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Those iconic white ear-buds that come with every iPhone and iPod, and their non-Apple counterparts, certainly do make listening to music, podcasts and audio books on the go really easy and convenient. With their diminutive size, they can slip easily into your pocket or bag, unlike the bulkier headphone sets we had to rely on in the past, or the big expensive “cans” that are the other popular option for use with MP3s.

However, there is a downside to iPhone and iPod ear-buds. They are believed to offer a higher potential for hearing damage than other headphone styles, due to the way sound is delivered directly into the ear. While all personal headphones can cause hearing loss, particularly when used for a long time and at a high volume, you need to be extra careful when it comes to your ear-bud use habits if you want to keep your hearing in the best possible shape. Here are some tips:

Some headphones are designed to cancel out background noise, meaning you can listen to your music or other audio at a comfortable volume level even if you are somewhere quite noisy. Standard ear-buds don't do this, so you may find yourself raising the volume just to try and cover up the noises around you. This causes problems because when it comes to the actual decibels hitting your eardrums, you are simply adding more.

Drowning out the noise from the train you're on, the wind and traffic around you as you cycle or run, or the sounds of your working environment usually means you are turning the volume up too high for sustained listening. If you find you usually want to listen to music in loud places, invest in some noise reducing headphones. Additionally, make sure that if you do play music loud for short periods to overcome background noise (for example on the train to work), you remember to turn your device back down when you are somewhere quieter. Get used to adjusting the volume to what is suitable for where you are, rather than leaving it at the loudest setting you use by default.

If you play your music louder than 95 decibels (which is about level four on most MP3 players, so well below what they are capable of playing music at even with manufacturers' noise limitations) for just four hours per day, you are likely to experience some hearing damage. If you are listening to your MP3 player pretty much constantly at work or school, as well as on your way there and back, you are likely to be exceeding this and risking irreversible hearing loss.

Of course, some people really need to have the ability to play music or other sound for extended periods, and it can be the only thing that keeps you motivated if you are doing something really repetitive at work or putting in a long running session. If you need to use your ear-buds all day, make sure that you are keeping the volume low. 85 decibels is considered a safe volume for long durations, 90 decibels will cause damage at around 8 hours per day.

A lot of people turn up the volume on iPhone and iPod as a matter of habit, thinking that music sounds best when it's played loud, but in actual fact if you make a conscious effort to keep volume within safe parameters you should find you soon get used to it. It is also safer in general not to have your music up so loud you can't hear anything happening around you, especially if you are outdoors (for example by a road).

Take care to protect your hearing and you will be able to enjoy the sweet sounds of music for many years without experiencing hearing loss.

After listening to loud music on iPhone and iPod for too long, Wendy Derbyshire ended up suffering from hearing loss. She now writes articles to advise people of the problems associated with loud music, as well as how to find the best digital hearing aids.