Do you have Tinnitis? (Ringing sound in your ears)

[Kachda]

Two of my best friends when teenagers were playing with firecrackers. They were standing beside each other lighting and throwing cherry bombs. One guy lit his firecracker, raised it up to throw but it exploded just as he had raised it between their heads.

Ever since that accident, one guy has had bad tinnitus and some hearing loss in his right ear, the other guy the same issues for his left ear.

The number of fireworks/firecracker accidents must be staggering.

Some firecrackers in India exceed 145db. I count myself lucky to have any hearing left.

Sutli bomb - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Deleted member 48726]

I voted 'Occasionally' - I notice it only in dead silent environments, concentrating hard, and usually right after waking up, not during the day.

I first thought I f***ed myself for life after I played suicide having watched some idiotic movie. I was ~10yrs old and shoot a plastic toy gun (luckily with no pellet in ) into my right ear. I hadn't noticed they shoot in the temple, not the ear But the tinnitus went away after several days IIRC. Super scary though.

Then there was the Venetian Snares gig a few years ago, when I was close to nausea from the noise. Yet there were ppl with no hearing protection just dancing right next to the speakers... also a few days with ringing.

And then the Ciśnienie gig last year. The band is great, amplified jazz/post-rock fusion (lotsa distorted strings & guitars - check this track for example). But someone thought it was a good idea for them to play on the lower deck of a barge, essentially a tin can. It was super uncomfortable and the tinnitus lasted a week.

I wear hearing protection to most gigs, but had a lot of trouble with it, as to me most plugs attenuate waaay to much, killing the whole enjoyment. I tried musician plugs from Marshall, Thunderplugs and Alpine, among others - all too 'strong'. I recently bought the Rooth plugs from Drop (the 9dB version), and this is finally something I can recomend. I wonder if there are even lower grades available, like 6dB for instance. Couldn't find anything like that, recommendations welcome

You should wear apple airpods pro and activate the transparency mode. They automatically limit the sound they let through. I have used this function a lot when working as project- and site manager on larger busy sites where there are people and machines everywhere. The noise cancelling is also making it possible to talk on the phone while on site.

 

[dasdoing]

Some firecrackers in India exceed 145db. I count myself lucky to have any hearing left.

Sutli bomb - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

better don't come to Brazil lol

 

[Moderate Dionysianism]

You should wear apple airpods pro and activate the transparency mode. They automatically limit the sound they let through. I have used this function a lot when working as project- and site manager on larger busy sites where there are people and machines everywhere. The noise cancelling is also making it possible to talk on the phone while on site.

Interesting! But do you know of anyone that actually tried wearing a pair of those to a gig and listen to the sound from a PA system? I imagine that even with max transparency they must massacre the bass for example, because of those tiny mics.

I recently bought a pair of Technics EAH-AZ60. Theyy have this 'environment awareness' mode, which is great at picking up the talking voices nearby (so I can have a conversation while listening to music at a moderate level), but I wouldn't say that the whole spectrum transmitted that way sounds 'accurate' or 'natural' to me.

 

[dasdoing]

Interesting! But do you know of anyone that actually tried wearing a pair of those to a gig and listen to the sound from a PA system? I imagine that even with max transparency they must massacre the bass for example, because of those tiny mics.

I recently bought a pair of Technics EAH-AZ60. Theyy have this 'environment awareness' mode, which is great at picking up the talking voices nearby (so I can have a conversation while listening to music at a moderate level), but I wouldn't say that the whole spectrum transmitted that way sounds 'accurate' or 'natural' to me.

i recomend these https://www.crescendo-hearingprotection.com/collection/music/

unless you want to pay much more and get a custom molded one

 

[Moderate Dionysianism]

i recomend these https://www.crescendo-hearingprotection.com/collection/music/

unless you want to pay much more and get a custom molded one

I see the minimum attenuation is 10dB, while my current Rooth plugs attenuate by 9dB and I still find the result too quiet at times. Maybe it's because I don't attend large venue/stadium shows - mostly clubs of up to ~500 people, usually with decent PA and not cranked up to ear-wrecking levels. I'd like to find something in the 5-7 dB range, but no luck so far. Thanks for the suggestion nonetheless, goes on my "to test" list

 

[JaMaSt]

Interesting! But do you know of anyone that actually tried wearing a pair of those to a gig and listen to the sound from a PA system? I imagine that even with max transparency they must massacre the bass for example, because of those tiny mics.

