India, March 11 -- Listening to music makes the day go easier. It can lift your mood instantly. But in the chase for distraction, many wear earphones for hours, sometimes at high volumes, which can silently damage our hearing over time. Dr Deepti Sinha, lead consultant, department of ENT at the CK Birla Hospital, Delhi, warns that long hours on earphones can harm hearing, and the signs may not even be immediate. Sharing the cases that come up often, Dr Sinha says, "More patients, especially young adults, are showing early signs of noise-induced hearing loss from prolonged and loud earphone use." This shows that hearing loss, which is often associated with older demographic, is now showing up in younger population too. Everyday habits like listening to music at high volumes are starting to take a toll on hearing health much earlier than expected. "Unlike other health issues, hearing damage usually happens slowly and without pain, making it easy to overlook until it becomes permanent," the ENT doctor alerts again. So while many other health problems give warning signs, hearing loss sneaks up and does not give any prominent signs. By the time people notice changes in their hearing, irreversible damage may already have occurred. The biggest risk factor, as the doctor tells, is listening to music at a high volume. "Listening to music or audio above 85 decibels can start to damage the sensitive hair cells in the inner ear. These cells do not regenerate, so any injury is permanent," he said. Dr Sinha recommends following the 60/60 rule: "Follow 60/60 rule. Avoid listening at more than 60 per cent of maximum volume for longer than 60 minutes at a time," The doctor also urges to keep the volume low. "Even at safe volume levels, continuous exposure can strain the auditory system. Ideally, earphone use should be limited to about an hour, followed by at least a five-minute break to let your ears recover."...