What is tinnitus?
Thursday 31 January 2008
Do you like to crank the volume up when you listen to music? Did you know you could be damaging your hearing forever? According to the charity, RNID, the UK “is facing a hearing loss time bomb.” n2k finds out more and talks to 3 young people who have been affected by tinnitus.
Tinnitus
Have you ever been to a place where they played really loud music and come home to find that your ears were ringing? Recent research by RNID, showed that 90% of young people experience hearing damage after a night out and 75% listen to their MP3 players at dangerously loud volumes.
Tinnitus is the sensation of a ringing, roaring, or buzzing sound in the ears or head. It can start suddenly after a night out or can happen gradually with the ringing sensation becoming louder in your ears each time you expose them to loud sounds. Sufferers sometimes have to put up with ringing in their ears all the time!
The effects
James Turner, a 23-year-old student suffers tinnitus, which he thinks comes from listening to loud music since he was 15.
“I find it difficult to concentrate in quiet environments and I often feel the need to have some quiet background noise, so I can mask the sound of the tinnitus. “
Christopher Woods, a 22-year-old Music Tech student, used to practice the drums daily in a small room at school and soon realised he was having problems with his hearing. When he left he started making his own music. A few years ago he realised that his hearing was taking longer to recover after loud club nights, experiencing tinnitus and temporary hearing loss two or three days after going out.
“You only realise just how much of a detrimental effect your habits are having...when you find yourself struggling to hear people speaking quietly, or just suffer from trouble hearing what people are saying during day-to-day conversation”
James adds, “I used to go to gigs fairly regularly. Now, even with earplugs I choose to avoid them because I am worried about making the tinnitus worse.”
Hyperacusis
James - “Like many tinnitus sufferers I also have a related condition called ‘hyperacusis’. This makes many some everyday sounds painfully loud. Screeching brakes and clashing plates are especially unpleasant.”
Niki Potterton aka DJ Miss Behavin’ was also left with hyperacusis after a particularly long and loud set. The volume control on the mixing desk was broken, and it was on maximum.
After six hours, Niki knew that the hearing in her left ear had gone, and she was in a lot of pain for three days. Her hearing returned, but she has been left with hyperacusis. Although she still DJs she now has to use her other ear, always keeps the volume down, and also wears custom-made earplugs.
Protect your hearing
The best and easiest way to protect your hearing are re-usable earplugs designed for clubs and gigs. If you listen to music in headphones try to invest in some quality noise reducing headphones.
“...turning the iPod down a couple of notches makes all the difference," adds Christopher. "You need your hearing for so many things in your life - you wouldn't let your car rust until it fell apart so why neglect your hearing?”
Read n2k's guide on how to protect your hearing.
Don’t lose the music
RNID’s Don’t Lose the Music campaign aims to increase awareness about the dangers of over exposure to loud music. Find out more.
