The answer is YES.
If your sound machine is over 85 decibels it’s doing damage to your child’s hearing according to Dr. Ronald Hoffman, of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.
Workplace safety requires employees exposed to consistent sound above 85 decibels to wear hearing protectors, so is your sleep sound machine safe for your child especially if you are running it all night?
The impact of noise adds up over a lifetime. If you are exposed to loud sounds on a regular basis, your risk for permanent damage increases over time. Even a single but long-lasting loud event can cause damage. Sounds at or below 70 dBA are usually considered safe, even if they last a long time. Noises are more likely to damage your hearing if they are:
- 85 dBA and last a few hours.
- 100 dBA and last at least 14 minutes.
- 110 dBA and last at least 2 minutes.
Glow Dreaming has worked with the world’s best sound engineer Dr. Ir. Stéphane Pigeon out of Belgium who's worked with NATO and the Roland Corporation. The reason we’ve worked with the world’s best is that we put your child’s safety above all else.
If you are using a sound machine, we strongly recommend you download one of the following decibel meters and check just how safe your sound machine is:
- Decibel X:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/decibel-x-db-sound-level-meter/id448155923
- Sound Meter & Noise Detector
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=coocent.app.tools.soundmeter.noisedetector
If you it’s registering above 80 decibels move it further away from your child’s bed. Anything over 85 decibels we strongly suggest you stop using.
Glow Dreaming has 3 volume settings of which none ever go above 70 decibels even at the source. It may not sound loud enough to you but anything louder starts becoming a serious hearing risk to your child.
Sadly, there are no governing standards when it comes to children’s sound machines and many manufacturers do not understand or comply with outlined safety limits. Understanding the science and working with the right experts is what has ensured Glow Dreaming’s success but more importantly the safety and wellbeing of your child. Please share this with your friends and family. The more people we have testing their sound machine volume the safer our children's hearing will be x