Bone Conduction Headphones Side Effects | Ultimate Guide

Are you using bone conduction headphones and experiencing some harmful effects? One of the biggest concerns when using a bone conduction headset is determining the risks. As a user of tremendous Aftershokz OpenMove bone conduction headphones, I often wonder if there are any bone conduction headphones side effects.

Do bone conduction headphones have side effects? Several users have even complained of vertigo or dizziness after using bone conduction headphones. When sounds are transmitted through your cheekbones, vibrations are often created, resulting in side effects. 

Considering that air conduction headphones cut off the user from the surroundings. The bone conduction headphones allow the user to remain intact. Still, it doesn’t mean they don’t have any side effects. In this article, I will describe my experience using bone conduction headphones and unleash the truth about people’s claims. 

Bone Conduction Headphones Long Term Side Effects

I have analyzed the Bone Conduction Headphones Pros and Cons which led me to think that there are so many situational benefits, yet there are different Bone conduction headphones problems that I will discuss here. 

Cochlear Damage or Hear Loss

You can experience cochlear damage with the excessive use of bone conduction headphones. Bone Conduction headphones Aftershokz claim that they create the headphones with no direct risk to the eardrums as they don’t use the air conduction mechanism, but the cochlea is still the most vulnerable part of the ear. You may end up losing your hearing.

Bone Conduction Headphones Headache

Can bone conduction headphones cause headaches? When I used Aeropex and OpenMove for listening to my favorite music while working on my editing project. With the continuous use, I got minor sensations that turned into headaches. Furthermore, I felt skin irritation, but I had a pretty exciting experience in everyday use. 

Bone Conduction Headphones Cancer Warning 

There is a concern that people always talk while using these headphones and that these headphones cause cancer. If you are a continuous user, you may get affected with conductive hearing loss because of loud music, but a cancer warning is still not what you should be worried about. 

Note: Radiation exposure may increase the risk of meningioma, a type of brain cancer.

Bone Conduction Headphones Tinnitus

One of the primary side effects I came across was tinnitus; if you keep wearing the headphones on the cheekbones affects the hearing capability. I experienced the buzzing and hissing sound after continuous use of these headsets, which was very concerning.

Bone Conduction Headphones Vertigo

The sensations that vibrations produce on the bones that process the sound to the cochlea end up in the spinning and dizzy situation that refers to vertigo. So, using these headphones in intervals is better to avoid this situation.

Localization Error and Bone Conduction Headphones

According to studies, wearing these headphones prevents you from attentively paying attention to the surrounding sounds; that’s what’s known as the localization error. I tried to listen attentively to the surrounding sound while wearing these on cycling and ended up listening to nothing that proved the studies correct. 

Can Bone Conduction Headphones Damage Your Hearing?

In hindsight, the manufacturers and the promoters of the bone conduction headphones advertise the device as if it’s a blessing from God to reduce or cure the risks of headphones-related hearing loss and wearing headphones outdoors. So, are bone conduction headphones good? Well, they are in many ways, but you cannot avoid the damage when it comes to severe and continuous use.

However, there are always two sides to the coin. Despite the history of this new technology being used for hearing aids, this doesn’t mean that the bone conduction headphones are entirely safe or won’t cause any hearing loss, as claimed by their manufacturers. 

You can damage your ears with headphones, just like with loud noises. If you do not give your cochlea hair cells time to recover, the sounds from your headphones will eventually bend them too much or too severely, causing permanent damage.

The design is safe, and the open-ear design allows the users to be more aware of their surroundings, making them less vulnerable to accidents, as the users can sense or hear any warnings or dangers in their surroundings.

However, bone conduction headphones can cause hearing loss if misused. Continuous exposure to loud sounds can cause problems for their ears, and since the bone conduction headphones send the sound to the cochlea, there are chances of hearing loss.

I compared bone conduction headphones vs earbuds concerning ear fatigue, infection, and conductive hearing loss, and I found earbuds to be more harmful than the former. 

What can go wrong with open-ear headphones?

When talking about the bone conduction headphones pros and cons, undoubtedly, these headsets are much on the good side, but there are certain things you can not avoid. Like, such as headaches, localization errors, and Skin irritation.

Headaches

Since the bone conduction headphones are designed in a manner that they usually end up resting on your temples. Due to this, some users have reported experiencing discomfort and headaches.

