Can Singing Aggravate or Cause Further Damage to Inner Ear Hair Cells?

[Karl Tallman]

After a 15-year period of complete habituation to my left ear tinnitus (caused by a one time gun shot noise exposure when I was 26), my tinnitus has returned to my left ear. I'm a singer/songwriter and do a lot of home recording, sometimes having to use headphones to record vocals so there is no bleed over. I have tried to keep the volume relatively low but apparently it wasn't low enough as the tinnitus in that ear is back and it's worse than 10 years ago...

I also play a weekly solo gig playing acoustic guitar and singing through a small PA. Before this recent tinnitus flare up - it was never a problem to play my gig and I didn't use my musician earplugs as the volume on the stage where I sit behind the speakers was only around 80 to 84 dB at the peaks. I've been playing in duos, trios and solo (never drums) for 10 years without any problems. Since the tinnitus returned, I've been playing with a -29 dB filter in my Westone earplug in my left ear but it still seems to aggravate the tinnitus.

While the sound level is only 80 dB where I am behind my PA, I used a dB meter to measure the sound level of my voice when singing some of the higher pitched songs. I held my dB meter up to my left ear when singing the high notes of some more challenging songs and discovered there were some peaks as high as 90 dB.

My question is: even using -29 dB filters, can singing create enough internal vibration and resonance in the ear to further damage hair cells even if no ambient sound in coming in directly through the ear?

Thanks for any advise or info!

Karl

 

[JT2020]

This is a question as opposed to an answer to your question (sorry).

Did your tinnitus completely go away when you say you habituated? Or was it at a really low volume which didn't bother you for 10 years? And now it's (unfortunately) at a high level again?

Best of Luck on your recovery!

 

[Karl Tallman]

So I was exposed to the gunshot noise back in 1986 when I was 27 which damaged my left ear. Around 1990, I started hearing a faint ringing in that ear but it was pretty unobtrusive. I didn't get really bad tinnitus in that left ear though until 2004 when I played a gig with a very loud drummer and I forgot my earplugs. I did stuff some Kleenex in my ear but it wasn't enough protection. And I tell you, it was very intrusive for that first 6 months in 2004. My quality of life went from a 9 or 10 to a 2 after I got the tinnitus. I was pretty messed up as I get pretty anxious over stuff like that.

The tinnitus bothered me less and less until around 2007, when amazingly enough, it was like it was gone. I seriously didn't even think about it for 15 years. I would wear my Westone ear filter whenever I went to see a band with a drummer or any other loud environment just to be cautious. But I never really heard any ringing even in super quiet environment, not that I was trying to. Either my brain completely tuned it out or it was gone I'm not really sure. Life was good! I played in duos and trios and played hundreds of acoustic gigs with no problems.

Regrettably, I became complacent and should have recorded my vocal tracks with my -29 dB ear filter in that left ear under the headphones but I didn't. I thought it was a low enough volume but apparently not the case. That gunshot years ago messed that ear up. My right ear is fine. No tinnitus.

I am hoping that I can successfully habituate to this new level over time and maybe play music live again and sing. No more recording with headphones!

Thanks,
JT

 

[Mister Muso]

80 dB is enough for my ears to feel "not right" and has spiked my tinnitus before. Some days 60-70 dB is too much. I have hyperacusis as well as tinnitus.

I feel your pain though, I used to play live music. Hopefully I may do again one day.