Tinnitus and the Audio Addiction

[Tweaky]

I've suffered it for years, most likely gotten from standing in-front of HUGE PA systems in the 70's-80's doing Band Photography.

 

Strangely it doesn't seem to effect my ability to discern differences in the quality of HiFi components, nor the difference in tone of instruments { I could pretty reliably tell you what Guitar was being used in any particular song]

 

It is a background HAZE of a sound that I suffer, that over time I have learn't you can learn to filter out, much like a nagging wife.

 

I've found it's only ever a real 'Arragh, I'm really suffering with this situation" type annoyance is when in complete silence, or close to it, usually early in the morning.

 

I live pretty close to the Sydney CBD, so I usually have a background noise of some type that distracts me from the ringing in my ears to find it so debilitating it's thoughts of self harm to rid myself of the affliction.

I've run across people in the PRO AUDIO sector that have suffered from the same problem far worse than me that have become suicidal, it's become overbearing.

 

As a aside.

I really do think WiFi does have a effect on just how bad you can suffer Tinntius.

I run Etherent cables to all my internet equipment as a rule, the only time I turn the WiFi on my modem is when I want to update app's on my iPhone.......as soon as I turn the WiFi on, the ear ringing gets a LOT worse.......same thing if I'm in close range of a microwave oven that's in use.

 

Edited February 27, 2019 by Tweaky

[Fubar990]

I've had quiet severe tinnitus over the last couple of years.  I have done a fair wack of reading about it as a result.

 

Apparently, (and I cant remember the reference to this information), but the ringing is your brain replacing the frequency in the spectrum you can no longer hear.  This is why hearing aids are effective apparently....amplifying the frequency again so the brain need not compensate.

 

Causes can range from long term exposure to loud noise and other things.  I was (am still ocassional) rock drummer.  My snare drum, crash cymbals and seriously overly loud drum fill foldback are the culprits.  I also hear that blood pressure and general fitness can have a bearing.  I am not exactly fit, and I am slightly hypertensive, so I need to address those things to see if there is any improvement.

 

I love hifi, and I still love mixing music at home.  I am very busy with my son's summer sport and don't listen to as much music, but coming into autumn, I am back listening and I think my tinnitus has maybe worsened again a little.  I am very very careful about level...and only listen quietly.  I am interested in detail, not volume.  I can't hear my tinnitus when I listen to music.  Even though the tinnitus is quite loud nowadays, I can generally focus elsewhere and its gone.

 

[075Congo]

My son worked as a lead guitarist for a Death Metal band for 3 years and I'm glad he gave it up to do a Civil Engineering degree. His tales of the sound levels they operated in are scary. Luckily they wore special ear plugs to minimise the noise (not music!). I have some of the band's CD's to destroy your system with! The best one is titled "HATE".

Cheers

[caminperth]

Count me in as part of the club unfortunately. Too much loud music at gigs, enormous car stereos and a bit of workshop noise in my late teens/early 20's seem to have caused it. 

 

Now in my early 40s it's a constant companion. I find that too much alcohol usually makes it worse, however like @Fubar990 if I listen to music or concentrate elsewhere it reduces in level.

 

I can still tell the difference (to me) between components, recording and systems. But I am quite concerned on how it's going to be for me in 20 years time..

[Ittaku]

For what it's worth, I find drinking a lot (of alcohol) tends to bring on/worsen bouts of tinnitus, irrespective of other factors.

[Max054]

For what it's worth, I find drinking a lot (of alcohol) tends to bring on/worsen bouts of tinnitus, irrespective of other factors.

Oh maybe that’s my problem!

[075Congo]

Dead right re alcohol consumption and tinnitus....although a nice bottle of red and good company is a tonic! But when the tinnitus stops periodically that really scares the dickens out of me.

[wen]

@caminperth i've  had mine for over 25yrs, it's something your brain gets used to , like living close to a train line, background noise, i remember the day mine started, thought, tinnitus, nothing you can do, keep going, i had some expensive hearing aids which must have had some sort of technology because when i put them in , minimal tinnitus, now i have govt funded basic hearing aids, can hear just as good but tinnitus loud as ever

[Ed11111]

Hi, Before you spend money on hearing devises you should see ENT surgeon or ENT physio, specializing on tinnitus. It is a very rare case when people need special devises for tinnitus.

[075Congo]

Excellent advice; my GP sent me to an Audiometric Clinic rather than an ENT. I have changed GP's. Wonder if there was some sort of referral kickback$ ....been watching the Banking Royal Commission too much.

Cheers

[Nada]

Everyone Has Tinnitus

More than 50 years ago, an experiment indicated that nearly everyone has tinnitus in quiet settings:

In 1953 Heller and Bergman performed an simple and classic experiment. They placed 80 tinnitus-free individuals (university members) in a sound proofed room for 5 minutes each, asking them to report on any sounds that might be heard. The subjects thought they might be undergoing a hearing test, but actually experienced 5 minutes of total silence. 93% reported hearing buzzing, pulsing, whistling sounds in the head or ears identical to those reported by tinnitus sufferers.

