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"Tinnitus anyone?" (UK pronunication)

NoSnakeOil2

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Hi, just wondering how forum members avoid exacerbating their tinnitus while still getting full sound.

FYI, be careful of audiologists trying to sell multi-thousand dollar hearing aids. Three years ago, I did a hearing test and the audiologist said that I "absolutely" needed hearing aids. I took the test results to an otolaryngologist who told me that (1) my tests were typical of someone my age (50s), and (2) hearing aids were definitely unnecessary. Thanks in advance.
 
D

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There's this amazing invention you may have heard of ... It's called a "Volume Control" and unbeknownst to most people it has a dual function... as well as turning things up... it can also be used to turn things down.

volume.png



I typically listen at 70db or so ... loud enough to enjoy... hopefully not loud enough to kill my ears.
 

Doodski

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Hi, just wondering how forum members avoid exacerbating their tinnitus while still getting full sound.
My tinnitus randomly appears without any reason that I can detect. I will be sitting or doing something and voila... it starts and then loudly goes on for several minutes then goes back to a very low level that I can forget about. So I can't really think of anything that causes it.

I suggest changing your title to something along the lines of asking if peeps know what starts it... Because we have 2 or 3 tinnitus threads already.
 

Jim Shaw

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I have some tinnitus, more often after a motorcycle ride. (I wear good, disposable earplugs when riding - and mine is a quiet bike. Most of the noise is airflow past my helmet... or a damned Harley I'm passing.) Yes, listening to music at loud levels can trigger an increase.

I listen at about 4 meters from speakers about 3 meters apart -- constrained by the room's furnishings. I have a calibrated SPL meter (A weight) so I can measure what pleases/displeases me. I highly recommend the ~$25 investment in such a device. Your ears become accustomed to sound levels and it can be hard to estimate how loud it is. I have measured SPLs of 106 dB @ 4 meters when reproducing pipe organ music. (My speakers are well into the compression zone there, so I turn it down after a short sample.)

I do not listen at consistent sound levels. For me, it is entirely willful. Listening carefully, it's rarely over 86 dB peak at the 4 meters distance. That indicates the sound is about 98 dB peak at 1 meter. Those are peak readings. Yes, it is a good thing that Amir measures up to 96 dB @ 1 meter.

This is the entirety of my music listening test equipment. It is amazing how the speakers tend to vanish when the blindfold is on. (Gratitude to Air France many years ago for the blinders.)

MtzN-VcMHCBJ1R1UC7YnNNQwtXYfQbtRr_t1w1KVy8e5rbSiIE4alFXBgugH8tzvykketHEATCw6DfPrGR3flLmnn4VWcaZpprD84SOxEvb7iA5V9YsKp-Msija3tLZ9rpCe6FVopMdE6j1ngqCHNnv-2g5-4i-cl1xESUux_2_FOvEO4zTvuL3SUj6wotPnqs7QUKnAcCwP_ilw5y_cDy_aftC4zRGBERP3RajVXfqfaCnCblrSR1MNzJ-2nSbyObWAXARRsW6o1ad321ZOCalMLtKoUmvdiGLJW70EjlYEZ8MM1dfwbhalNbNFRHGNbBTXppveMdPDMy9y5oXKTFWGNl-PfaCgAkag0KZnfBGgazLhIHWc1Gl-laA0MxJEzM2JoBHGNMcO5PBm8T-XhcMiOdNaPcFLm25AKoxbitpWXJVXxFK--J9wLFhoHkCRIXLzpNVwDYegmo88ns54QomtvyzfYFFuNORJqSQFSI2oM_E98-pWvSsvRgXYK3gLkCRWxGPvoRFL0c2TYLwR_5TtDpRmTF1mm2eym27IlOTYNi3n3bbZXIJ3NtNTVvQ-7jHJytgWgxMDeF51yqSK_7Ld5CYvzaya965gAuoC5M_1jh5NMY5F9uQyfAe25as5CDcZxNZHEn9E1z2lI3NY2X_PzSr7RQSRkGErww67Grt2H7i2NspBtzd00LT5n1_2vgEf1iefQeBilZbUBRVwVUPSIIBp9A-kz53BJuVq_v4GGGECsNbxAkJC8Em9madY50NXJGkmYdAR2jydmywliuQdLju4cN-5kYfb=w650-h866-no


-Just one man's view
 

MattHooper

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My tinnitus randomly appears without any reason that I can detect. I will be sitting or doing something and voila... it starts and then loudly goes on for several minutes then goes back to a very low level that I can forget about. So I can't really think of anything that causes it.

