By Sodiq Ojuroungbe
Medical experts have cautioned parents against exposing their newborns to loud music, warning that it could cause irreversible hearing loss.
The experts noted that exposing babies to loud music could damage the delicate structures of the inner ear, which they said could lead to hearing loss later in life.
According to them, the inner ear has a very sensitive hearing mechanism, and any kind of loud noise can damage it.
They explained that babies’ ears are especially more at risk of hearing loss occasioned by loud music and can’t protect themselves from noise like the adults.
The senior health professionals, who spoke exclusively with Reportr Door Healthwise, stressed that loud music could have serious consequences on a child’s development, adding that the sense of hearing is critical to growth.
A professor of Speech and Hearing Education/Rehabilitation at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Julius Ademokoya, said newborns exposed to loud noises may experience hearing loss and difficulties with language development.
Ademokoya added that loud noise could even lead to anxiety, sleep disturbances, and changes in brain function.
The professor warned that repeated exposure could cause lasting changes in the brain’s auditory cortex, which he said is responsible for processing sound.
He noted that babies exposed to loud noise may have trouble learning new words and may show signs of anxiety when exposed to loud sounds later in life.
According to him, it is not just hearing that can be affected by loud music, but other aspects of a child’s life as well.
He also affirmed that loud noise exposure could disrupt a baby’s sleep patterns, adding that disruption of a baby’s sleep pattern can lead to irritability, daytime sleepiness, and an increased risk of illness.
He added, “Loud noise is a hazard to everybody, every human being across the world, whether young, child or elderly, anybody.
“There is a degree, the noise level, let me use that word. There is an instrument for measuring noise and we measure noise by decibel just like we have meters and all these things.
“The human ears are created to tolerate noise at a certain decibel bracket. Maybe around 65 decibels depending on what kind of noise you expose your ear to.
“Like I said, it is not only a young child, but then everybody. For instance, a baby needs certain hours of time to enjoy good sleep. Children sleep, they need more hours to sleep early in life. But most of them sleep except when they want to eat or they feel some discomfort, otherwise, they can sleep for several hours. But if children’s sleep is disturbed because of noise, definitely that could be very hazardous.
“If a child’s sleep is constantly disturbed, it has both psychological, emotional, and physiological problems.
“The child is being deprived of adequate sleep. Physiologically and psychologically, the child probably will have problems. The normal growth could be distorted, body mechanism, and the system could be affected.
“A newborn baby needs several hours of the day to sleep. It is very tender and it is through sleep that some of his organs and systems develop. The child needs stability, the comfort of sleep, peace, a quiet environment, and everything that supports the child’s sleep.
“It is usually during the sleep that their systems begin to mature. And when a child is always disturbed, it means the development can equally be disrupted. This normal sleep that is being deprived may also lead to a disruption or distortion in the normal growth and normal development of that child.”
While noting that exposure to loud noise affects the organ of hearing, Ademokoya noted that this could result in cumulative issues in life and lead to the body system degenerating.
On how to protect newborns from loud noise, the professor of Speech and Hearing Education said a baby below six months old should not be exposed to a noisy environment.
He noted, “A quiet environment should be provided. A situation where the child has normal hours of sleep and not just sleep but good sound sleeps.
“Good sound sleep, peace and quiet environment are quite important.
“Under normal circumstances, the parents or the couples are expected to have especially when you are expecting the baby; part of the things you should prepare for that baby is a very safe and peaceful environment for that baby, at least for the next six months.
“Every expectant mother or couple should make that environment quite very important. An environment that is healthy and safe is important for a newborn.
“Cumulatively, if at a very tender age, this child with the tender sensitive hearing organ, if they have been exposed to noise, it means the child risks a deterioration of hearing, organic deterioration under normal circumstance.”
In his contribution, an Ear, Nose and Throat surgeon, Dr Enema Amodu, said that exposure to loud noise can lead to the inability to hear, while the speech development of such children can be impaired.
Amodu, who is the immediate Past Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Federal Capital Territory, added that newborns exposed to loud sounds over an appreciable period can sustain damage to the hair cells within the organ of hearing called the cochlear.
The General Secretary, ENT surgeons of Nigeria said newborns exposed to loud music would have a long-term effect of hearing impairment.
The chief consultant surgeon said, “Impairment of hearing is a very grave disability. This can affect social development and the society at large negatively.
“The newborn and every adult should avoid loud sounds. Exposure to loud sounds over a long period has detrimental effects on the ears and hearing.
“Mothers should not allow water to enter the ears of the newborn ( or every child for that matter !) during bath. They should also avoid cleaning the ears of these children.
“In addition, mothers should avoid breastfeeding their children while lying down to avoid ear infections.
“Fathers that smoke, should desist from smoking around their children. This can predispose to ear infections. Cleaning the ears with cotton buds / Q tips should be discouraged as much as possible too.”
A study published in the journal Pediatrics discovered that exposure to loud music in infancy was associated with reduced weight gain and head circumference growth in the first two years of life
The study found that the changes in growth may be due to the stress associated with loud noises.
The researchers of the study found that children exposed to loud noises were more likely to have problems with executive function and language skills later in childhood.
In addition to affecting growth and cognitive development, the researchers also discovered that loud noise exposure in infancy can also have lasting effects on physical health.
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