I recently bought a pair of Technics EAH-AZ60. Theyy have this 'environment awareness' mode, which is great at picking up the talking voices nearby (so I can have a conversation while listening to music at a moderate level), but I wouldn't say that the whole spectrum transmitted that way sounds 'accurate' or 'natural' to me.

Etymotic also makes a line of passive hearing protectors.

ETY•Plugs® Earplugs

ETYPlugs are the world's first and highest fidelity non-custom earplugs.

www.etymotic.com

 

[Deleted member 48726]

Interesting! But do you know of anyone that actually tried wearing a pair of those to a gig and listen to the sound from a PA system? I imagine that even with max transparency they must massacre the bass for example, because of those tiny mics.

I recently bought a pair of Technics EAH-AZ60. Theyy have this 'environment awareness' mode, which is great at picking up the talking voices nearby (so I can have a conversation while listening to music at a moderate level), but I wouldn't say that the whole spectrum transmitted that way sounds 'accurate' or 'natural' to me.

I don't know how they would react to a concert. But I know I will test them when I go to one.
I know the transferred sound from e.g. heavy loud equipment, drills, cranes, tarmac rollers doesn't get distorted in a noticeably way.

 

[dasdoing]

my current Rooth plugs

they look so similar they use probably the same Dynamic Ear Company filters. I have seen other products looking basicly the same. Crescendo seams to be their own plugs. only the holes in the filter change

 

[JaMaSt]

I do notice that if I take pain relievers like Ibuprofen and especially Tylenol that my tinnitus gets worse.

I'm not a doctor (I don't even play one on TV) but when researching tinnitus (had it since I was a kid) I came across some interesting information. And let me repeat, I'm not a doctor.

There is a medication used to treat acetaminophen poisoning called N-acetylcysteine (NAC).

NAC is being studied to determine if it can help in reducing or eliminating tinnitus and age and noise induced hearing loss. Hearing changes/ improvements were reported by some who had been treated for acetaminophen poising, and this spurred some research. There doesn't appear to be anything conclusive. NAC is an in expensive supplement that can be bought over-the-counter, I've been taking it for about a year now.

Pharmacological rescue of noise induced hearing loss using N-acetylcysteine and acetyl-l-carnitine

Despite the use of hearing protection devices (HPDs) and engineering changes designed to improve workspaces, noise-induced hearing loss continues to b…

www.sciencedirect.com

Treatment of military acoustic accidents with N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) - PubMed

The study has demonstrated a significant reduction of the incidence of TTS by the use of NAC. Since cases of both permanent hearing loss (PTS) and noise-induced tinnitus are recruited from cases with TTS, the demonstrated risk reduction indicates a positive effect of NAC.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The efficacy of N-acetylcysteine to protect the human cochlea from subclinical hearing loss caused by impulse noise: A controlled trial Lindblad AC, Rosenhall U, Olofsson Å, Hagerman B - Noise Health

Noise and Health, A Quarterly Inter-disciplinary International Journal

www.noiseandhealth.org

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2473974X221100545

 

[fpitas]

I'm not a doctor (I don't even play one on TV) but when researching tinnitus (had it since I was a kid) I came across some interesting information. And let me repeat, I'm not a doctor.

There is a medication used to treat acetaminophen poisoning called N-acetylcysteine (NAC).

NAC is being studied to determine if it can help in reducing or eliminating tinnitus and age and noise induced hearing loss. Hearing changes/ improvements were reported by some who had been treated for acetaminophen poising, and this spurred some research. There doesn't appear to be anything conclusive. NAC is an in expensive supplement that can be bought over-the-counter, I've been taking it for about a year now.