Skin Irritation

Any gadget worn or used for a long time can or will have some side effects, and bone conduction headphones are no different. Since they rest on the skin above your ears, which causes pressure, you can experience skin irritation or itchiness.

Vertigo 

One of the primary Bone Conduction Headphones Side Effects is vertigo. Some people experience vertigo due to problems with their balance in the inner ear, and bone conduction headphones directly impact the cochlea. The continuous use of the earphones will have a huge impact on the ears and can lead to severe circumstances.

Do bone conduction headphones protect hearing?

Bone conduction earphones transmit sound vibrations through the cheekbones directly to the eardrum and have relatively little harm to the eardrum compared to ordinary earphones. 

Choosing the right bone conduction headset will help protect your ears from direct impact on the eardrums, ear fatigue, and tinnitus.

I always prefer choosing one of the best bone conduction headphones on the market, like AfterShoks Aeropex, Shokz Xtrainerz, and SwimAudios by Tayogo Bone Conduction Headphones. 

Do Bone Conduction Headphones Meet Safety OSHA Standards?

Although bone conduction headphones are not directly approved by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), there are no regulations that prohibit them. Even though many manufacturers claim that their products are OSHA compliant, it is not always the case that they are. 

Although OSHA does not prohibit the use of headphones, you should take some precautions. OSHA issued a warning in September 2019 about the use of headphones in the workplace. Apart from noise, the authors also stressed that it is essential to provide safety against other dangers.

People who listen to music may compromise their ability to hear the sounds around them, resulting in a safety hazard. It would be the case, particularly on active construction sites where machines, heavy equipment, and the movements of vehicles are all moving at a fast pace, and safety warnings might not come to mind.

As a result, it would be best to prevent wearing headphones if you are performing your duties on a construction site, walking and running outdoors, especially on roads. However, in this case, bone conduction headphones would be a safer alternative to traditional headphones.

The use of earplugs will enable you to have a better listening experience since they will screen out some of the ambient noises. It can prevent you from hearing important sounds that you need to hear around you.

Is Bone Conduction Safer Than Earbuds?

Comparatively, bone conduction headphones are much safer than traditional ones since they are designed and implemented to avoid the dangers associated with surroundings. Also, since they don’t force air into your ears, you are less likely to develop hearing problems, namely eardrum problems, if you play them too loudly and too long.

Are bone conduction headphones safe for your ears? 

The primary benefit of bone conduction headphones is that they do not affect your outer and middle ear; instead, they directly provide sound vibrations to the inner ear. Your ears don’t get sweaty and airtight, and you don’t experience any ear fatigue, which makes these headsets ideal for the ear. 

Moreover, I like that as they bypass the outer ear and eardrums, you will not get the ear wax that further leads to tinnitus. Additionally, the chances of falling in with conductive hearing loss get decrease.

Do bone conduction headphones emit EMF?

EMF exposure from RFID HF readers at a frequency of 13.56 MHz associated with bone conduction hearing implants increased the level of localized SAR values in the head of an implant user statistically significantly.

In most cases, using such hearing aids may invalidate RFID HF readers, primarily because of the dangers associated with long-term exposure to EMFs exceeding the limits.

What area is most vulnerable through bone conduction?

When you wear bone conduction headphones, the first part of the body that comes in the line is the skull or cheekbone that transfers the vibrations. The cochlea is essential and is considered the most vulnerable due to bone conduction. Still, both the vestibular system and vagus nerve are affected by bone conduction to some extent.

Tip: Always follow the Bone conduction headphones Instructions on wearing these headphones to avoid any problems. 

What Are the Safest Bone Conduction Headphones?

1. Pinetree Air Conduction Open Ear Wireless Headphone

2. Naenka Bone Conduction Headphones

3. Krcong Bone Conduction Headphones

4. ZRUHIG Open Ear Bone Conduction Headphone

5. WANFEI Bone Conduction Headphones

6. YouthWhisper Bone Conduction Headphones Over-Ear

7. YouthWhisper Bone Conduction Headphones On-Ear

8. MOING Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones

9. Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones Bluetooth 5.0

10. Bone Conduction Headphones, Tayogo Wireless

11. Aftershokz Bone Conduction Headphones

Bottom Line

In this article, I have described all potential side effects of bone conduction headphones that can harm your ear and bring hearing loss problems. So, it is better to adopt the optimum use of these headsets. There are some safety concerns with bone conduction headphones, but they aren’t severe compared to traditional headphones. But remember, vibrations can cause headaches or vertigo with the loud volume.