Frustrated at a Coworker for Honking a Horn

[Ab4477]

So I was at work outside talking to my girlfriend on my phone and a guy at my work drove right up to me and honked the horn for 3, maybe 5 seconds and I'm afraid it might have caused a spike or could have made my tinnitus worse.

I looked up online and it said the loudest a car horn can be is 107-109 dB. Which in that short period of time shouldn't cause problems. I think I'm more just scared and anxious about it than anything else and it's probably fine.

And recently it seemed like my tinnitus was getting quieter or at least my perception of it was. I only really hear it in a dead silent room in my right ear.

However I also have it in my left ear (feels like wind going in my ear) when I'm super stressed but it's short lived.

Would that be enough to damage my hearing and/or make my tinnitus worse?

I've avoided loud environments when possible, and been careful with headphones (only at extremely low volumes) and have worn earplugs when I've felt necessary, at a party or something.

At the moment it might be louder because of the fear and anxiety surrounding the situation.

I've only had tinnitus in my right ear since November 2018 and in my left ear since February 2019, but it's not constant in my left ear, it's more like fleeting tinnitus which I believe is normal.

 

[Nonna]

the less ppl know about ur ears the better off u will be.
Your spike from the horn will go down.
In time u may still feel the pain from the noise but the panic will improve and probably go away.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Would that be enough to damage my hearing and/or make my tinnitus worse?

Temporary spikes take take more than three months to resolve. For now you can safely assume that your spike is temporary. If it doesn't go away in three months (a highly unlikely possibility!), then you can begin worrying about it.

 

[Ab4477]

Thanks guys. I don't think I had a spike from the horn per say, more so from the anxiety and fear around that it would. Once I realized it wasn't long or loud enough to cause any damage my fear and anxiety around it went down as well as the volume.