Part 1
Precautions for Listening to Natural Sounds with Earphones
Listening to natural sounds with earphones or headphones is generally a safe and effective method for relaxation, but certain usage patterns carry potential risks.
Below are general precautions, focusing primarily on physiological risks backed by high-certainty scientific evidence.
Disadvantage ①: Auditory fatigue due to excessive volume
Listening at a high volume for more than 20 minutes may cause:
- Temporary fatigue of the inner ear hair cells
- Tinnitus
- Muffled sound perception
- Heaviness in the head
⚠ Especially, the combination of noise-cancelling × high volume × over 30 minutes can induce mild acoustic stress and, over time, may affect long-term auditory health, as research has shown.
Disadvantage ②: Potential decrease in alertness from prolonged continuous use
Listening continuously for 40–60 minutes has been reported in some cases to cause:
- Sleepiness
- Slower reaction speed
This occurs because natural sounds activate the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering alertness levels. Therefore, listening before driving or making important decisions should be avoided.
🔥 However, direct evidence that long-term natural sound exposure impairs cognitive function is limited, and this caution is mainly inferred from general studies on sleep deprivation. Short-term use has been shown to improve attention.
Disadvantage ③: Over-reliance leading to imbalanced relaxation
Using natural sounds every time to calm down may create a relaxation habit overly dependent on external stimuli.
Medically, this is similar to “external-stimulus-dependent autonomic regulation”, where internal regulation mechanisms (e.g., breathing exercises) may become relatively weaker.
🔥 Nevertheless, direct research showing dependence specific to natural sounds is scarce. This is raised as a theoretical caution for general relaxation practices. Balanced usage is recommended.
