Earbuds block more than noise.
Your ears are open to the world to let sound enter, but the opening has another important role: It allows moisture out. In-ear headphones, especially ones that form a seal (some are labeled “noise isolating”), can trap moisture and create a breeding ground for bacteria, potentially increasing the risk of an ear infection, said Dr. Jennifer Alyono, a clinical associate professor of head and neck surgery at Stanford Medicine.
If you shower at night, you’re likely to have extra water in your ears to begin with, said Dr. Carrie Nieman, an ear, nose and throat surgeon and an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. If you want to dry out your ears before bed, she recommended using a blow dryer on a low setting (and not too close to your head).
The risk of infections isn’t great, though it’s higher if you are prone to them to begin with, have skin irritation or scrapes in the ear or have existing ear drum damage. Signs of an infection include pain, discomfort, prolonged itching and fluid leaking out of the ear (which might be smelly).
Earbuds can also create wax buildup by interfering with the ear’s natural self-cleaning process or possibly by pushing it deeper into the ear canal, said Dr. Zachary Schwam, an ear surgeon at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. If you notice earwax stuck to the tip of your earbuds, it’s a clue this might be happening. Not everyone will have symptoms from impacted wax, but if your hearing seems muffled during the day, or if there’s a feeling of pressure, fullness or itching in your ear, or a ringing sound, Dr. Nieman recommended seeing a doctor for a cleaning or trying an over-the-counter earwax removal kit.
She also pointed to a small study that found that wearing earbuds more frequently was associated with a greater risk of skin irritation, which was itself associated with increased rates of infection. Though the study was limited, she said, it suggests that when people wear earbuds often and for long stretches — say, all night, every night— they could potentially develop a sensitivity to the material the products are made of.
