Going to Bars/Clubs/Concerts with Hearing Protection — Wise or Not?

[Yas]

I'm going to say "unwise, but I've done it a lot carefully over the last decade including some concerts and it's been fine"

however, there are concerts and there are concerts. I don't know if I'll ever go see NIN again, and I imagine Slipknot would be even louder.... personally I'm done with metal shows. Anywhere that there's literally a masochistic draw to the decibel level... not somewhere I want to be.

I missed the concert and it sucked watching my friends go!! Proper jealous :'(

 

[Yas]

Oh maybe your tinnitus is pretty mild... hopefully.

I'm not sure how to measure it, but I think it is on the milder side. It can be masked when I'm outdoors by background noises

 

[Yas]

I've gone to tons of parties and clubs with my custom made plugs. Every time I thought it was too loud I left. It was great.

But a few months back I've made the mistake of staying at a party when I knew it was too loud. And unfortunately, one fuck up leaves marks for life. Since then I've developed slight hyperacusis. So probably no more partying for me.

im sorry to hear this! It sucks that you can't tell until the damage is done! Wish there was an indicator during the event, right?
I still don't know my limits, and I'm too scared to test them. Life's been hard.

 

[Yas]

Hi @Yas, just now seeing this thread. I have some concerns about that seemingly minor spike. You're still early on in your tinnitus journey, and your ears are going through a critical healing period, which will likely last months. Seemingly minor spikes during this time can be more problematic than they may appear. It's similar to any part of the body trying to heal, and it gets exacerbated for some reason. It's likely to cause more damage than if it had happened after we had healed more thoroughly.

I noticed you mentioned in a later post about trying to avoid a spike altogether. I like that mindset. But unexpected things can always happen. You might find it of interest that two separate people "got" tinnitus from the very same scene in a movie. So even though 99.9% of a movie might be safe, only .1% might be all it takes to cause a spike. I would just caution you to be extra careful for a few more months before experimenting too extensively. The overall impression I get is that you're likely to come through this quite well. Being extra careful for a few more months would give you a little insurance on that outcome. -- All the Best!

I'm sorry I got to this so late.

I'm still avoiding anything that can potentially make things worse, but because I don't know my limit, it's hard to tell what I can and cannot do. I haven't been doing much socialising because of the fear of a spike.

 

[LukeYoung]

Wouldn't risk it... Maybe if the music isn't in a small venue or closed in spaces, but it's still a risk. I rely on my Apple Watch to alert me of loud noises now.

 

[Yas]

Wouldn't risk it... Maybe if the music isn't in a small venue or closed in spaces, but it's still a risk. I rely on my Apple Watch to alert me of loud noises now.

It was in the O2 Arena London which is the 2nd largest U.K. arena! Apparently it was still pretty loud on the seated area where my tickets were booked for. I didn't know where the speakers were placed either.

Oh wow the Apple watch thing sounds handy! You've convinced me to get one haha

 

[LukeYoung]

It was in the O2 Arena London which is the 2nd largest U.K. arena! Apparently it was still pretty loud on the seated area where my tickets were booked for. I didn't know where the speakers were placed either.

Oh wow the Apple watch thing sounds handy! You've convinced me to get one haha

It's excellent, I can monitor my surroundings just by looking at my Apple Watch...

Look into it. The app is called "Noise" and it's a certified apple application made professionally.

 

[Yas]

It's excellent, I can monitor my surroundings just by looking at my Apple Watch...

Look into it. The app is called "Noise" and it's a certified apple application made professionally.

Thank you!!
Reckon it'll work on my iPhone instead?

 

[LukeYoung]

Thank you!!
Reckon it'll work on my iPhone instead?

It's limited to apple watch, there are apps on iphone though. one called dB meter. But it doesn't constantly monitor and you have to open app and get phone out of pocket and such

 

[Yas]

It's limited to apple watch, there are apps on iphone though. one called dB meter. But it doesn't constantly monitor and you have to open app and get phone out of pocket and such

thank you! I actually have that app already!
What is your noise limit set to?

 

[LukeYoung]

thank you! I actually have that app already!
What is your noise limit set to?

It's set to 85dB