Are Earphones/Headphones the Devil for a Tinnitus Sufferer?

[Deniseh]

Hi Dr. Nagler,

I hope this post finds you well.

Being fairly new to tinnitus (onset in August 2019), I wanted to ask if earphones/headphones exacerbate or are detrimental to tinnitus. The reason I ask is because I've worked in a contact centre for a bank for nearly 18 years with no problems until recently. I have seen GP/ENT Consultant/ Audiologists and had an MRI. No hearing loss or acoustic neuroma and everything seems normal.

However reading some posts in this forum paints earphones/headphones as the Devil Incarnate so I'd like to find out your views x

 

[Dr. Nagler]

Hello @Deniseh -

I have read a number of the posts regarding earphones to which you refer above, and I realize that there are some very strong opinions on this issue.

But ...

As I see it, there is in general nothing wrong with wearing earphones provided that you monitor the noise level. It is important to keep in mind that the sound emitted from earphones can be louder than you think (especially when listening to music, where there is a natural tendency to "turn them up"), which is why you should have the maximum dB level checked periodically. Also, earphones tend to block exposure to a wide range of healthy environmental sound - so I am not a fan of wearing them excessively.

Hope this helps.

Stephen M. Nagler, M.D.