Pharmacological rescue of noise induced hearing loss using N-acetylcysteine and acetyl-l-carnitine

Despite the use of hearing protection devices (HPDs) and engineering changes designed to improve workspaces, noise-induced hearing loss continues to b…

www.sciencedirect.com

Treatment of military acoustic accidents with N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) - PubMed

The study has demonstrated a significant reduction of the incidence of TTS by the use of NAC. Since cases of both permanent hearing loss (PTS) and noise-induced tinnitus are recruited from cases with TTS, the demonstrated risk reduction indicates a positive effect of NAC.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The efficacy of N-acetylcysteine to protect the human cochlea from subclinical hearing loss caused by impulse noise: A controlled trial Lindblad AC, Rosenhall U, Olofsson Å, Hagerman B - Noise Health

Noise and Health, A Quarterly Inter-disciplinary International Journal

www.noiseandhealth.org

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2473974X221100545

Seems cheap enough at Amazon, unless I'm missing something: https://www.amazon.com/Now-Supplements-N-Acetyl-Cysteine-1000-Tablets/dp/B00KT3H13C

 

[JaMaSt]

Seems cheap enough at Amazon, unless I'm missing something: https://www.amazon.com/Now-Supplements-N-Acetyl-Cysteine-1000-Tablets/dp/B00KT3H13C

That's it. That's the same brand as the one I bought.

edit. I just noticed a typo. "in expensive".

I meant "inexpensive".

 

[BigFKahuna]

That's it. That's the same brand as the one I bought.

You have been taking it for a year, what do you think are the results for you? Interestingly this has also been offered has a hangover prevention....thus ideal for those late night listening and drinking sessions!

 

[holbob]

I've had tinnitus for around 10 years, very low level. Around 3 months ago I had a heavy cold, left me with facial pain and headaches. Eventually went to GP's where a nurse prescribed me antibiotics over the phone (getting to see a doctor in the UK is not easy anymore) for possible sinusitis. Only problem is my right ear has been left with unbelievably loud tinnitus/buzzing with a constant full feeling. Went to have my ear's dewaxed today privately, only to find out it didn't really need doing, and my eardrums look very healthy. Oh dear, let's see if the GP sees me this time.

 

[Destination: Moon]

You should wear apple airpods pro and activate the transparency mode. They automatically limit the sound they let through. I have used this function a lot when working as project- and site manager on larger busy sites where there are people and machines everywhere. The noise cancelling is also making it possible to talk on the phone while on site.

Have had this problem too for a long time now. Maybe 30 years. I've got the Etymotic passive plugs on all my key chains so they are always with me. Loud music and especially restaurants (seems like from a different era now) and clattering dishes were like an ice pick. The Etys were great for all that. And even though they muffle the music your brain would adjust in short order and the music was enjoyable.

Not sure about the Apple Ear Pods though for real protection. They have a simple cuff and probably are not all that good at isolating and fit. Fit is imperitive for ear protection. Do a search for "properly wearing ear protection" or "ear protection insertion" if your new to this. Its critical that any In Ear Plugs are inserted correctly and verified to actually protect your ears.

If your looking for pass through for intermittent noise, electronic over the ear protection might work. They were designed for shooting but could work for very high noise situations.

10 Best Electronic Ear Muffs of October 2023: Reviews & Buyer's Guides

Which is the Best Electronic Ear Muffs? Our comparisons of Best Electronic Ear Muffs include consumer reports, reviews, top picks by NYBestReviews...

nybestreviews.com

 

[Deleted member 48726]

Have had this problem too for a long time now. Maybe 30 years. I've got the Etymotic passive plugs on all my key chains so they are always with me. Loud music and especially restaurants (seems like from a different era now) and clattering dishes were like an ice pick. The Etys were great for all that. And even though they muffle the music your brain would adjust in short order and the music was enjoyable.

Not sure about the Apple Ear Pods though for real protection. They have a simple cuff and probably are not all that good at isolating and fit. Fit is imperitive for ear protection. Do a search for "properly wearing ear protection" or "ear protection insertion" if your new to this. Its critical that any In Ear Plugs are inserted correctly and verified to actually protect your ears.