Same here, to a certain degree. I've had tinnitus that for years fluctuates between "not bothering me/obvious" to wickedly loud. It certainly does
flair up if I've been exposed to loud sound, but as far as how long it sticks around, how bad it gets etc it seems fairly random. So I've taken to generally ignoring it (or trying not to stress). For instance it got crazy loud for a long time starting last summer but I didn't stop listening to music.
Sometimes I may finish a loud-for-me listening session with my ears ringing (below 80dB), yet having another listening session not long after and the ringing actually goes down instead of getting worse.

So...I just roll with it.

(Though for me live/loud concerts are now out. Can't do those unfortunately).
 

ashley_fall

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I was in the same situation too. One audiologist told me that I needed hearing aids for my tinnitus, but then I took an online hearing test here and consulted with their doctor. Turned out that I didn’t need any hearing aids. I just treated my hearing and now everything is perfect.
 

amirm

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I don't notice mine until I read a thread with that title in it. :) Man, it is so loud at the moment! I take solace in the brain filtering it out soon when I move on to other things....
 

Sgt. Ear Ache

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I don't notice mine until I read a thread with that title in it. :) Man, it is so loud at the moment! I take solace in the brain filtering it out soon when I move on to other things....

yeah if I don't think about it it doesn't bother me too much. If I focus on it it seems to get louder and louder. It's always there to some degree though...
 

Katji

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My tinnitus randomly appears without any reason that I can detect. I will be sitting or doing something and voila... it starts and then loudly goes on for several minutes then goes back to a very low level that I can forget about. So I can't really think of anything that causes it.
Exactly the same with me.
And now a low frequency hiss suddenly began when i said that - no kidding. So one factor is that some people notice it more. And maybe I perceive it as low frequency hiss because I can't hear over 11 KHz.
Definitely not...well, almost definitely - related to anything i ate or what i was just listening to or something. I can't see it's related to whether or not I had enough sleep.
It's like you say - it randomly suddenly begins, and then it stops or you stop noticing it.
That's why I've got those [ear calmer] whatever things that bought in a group buy and then never opened the package. Because someone said it's like that, you're not sure whether or not you have it.
iow, probably better not to think of it - unless it becomes a sudden loud sound.

I dunno about this [UK pronunciation] thing, but the other day someone typed it as "tittinus"... :)
 

AdamG

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I don't notice mine until I read a thread with that title in it. :) Man, it is so loud at the moment! I take solace in the brain filtering it out soon when I move on to other things....
Mine only bothers me when I’m awake. It also can prevent me from sleeping. But other than that it’s all Good! ;)
 

Astrozombie

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Just recently I started getting random episodes out of nowhere in my left ear mainly................even though it was a long time since i listened to headphones with a good bit of volume...... welp. I'm not that old
 

Katji

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So this has clarified it - I came back here and it I became aware of it again. Faint white noise. Faint - nothing like the difference when the copier and [most of] the fluorescent lights get switched off in the office, and many of the computers are already off at that time. (Computers switched off when people leave, and the rest on a time switch.)
So it is there all the time, but filtered out. Although sometimes it happens suddenly - increased loudness and tone change - or louder tone added to it.

No surprise, considering the damage done.
 

NiagaraPete

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Pauper

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I have it 24/7. Discussing it makes me aware - it’s really screaming away at the moment.
Having been in several loud bands from my teens to my 40’s is where I think I got it.
There’s always talk of “cures” around the corner - we can only hope, although at 71 I running out of time!
 

fpitas

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FWIW, I have a moderate amount, yet I've never abused my ears. Even as a teenager I disliked overly loud sounds. To my knowledge it's extremely common, especially past 50. C'est la vie...
 

MattHooper

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I briefly tried a few Tinnitus therapy apps. One of them would involve a "hearing test" via the app in which it finds the frequency and type of your Tinnitus, and then places an eq notch at just that frequency, lowering it be several dB. Listening to this sculpted music signal (and you could listen to anything, your library, streaming or whatever) purportedly helped quite a few people. I didn't have the patience.

I had a life-altering relapse of hyperacusis several years ago which forced me to finally try a professional therapy based on Tinnitus Retraining, using the noise generators. It seemed to have worked quite well with my hyperacusis. I never moved on to the therapy specifically for Tinnitus though.
 
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