This simple experiment shows almost anyone can detect background electrical activity present in every living nerve cell in the hearing pathways as a sound. Although some areas of the auditory system may be more active than others, every neuron will contribute to some extent to the final perception of tinnitus.

source http://www.tinnitus.org/home/frame/THC1.htm

 

Follow up:

The effect of silence on tinnitus perception 2005

120 normal hearing young adult -  tinnitus-like sounds were perceived in 64% of listeners

 

Tinnitus aurium in persons with normal hearing: 55 years later.

83% of the participants reported that they experienced at least one sound

 

It's your reaction to the sound or sounds that is so distressing. When you begin to accept the sounds as non-threatening and just part of who you are, you will soon become so habituated to it that the noise will become barely audible to you.

Resisting the noises of tinnitus obviously means you are focused on the sounds, including the levels and pitches of those sounds, the frequency and duration of them, and so on. However, since you can't get rid of sounds that are actually generated by your hearing system, you change what you can--your reaction to them.

When you truly understand that your tinnitus will not go away and that it is not a condition that is life-threatening, you can learn to accept it and ultimately become indifferent to it. Certainly all the usual methods of control like using white noise or listening to a radio to focus your attention elsewhere can be helpful, but your ultimate goal is to learn to listen through the noise.

[two fold]

An amp that gives good bass and fills the room without being loud is beneficial. Ambient music such as Ryuichi Sakamoto is not always enjoyed

[mrbuzzardstubble]

On 28/02/2019 at 12:58 AM, Max054 said:

I have suffered from multiple hertz tinnitus since a car accident nearly 12 months ago I haven’t listened to my system since apart from GTGs when others tell me how good it is!

I was afflicted in the 80's when my neck 'went out'. The hissing was that bad that I had to have the bedside radio on softly to help me get to sleep. My neck got so sore that I ended wearing a neck brace to alleviate the pain. Eventually I bit the bullet and saw a chiropractor (Michael Katting in Melbourne) to treat my neck. I had bones badly out of place and it took a couple of visits to fix it. Lo and behold the hissing in my ears disappeared too and I haven't had it since. Similarly a friend suffered horrendous debilitating migraines after being rearended while his car was at stoplights. He put up with that for about 18 months before some visits to a chiro fixed him. His spine and pelvis were badly out of whack from the impact.

Edited March 2, 2019 by mrbuzzardstubble

[Beacon]

I have had Tinnitus on and off for about 30 years but I can tell you that you can reverse or at least mask its effects.

Here are my tips:

* Don't listen loud for extended periods. Get a decibel meter and measure the sound pressure levels of your gear. Don't listen to music above 90 dB for extended periods.

* Be very careful with headphones. Even more so with IEMs. Again, don't listen loud for extended periods and measure the dBs.

* Avoid drugs and medication which aggravate Tinnitus: red wine, aspirin to name a few. (some reds can give me Tinnitus for days!! Oh well, such is life.....)

* I got a pair of musician's earplugs custom made for concerts. They reduce the sound pressure level by 15dB. Highly recommended for those who attend concerts or live music venues regularly.

* When using machinery around the home use ear plugs. Even a drill can produce Tinnitus inducing noise. I use earplugs or over the head ear muffs when mowing and using power tools. Hammering too can really bring it on!

* Tinnitus can be alleviated somewhat by just avoiding loud noises, in my experience.  If you cannot avoid loud noise then you need to protect your ears.

 

After reading this thread my Tinnitus (high frequency ringing) has returned! Bugger. There can be lots of triggers.

 

Tinnitus: ignore it and you will go deaf.

 

Cheers everyone...

Edited March 9, 2019 by Beacon

[Max054]

I was afflicted in the 80's when my neck 'went out'. The hissing was that bad that I had to have the bedside radio on softly to help me get to sleep. My neck got so sore that I ended wearing a neck brace to alleviate the pain. Eventually I bit the bullet and saw a chiropractor (Michael Katting in Melbourne) to treat my neck. I had bones badly out of place and it took a couple of visits to fix it. Lo and behold the hissing in my ears disappeared too and I haven't had it since. Similarly a friend suffered horrendous debilitating migraines after being rearended while his car was at stoplights. He put up with that for about 18 months before some visits to a chiro fixed him. His spine and pelvis were badly out of whack from the impact.

I have had about 8 sessions with a chiropractor and 6 with an osteopath.

I am having acupuncture regularly as well.

I had an upper cervical CT scan which didn’t indicate relevant problems.

We are working on it being a Vegas Nerve over stimulated issue.

[andyr]

On 28/02/2019 at 2:01 PM, Ittaku said:

For what it's worth, I find drinking a lot (of alcohol) tends to bring on/worsen bouts of tinnitus, irrespective of other factors.

 

Yeah I found that a couple of decades ago, Con.  Grange would send me off really bad - so I haven't touched it since then. 

 

Andy

 

[Addicted to music]

1 hour ago, andyr said:

 

Yeah I found that a couple of decades ago, Con.  Grange would send me off really bad - so I haven't touched it since then. 

 

Andy

 

I wonder what @djb thinks.....

