This should start with the structure of the ear. Our ears are composed of three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The external ear receives external sound and vibrates the eardrum along the ear canal. The vibration of the tympanic membrane of the middle ear causes the vibration of three small bones: the malleus, the stapes and the incus, and the sound is transmitted to the inner ear. The inner ear can produce nerve impulses, which are converted into nerve energy along the auditory nerve, so that sound information can be transmitted to the brain. Listening to headphones for a long time, the sound pressure directly enters the ear and is transmitted to the thin tympanic membrane densely, without any room for buffering, thus stimulating the auditory nerve endings, which causes abnormal excitement of the auditory nerve and easily leads to auditory fatigue. It will also cause some systemic adverse effects. The main symptoms are tinnitus, mild hearing loss, hearing difficulty and a little pain in the ear.
However, headphones are still favored by many people because they are small in size, easy to carry and can block external interference. It is recommended to choose some headphones with hearing protection when buying, such as those wrapped in sponge, which may play some buffering role.
But the best way is to limit the time of listening to headphones, not more than one hour a day and the volume is not too high.