue or ear strain because this could be an indication that you need to take a break from the headphones.
Therefore the easiest answer is, it depends.
To shade some more light on this topic I’m going to explain and go into some detail about some of the things you need to consider when looking to use headphones for as long a period as 8 hours.
With that said, it’s always good to use headphones with a limit and not over do things because you don’t want to end up with hearing loss.
Mode of Usage
The first factor to consider is of course how you’re using the headphones.
If you have the volume all the way turned up to the max then it may not be ideal to listen to 8 hours of audio through headphones.
Your ears can easily suffer temporary or permanent hearing loss.
8 hours is a long time to be exposed to high intensity sound.
This is why you see most construction workers with ear protectors because it’s not healthy to be exposed to loud noise for long periods of time.
So, depending on your usage, it may or may not be wise and healthy to have headphones on for 8 hours or more.
Work or pleasure
We all use headphones for different purposes. For some, they’re simply tools for pleasure listening. While for others they’re key tools for work.
For example, work in audio production sometimes requires the use headphones for a considerable amount of time.
Therefore its useful to understand if you need to have headphones on for that long and or not.
If you don’t necessarily need to be In headphones all day, then you’re better off using them for shorter periods of time.
But even if you work in audio production, it’s always good to limit your usage of headphones.
A general good practice is to switch between studio monitor speakers and headphones rather than only being in headphones.
If you can switch between these two, you will find it easier to work for long hours without being burnt out or experiencing ear fatigues.
Therefore, as a general rule, people that don’t necessarily need to have headphones on for long periods of time shouldn’t do so.
Your ears
Your ears are usually a good indication of whether you’re over using your headphones or not.
In spending a lot of time in headphones, you may sometimes notice that your ears simply start to feel uncomfortable.
Sometimes they may itch, sometimes you may experience ear pain after spending time with headphones on… these two things are a proper indication that you’re probably using your headphones for too long.
Which is why it’s important to know your own threshold. You can do so by spending time in headphones and then picking up at the first sign of ear strain and then figuring out how long it took to get to that point.
Volume
Volume is basically loudness which is something you also have to consider.
When working with headphones for as long as 8 hours you may easily experience temporary or permanent hearing loss, when you have the volume turned up too high.
Therefore, its wise to limit the volume to only about 50% and also limit the use.
So don’t over do it.
Breaks
Working with headphones for as long as 8 hours is no joke. This is why the best practice is to take frequent breaks and avoid a whole 8 hour run of being in headphones without taking them off to take a break.
Split the 8 hours into 1 hour or 2 hour chunks so that you allow your ears to rest.
Listening to audio for long periods can be draining as much as exhausting. You don’t only run the risk of damaging your hearing but you also run the risk of simply burning out.
Final Thoughts
Using headphones for 8 hours continuously is not ideal. Unless you do it the right way, that is, playing audio at low volume and taking frequent breaks to avoid straining your ears.
