0
I have noticed that when using on-ear headphones that lay against my auricles, instead of covering it and laying against my temples, my auricles start to feel painful after an hour or so. It doesn't have to do with how loud the sound is or what kind of sound it is, or what the brand or quality of the headphones is. I can listen to Youtube or music for hours without feeling pain with headphones that cover my auricles and lay against my temple, but non-covering headphones make them feel painful after an hour. I'm fairly sure it's because I'm wearing glasses and my ears are getting unnaturally folded around them.
I use higher-quality bluetooth headphones at home which lay over my ears completely, but at work I have to make do with older and somewhat worn headphones from Icidu, a company that went bankrupt last year. Obviously the best thing I could do is replace them, but until this happens, what can I do to minimize the discomfort and pain I get from the current set?
Put some padding between your ear and the arm of your glasses? – DavidPostill – 2016-07-13T10:56:19.460
Is headphone use required as part of your work? If so ask that work replace them straight away if they are causing you pain. In most countries employment law requires that companies provide equipment that is safe and healthy to work with. – DavidPostill – 2016-07-13T10:58:48.740
@DavidPostill I couldn't really say whether they're required. We might have skype calls with remote workers, and we have headphones to listen to music or video relevant to work without bothering our coworkers, but I don't think we have any part of our task description that requires headphone usage. – Nzall – 2016-07-13T11:09:18.270
Can you not bring your own headphones to work? – DavidPostill – 2016-07-13T11:16:23.327
@DavidPostill My own headphones are bluetooth. The computer at work doesn't have Bluetooth. I also use my own headphones frequently at home and away from home and they're too bulky to constantly carry from one location to the next. I could buy an extra pair that has a classic cable, but I'm not sure how that will come across. – Nzall – 2016-07-13T11:32:12.047
Well if anyone complains just say the work provided ones hurt your ears. They can't really argue with that. – DavidPostill – 2016-07-13T11:33:58.943