There Is No Evidence That Noise Canceling Headphones Cause Auditory Processing Disorder
A BBC article states that five NHS audiology departments have reported an increase in young people being referred to audiologists for hearing problems, only to find that their hearing has been tested within an acceptable range. Rather, the problem was the way their brains perceive, identify and record sound, leading some audiologists to wonder whether the heavy use of ANC headphones is impairing listening and sound processing skills.
Although the original article was based only on speculative anecdotal reports, subsequent articles by other outlets refer to the reporting as research, study, or findings, which are inaccurate. Brian Fligor, PhD, PASC, president and clinical director at Tobias & Battite Hearing Wellness, who we’ve interviewed several times to talk about hearing health and safety, told me, “As a pediatric audiologist with some experience in using headphones, [I can say] there is no evidence that APD can develop using any headphone, and certainly not active-noise headphones (ANC).… APD is linked to hearing loss in children before developing spoken language, such as the appearance of chronic middle ear fluid from untreated ears (although the link here is weak). The only adult/onset onset of APD that I know of is secondary to traumatic brain injury.”
Maria Pomponio, AuD, CCC-A, an audiologist at the Stony Brook Medicine Speech and Hearing Department, agreed: “Regular headphones and noise-canceling headphones are safe — as long as they work. [used] at the right volume.”
Some experts I spoke to cautioned against ascribing causation when there might be a correlation. Audiologists may notice an increase in postnatal APD diagnoses for any number of reasons.
“A lot of times people do compensatory strategies,” Courtney Baker, AuD, CCC-A, owner and chief audiologist at Hearing Brain Audiology, said. “For example, they may have a sensory processing problem from an early age and manage to deal with it until they enter college, when the listening environments are more difficult. Then those previous strategies fail, resulting in an audiology evaluation and a diagnosis of auditory processing disorder. Now, just because they go to college and the listening demands are difficult does not mean that is what gave them processing difficulties all the time. [the patients] they have managed before.” When compensatory strategies fail, the sudden realization of hearing difficulties can be disturbing and frightening enough to motivate people to seek a diagnosis.
Wise points to additional potential lifestyle factors, including time spent alone during the pandemic and attention span changes due to digital devices. “There are a lot of other things that have been going on in the last five or six years … we can’t ignore the elephant in the room called the ‘disrupted brain.’ It’s like ‘I have trouble paying attention, even when I’m quiet, if I’m thinking about something else or looking at my phone.’ And so I think it’s important to notice the pattern. I think it’s very important to investigate.”
Auditory processing disorder is also linked to many situations where the use of headphones is encouraged. Fligor pointed out that APD is associated with neurodiversity, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other specific learning disabilities. And many people who experience auditory overload – legitimately diagnosed or not – use headphones, earplugs, or hearing protection earmuffs as a way to cope. In fact, headphones, combined with a remote microphone for teachers, are often recommended for school children who have difficulty concentrating due to auditory stimulation.
Any hearing aid, if worn for long periods of time, can cause previously tolerable sounds to sound louder when you remove them. This is especially true for people with hyperacusis, misophonia, or tinnitus. “Taking your headphones off and not being able to work is a weird thing,” Baker said. “But it’s probably the same kind of experience as when people’s compensation strategies fail.”
Regardless of the cause, for people experiencing APD, the challenges of living in this busy world remain. But help is available.