[andyr]

27 minutes ago, Addicted to music said:

I wonder what @djb thinks.....

 

Yes, @djb is a Fitzeeroy hipster, Peter - but he's also a nonogenarian pensioner.  I doubt he can afford Grange. 

 

Andy

 

[djmt]

Working around industrial machinery for the first 10 years of my career and goodness knows how many concert and live music venues has left me with mild tinnitus and hearing that pretty much ends at 2k. Surprisingly it doesn't seem to have adversely effected my enjoyment of listening. Maybe the gradual deterioration over the years has allowed me to adjust. Damn you George Duke @ The Cellar Door. I blame you and your bank of keyboards in a venue the size of a terrace house. 

[Wimbo]

On 02/03/2019 at 5:42 PM, mrbuzzardstubble said:

Similarly a friend suffered horrendous debilitating migraines after being rearended while his car was at stoplights. He put up with that for about 18 months before some visits to a chiro fixed him. His spine and pelvis were badly out of whack from the impact.

Thats what put poor old Doc Neeson out, hey. Never seen someone change physically so suddenly.

Anyway, I've got Tinnitus and it sounds like my spirit. Its in my head but I don't know where.

Anyone willing to try a cheap hearing aid > https://www.analogplanet.com/content/two-weeks-zvoxs-vb20-voicebud

[TerryO]

On 02/03/2019 at 1:23 PM, Nada said:

Everyone Has Tinnitus

More than 50 years ago, an experiment indicated that nearly everyone has tinnitus in quiet settings:

In 1953 Heller and Bergman performed an simple and classic experiment. They placed 80 tinnitus-free individuals (university members) in a sound proofed room for 5 minutes each, asking them to report on any sounds that might be heard. The subjects thought they might be undergoing a hearing test, but actually experienced 5 minutes of total silence. 93% reported hearing buzzing, pulsing, whistling sounds in the head or ears identical to those reported by tinnitus sufferers.

This simple experiment shows almost anyone can detect background electrical activity present in every living nerve cell in the hearing pathways as a sound. Although some areas of the auditory system may be more active than others, every neuron will contribute to some extent to the final perception of tinnitus.

source http://www.tinnitus.org/home/frame/THC1.htm

 

Follow up:

The effect of silence on tinnitus perception 2005

120 normal hearing young adult -  tinnitus-like sounds were perceived in 64% of listeners

 

Tinnitus aurium in persons with normal hearing: 55 years later.

83% of the participants reported that they experienced at least one sound

 

It's your reaction to the sound or sounds that is so distressing. When you begin to accept the sounds as non-threatening and just part of who you are, you will soon become so habituated to it that the noise will become barely audible to you.

Resisting the noises of tinnitus obviously means you are focused on the sounds, including the levels and pitches of those sounds, the frequency and duration of them, and so on. However, since you can't get rid of sounds that are actually generated by your hearing system, you change what you can--your reaction to them.

When you truly understand that your tinnitus will not go away and that it is not a condition that is life-threatening, you can learn to accept it and ultimately become indifferent to it. Certainly all the usual methods of control like using white noise or listening to a radio to focus your attention elsewhere can be helpful, but your ultimate goal is to learn to listen through the noise.

Everything I have read about tinnitus says in the vast majority of cases if you stop thinking about it and focus on something else then it disappears, until we think about it again. That is what I have have found as well with my Tinnitus, if I put it out of my mind it tends to go away, until next time.

 

What is written in the above attachment explains most of that very well. 

 

A number of people I have known over the years who complain about Tinnitus on a regular basis also tended to complain about other ailments as well, sorry to say it but I reckon plenty of us are very good at talking ourselves into early graves.

 

cheers Terry

Edited March 10, 2019 by TerryO

[Guest scumbag]

This is an interesting paper - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3157487/

It looks like Ginko Biloba can be effective at least for some people. I've bought some to try it out myself. It seems to have taken some of the edge of mine.

[tamarasue]

I've had it for many years at multiple frequencies.  Most of the time it doesn't bother me.   Saw doctors etc many years ago but best I can tell they don't actually have a clue what to do about it.  

I wear ear plugs at live music concerts and I also ride a motorbike so use ear plugs for that.   I don't think its got any worse in the last 10 years! 

Most annoying is going to sleep at night - I always play music in sleep mode which drowns it a bit before falling asleep. 

The only other big annoyance is its really hard to hear a group of people in a noisy (pub eg) environment.  

 

[sloper]

This very recent, l have 2 hip replacments.

Both are that worn l am suffering Chromium and Cobolt posioning.

First thing the surgeon said was hows your hearing and have you gone crazy.

l can answer yes to both.

 

regards Bruce

 

[anewmission]

Medications and alcohol can make tinnitus so much worse.
I have been playing in rock bands for 20 years.. Never use ear buds. I have to have white noise of some type to get to sleep.
If I walk into a rehearsal studio by myself I last about 2 minutes before running out.

There was a guy who had it so bad that he opted to have his ear drums removed... The sad thing was that the buzzing/ringing he had been hearing was still there in his brain after they removed the ear drums. He ended up taking his own life.. Poor guy