Summary
Audiologists in England are investigating whether prolonged use of noise-cancelling headphones contributes to auditory processing disorder (APD), a condition where the brain struggles to interpret sounds.
Young people like Sophie, 25, experience difficulties distinguishing speech from background noise despite normal hearing tests. NHS audiology departments report rising referrals for sound-processing issues.
Experts suggest excessive headphone use may hinder brain development in filtering noise, though research is limited.
Calls for further studies grow as APD diagnosis and treatment remain scarce, particularly in adults outside educational settings.
No, what they’ve been saying for the longest time is ANC headphones help reduce the risk of damage because you don’t need to turn up the volume too much to compensate for background noise. What this article is saying is that there might be something else going on with ANC technology that can mess up other stuff as well.