If your looking for pass through for intermittent noise, electronic over the ear protection might work. They were designed for shooting but could work for very high noise situations.

10 Best Electronic Ear Muffs of October 2023: Reviews & Buyer's Guides

Which is the Best Electronic Ear Muffs? Our comparisons of Best Electronic Ear Muffs include consumer reports, reviews, top picks by NYBestReviews...

nybestreviews.com

I know they are not verified protection gear as my Hellberg actives and Peltor passive. I only used them in intermittent noise environment. Like if it's a site visit or inspection / walkthrough. I used my other headbands on "actually working days" during commissioning and IO testing.

I like to also point out that if it muffles the surrounds to a level where you can hear your breath you are usually fine. And in this regard the airpods pro actually is quite surprisingly good!

 

[JaMaSt]

You have been taking it for a year, what do you think are the results for you? Interestingly this has also been offered has a hangover prevention....thus ideal for those late night listening and drinking sessions!

Interesting question if I've had positive results and one I've been thinking about ever since I started taking it. When I first took it I thought it may take a week or two to register any change. But it seemed to make slight a change after the first day. But this is completely anecdotal, and in no way was it a "controlled" test.

To add to this - since I was young and until I was 43 (2009), I had suffered from "hearing loss". My father had bad hearing too. When I was very young, and through my college years, I used to get frequent ear infections. It was chalked up at the time to having "swimmers ear". I grew up on a lake and was an avid swimmer. I think this is what caused my tinnitus. Water would get in my ears and not drain properly and an infection would set in.

In 2009, for a variety of reasons, I cut wheat from my diet. Within 2 days I noticed a HUGE improvement in my hearing (I've not eaten wheat since). This is not why I cut wheat from my diet - and yet it turned out to be a completely fortuitus- and yet life-changing - event. It literally brought me to tears. I'd all but given up listening to music....

And while I did not seek an explanation from a doctor, I would say it was due to inflammation of my inner ear - an autoimmune response - possibly celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.

I hesitated making this initial post since there doesn't seem to be any peer reviewed confirmation that NAC works in restoring hearing damage. But reading all the posts in this thread, and having suffered from hearing loss for so many years, I thought it was worthwhile to share my experience.

Gluten & Ear Problems | Livestrong.com

Gluten sensitivities typically affect your digestive system, skin or sinuses, but in certain circumstances, a gluten allergy can cause ear congestion and a temporary reduction in hearing.

www.livestrong.com

https://www.tinnitusjournal.com/articles/the-effect-of-a-glutenfree-diet-on-a-patient-complaining-of-severe-tinnitus.pdf

 

[JaMaSt]

Only problem is my right ear has been left with unbelievably loud tinnitus/buzzing with a constant full feeling

https://www.tinnitusjournal.com/articles/the-effect-of-a-glutenfree-diet-on-a-patient-complaining-of-severe-tinnitus.pdf

A 62-year-old woman presented with a 6-month history of continuous tinnitus in the right ear. The tinnitus was likened to the sound made by a pressure cooker with associated whistling....

At the follow up visit, three months later, the patient reported a considerable reduction of symptoms: the pressure cooker sensation had disappeared while the high pitched sound had decreased and occasionally disappeared....

 

[dasdoing]

If your looking for pass through for intermittent noise, electronic over the ear protection might work.

there were these ear-buds where you literally could EQ your hearing and even aply effects: https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/21/14673210/here-one-review-wireless-earbuds-augmented-reality

unfortunately they broke. there was another company doing something kind if similar, but broke, too. forgot the name

 

[Adi777]

I have tinnitus in my left ear, although sometimes it seems to come from my head, but it's probably just tinnitus in my left ear. It showed up about a month and a half ago. I was lying in bed, and all of a sudden my left ear started buzzing loudly. After a while it quieted down a bit and stabilized at an even level, and I have it to this day. I went to an audiologist for a hearing test. Turns out I have a hearing loss of around 20dB around 4000kHz in left and right ears, and it's probably noise-induced acoustic trauma.
Just beautiful...
I take Audiocontrol, but I will probably buy some ear implant...
I made MR head with ears and cervical spine, but everything is good.