Caring for My Hearing

[kiwikel]

I need some help in figuring out what I can do to try and not make my tinnitus any worse.

When using earbuds, or listening to music in the car, how do I know if it's too loud?

I definitely feel like after a long day of being around lots of noise, my tinnitus feels louder.

What can I do to be more careful, and are there any things I should avoid doing?

 

[HanaK]

Hello Taehyung fan Try switching from earbuds to headphones. And keep the volume at half or lower. Also, try not to listen to music in the car if you can or keep it just audible enough so you can hear it. If you go to k-pop concerts or concerts in general, wear earplugs, and if you're willing to compromise being up close, choose seats further away from the speakers. Also give your ears a break. Don't listen to music through earbuds for at least 1 week following a concert, and don't listen to music all day long either. There's a 60/60 rule where it says, 60 minutes a day at 60% volume. I'd say that's a good rule to follow, but 60% volume may be too much. Maybe 50% or lower.

My rule of thumb now that I have hearing loss/tinnitus from years of k-pop concerts and blasting music is I turn my music up just enough so that I can hear it. Which is 2-4 bars of volume on my Macbook depending on what I'm listening to. Wish I had done that sooner lol.

 

[kiwikel]

Hello taehyung fan Try switching from earbuds to headphones. And keep the volume at half or lower. Also, try not to listen to music in the car if you can or keep it just audible enough so you can hear it. If you go to k-pop concerts or concerts in general, wear earplugs, and if you're willing to compromise being up close, choose seats further away from the speakers. Also give your ears a break. Don't listen to music through earbuds for at least 1 week following a concert, and don't listen to music all day long either. There's a 60/60 rule where it says, 60 minutes a day at 60% volume. I'd say that's a good rule to follow, but 60% volume may be too much. Maybe 50% or lower.

Thank you so much
I love, love music and concerts so being stuck in this situation breaks my heart. I'm always far from the speakers in concerts usually, but in May, I'll be quite close to them. I'll wear earplugs for sure, but is there any chance it could still worsen after?

 

[HanaK]

Thank you so much
I love, love music and concerts so being stuck in this situation breaks my heart. I'm always far from the speakers in concerts usually, but in May, I'll be quite close to them. I'll wear earplugs for sure, but is there any chance it could still worsen after?

Blackpink? lol. I definitely feel you. I was devastated when I figured out I had hearing loss from years of blasting music/going to concerts without earplugs. I noticed my hearing was weird for some time, but didn't realize it was from loud music. Now music doesn't sound the same anymore.

It's good that you realized it early and are doing things to protect your ears now! If you want to keep your hearing for a long time, definitely limit how often you go to concerts. There's a chance the music could still reach your cochlea through bone conduction, so the answer to that is yes, the tinnitus may get worse after if the music is still loud enough with earplugs on. So keep a pair of earmuffs on hand as well to put over the earplugs if you feel its too loud. You may look silly, but at least you can still enjoy the concert while protecting your hearing. Do not scream with the earplugs in. Wave a banner/poster instead to get an artist's attention. Also, after the concerts. Rest your ears! What you do after the concert matters. Also have a good meal with a lot of bananas, and foods that are good for your ears before the concert and after the concert.

 

[HanaK]

Long term care for your tinnitus aside from loud music would be to sleep early and get 8 hours of rest. Make sure your body is healthy! Eat 3 meals a day, stay hydrated, and exercise (preferably not at a gym because of the loud music lol, or wear earplugs there). Try to limit stress as it can affect tinnitus. Also eat a lot of foods that are healthy for your ears such as bananas, avocados, fruits, green vegetables, etc. Don't stay around noisy areas for too long! Avoid things that are super noisy like blenders, vacuum cleaners, power tools. (wear earmuffs around them) Avoid loud sudden noises by closing the doors gently in the house and the car. Just do everything gently haha. Give your ears some quiet time sometimes. Don't stop living life, but give your ears a few good hours where its not listening to music, traffic, or voices.

You're still young so I really hope your ears can heal!

 

[Bill Bauer]

When using earbuds, or listening to music in the car, how do I know if it's too loud?

You know you've been exposed to noise that is too loud for you, when your T gets louder (which is your case).

When using earbuds,

Consider not using earbuds or headphones:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/isnt-it-ok-to-use-headphones-even-at-low-volume.25287/

any things I should avoid doing?

Do what you can to avoid the kind of noise that gives you T spikes. There is a chance that this interferes with your healing, or that it would eventually cause a permanent spike.

Check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

is there any chance it could still worsen after?

Check out the posts I quoted in the post below
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/learn-from-others-mistakes.29437/

What it boils down to is that there is a risk that your T will get worse if you attend loud events (even if you use earplugs). Many people go to those concerts with earplugs and end up being ok afterwards. Some of those people might eventually develop problems, but it looks like many might never have any problems. Compare the costs and benefits and do what makes the most sense to you. But keep in mind that T can last decades and the concert will make you happy only for a couple of hours.

 

[HanaK]

Consider not using earbuds or headphones:

Agreed. Don't use earbuds or headphones at all if you can. Don't stop listening to music, but rather try to play your music out loud via laptop speakers at low volume, and keep the TV at low volume too. But if you must use earbuds/headphones, 60/60 rule.

 

[kiwikel]

Blackpink? lol. I definitely feel you. I was devastated when I figured out I had hearing loss from years of blasting music/going to concerts without earplugs. I noticed my hearing was weird for some time, but didn't realize it was from loud music. Now music doesn't sound the same anymore.

It's good that you realized it early and are doing things to protect your ears now! If you want to keep your hearing for a long time, definitely limit how often you go to concerts. There's a chance the music could still reach your cochlea through bone conduction, so the answer to that is yes, the tinnitus may get worse after if the music is still loud enough with earplugs on. So keep a pair of earmuffs on hand as well to put over the earplugs if you feel its too loud. You may look silly, but at least you can still enjoy the concert while protecting your hearing. Do not scream with the earplugs in. Wave a banner/poster instead to get an artist's attention. Also, after the concerts. Rest your ears! What you do after the concert matters. Also have a good meal with a lot of bananas, and foods that are good for your ears before the concert and after the concert.

I wish it was Blackpink! I used up most on my money to see BTS in September, so going to their concert would have been too expensive.

I'll make sure to have earplugs and earmuffs and if I feel that it's too much, I'll leave. I just can't really cancel. I bought the tickets before tinnitus and I invited people to come with me, so I don't want to let them down.

 

[Manex]

I controlled my tinnitus for over 20 years by not using earbuds nor headphones. Never going to concerts or any uncontrollable volume situation. I wore earplugs in movies and any driving that would last over an hour. And if you ever find yourself raising your voice to talk, you need to leave or put ear plugs in. If you ever can feel the volume of the room or find your self not just talking loudly but really pushing to project, you need to leave even if you have ear plugs in.

Yes, it sucks, but until some medication made my T worse, I went from near suicidal to wishing I didn't have it, but making it not a major part of my life other than the habits I mentioned above which do change how you live your life, but also are protecting you from the tinnitus.

That said I met someone at a party the other day and they were losing their hearing and had tinnitus and they were just accepting that it was a side effect of going to concerts every week which is the thing in life they loved.

BTW - using ear plugs: Roll them in your fingers and insert them far enough such that the earplug doesn't extend past the "tab" in your ear. If they're even close to falling out, they're not working.