In Kenya, millions of people listen to music through their earphones or headphones for more extended hours while walking, working, and eating or doing chores. Most teenagers and youths do this because they consider it fashionable.

However cool it may seem to have your earphones on, there are some risks that your ears might get damaged. I was researching how earphones may damage your hearing, and this is what I found.

First, I came across a new term, decibels, defined by Google as 'a unit used to measure the intensity of a sound or the power level of an electrical signal by comparing it with a given level on a logarithmic scale.'

The research done showed any sound above 85 decibels is capable of damaging your hearing. This means that if you listen to loud music above 85 decibels for longer hours, your chances for damaging your hearing are higher compared to listening in low volume.

According to Dr. Vikas, "Low pitched, soothing sounds like that of drums, acoustic guitars, tabla and other instruments are not harmful. But high pitched instruments of heavy metal can damage hearing within a short period of time."

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Noises above 110 decibels can strip away myelin sheath from the nerve cells, which hinders the delivery of electrical signals from the ears to the brain. Damaging your hearing can be permanent if it is done this way.

Damaging your hearing can be a gradual process. After some time, you will experience hearing loss, which will eventually lead to your hearing's permanent damage.

If you are a fan of listening to music via earphones, you'd better do it in very low volume and for a short time.