3177: Q&A - Health Effects of Listening to Podcasts with Headphones While Sleeping on Sleep Tips

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[00:01:00] This is Optimal Living Daily episode 3177 and I'm Justin Mollick.

[00:01:06] Welcome back to a Sunday bonus episode where I give you a little extra content from a podcast

[00:01:11] in our network that I think will also help you live a life that's a bit more meaningful

[00:01:14] and happier.

[00:01:15] And this episode is coming from Optimal Health Daily.

[00:01:18] I could use some health, I've been sick this week.

[00:01:22] And this one's an interesting Q&A episode that I thought would be a good fit here.

[00:01:26] By the way, if you send in a question to that show, I'll visit the post office and physically

[00:01:31] mail you a copy of our hardcover Optimal Living Daily workbook if you're in the US.

[00:01:36] If you're outside the US, I'll send you a PDF version.

[00:01:39] You can email a health-related question to health at oldpodcast.com.

[00:01:46] And with that, here's my brother Dr. Neil with the Q&A episode as we optimize your life.

[00:01:56] Today's question came via email.

[00:01:58] Debbie writes, Hi Dr. Neil, love your show.

[00:02:01] My question is, is it harmful to your ears to listen to podcasts all night while sleeping

[00:02:06] with headphones in at a low volume?

[00:02:08] My husband and I both seem to sleep more soundly listening to either movies or podcasts as

[00:02:13] a form of white noise while we sleep, but we use headphones because we like different

[00:02:17] shows.

[00:02:18] We're not using wireless headphones, and we turn our phones face down to eliminate the

[00:02:23] light.

[00:02:24] I often dream while doing this, so I assume I'm going through all the sleep cycles.

[00:02:28] Thanks, your input would be appreciated.

[00:02:31] Thank you so much for taking the time to send in your question, Debbie, and I'm so glad

[00:02:35] that you enjoy the show.

[00:02:36] Thank you so much for listening.

[00:02:38] Oh, and I'm hoping that you don't fall asleep while listening to this podcast, of course.

[00:02:43] Now, whenever I respond to listeners' questions, I try and find published studies based on

[00:02:48] that topic.

[00:02:49] That way, whatever I share is not just my opinion or anecdotal evidence, but instead

[00:02:55] based on actual research.

[00:02:56] Well, when I tried to find published studies on this topic, they were actually really difficult

[00:03:02] to find.

[00:03:03] Most of the studies were actually performed in hospitals with critically ill patients.

[00:03:08] For example, researchers wanted to know whether listening to white noise through headphones

[00:03:12] helped critically ill patients get better sleep.

[00:03:15] Now, the results of this type of study can be somewhat helpful, but it really doesn't

[00:03:20] apply all that well to your situation, Debbie.

[00:03:23] Oh, and if you're wondering, the researchers of this study in critically ill patients found

[00:03:27] that wearing headphones did not improve their sleep.

[00:03:31] So where does that leave us?

[00:03:32] Well, my next step is to look to see what other professionals in the field have to say.

[00:03:37] So, this may not be based on actual research, but instead credentialed professionals' opinions

[00:03:43] based on their experiences with patients and what they know about human physiology.

[00:03:48] Lucky for us, the Cleveland Clinic, a well-respected healthcare organization here in the U.S.,

[00:03:54] published an article where they interviewed a doctor of audiology to share their thoughts

[00:03:58] on sleeping while wearing headphones.

[00:04:00] Now, some of an audiologist's roles, in case you're not familiar, are to provide patients

[00:04:04] with hearing devices and educating patients on the effects of noise on hearing and managing

[00:04:10] hearing loss and improving issues with balance.

[00:04:14] In this article, the audiologist believed that if you need sound while sleeping, an

[00:04:19] external speaker is probably your best bet.

[00:04:23] But wearing headphones while sleeping was likely not harmful and may help improve sleep

[00:04:28] quality just so long as certain criteria were met.

[00:04:31] In fact, a separate article published by The Washington Post interviewed a sleep medicine

[00:04:36] specialist at Northwestern University, who said that, even though wearing headphones

[00:04:41] while sleeping hasn't been well studied, it's probably safe, provided again, that

[00:04:46] certain criteria are met.

[00:04:49] Most of these criteria relate to the type of headphones you choose to wear and the volume

[00:04:53] at which you listen to your content.

[00:04:55] So, here's a summary of the recommendations.

[00:04:58] 1.

[00:04:59] If you do wear headphones, keep the volume low.

[00:05:02] It's hard to know how loud sound is in decibels unless we have something that's specifically

[00:05:07] measuring it.

[00:05:09] Decibels are a unit of measure used to measure loudness, but the recommendation with headphones

[00:05:14] is to keep the sound below 85 decibels.

[00:05:18] Now, one way to help to determine whether you're listening to something at a low enough

[00:05:22] volume is to have someone within arm's length of you try and talk to you while wearing the

[00:05:27] headphones.

[00:05:29] If you can hear them with your headphones and volume on, then the volume is probably

[00:05:34] fine.

[00:05:35] Oh, and don't try and cheat by reading their lips.

[00:05:38] Look away while they're talking to you to see if you can still hear them.

[00:05:41] They shouldn't be able to hear the sounds coming from your headphones either.

[00:05:44] 2.

[00:05:45] The type of headphones may matter as well.

[00:05:49] Wearing earbuds for long periods of time, day after day, may increase the risk of developing

[00:05:54] an ear infection.

[00:05:55] This is because earbuds may trap moisture in the ear.

[00:05:59] Bacteria love warm, moist conditions, so the ear is an ideal breeding ground for them.

[00:06:07] 3.

[00:06:08] So that means over-the-ear headphones would probably be best.

[00:06:12] And if you can, choose a wireless version so that you don't get tangled up in the

[00:06:16] middle of the night.

[00:06:17] You can now buy headbands with headphones built in.

[00:06:21] That way if you sleep on your side, you won't be as disturbed by a bulky headphone sitting

[00:06:25] between your ear and the pillow.

[00:06:27] So Debbie, the good news is, if sleeping while wearing headphones and listening to podcasts

[00:06:32] – hopefully not this one – at a low volume helps you get quality sleep, then it sounds

[00:06:37] like it's probably helping you and not harming you.

[00:06:41] Thank you again so much for taking the time to send me your question, Debbie.

[00:06:49] And if you want to send your question and have it answered right here on the show, you

[00:06:52] can email one to health at oldpodcast.com.

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[00:07:28] All right, that'll do it for another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily.

[00:07:31] Thank you so much for listening.

[00:07:33] Thank you for your continued support.

[00:07:34] I hope you have a great start to your weekend, and I'll see you back here tomorrow where

[00:07:38] your optimal life awaits!