Is Tinnitus Becoming More Common?

[David G]

A few days after my mild T started I went to a walk in centre, because I couldn't wait for another GP appointment. And the nurse who seen to me said he has it, for over 30 years, and he looked baffled as to why I was complaining about it. I asked him how he sleeps with it and he just says he ignores it.

So there are many people out there with T but just don't care about it, and the people who complain about it are in the very vocal minority.

 

[dpdx]

I know 2 people with T. Would have never knew if they didnt tell me.

 

[DT_N_DA_CLUB]

The headphone generation are asking for it I think. So many I hear their music blasting in their in ear headphones. That loud I can hear it over traffic. That can't be good. On the other hand I wish I could use headphones, I never did before T anyway apart from on holidays but I do wish I could do that now (at safe volume of course)

The headphones they mostly listen to just focus more on bass, the highs are subdued they'll be fine.

 

[Contrast]

A friend of mine told me his whole family has tinnitus.

But told me his is really mild where he can only hear it in a silent room with his hands over his ears.

 

[Michael Leigh]

But told me his is really mild where he can only hear it in a silent room with his hands over his ears.

If he uses headphones at high levels or goes to places where loud music is played, his tinnitus is likely to get louder...

 

[Contrast]

If he uses headphones at high levels or goes to places where loud music is played, his tinnitus is likely to get louder...

Thanks, I'll give him a heads up on that.

 

[Gman]

Yes, think T will become more prevalent. Go to any electronics store and see the insane number of in ear earphones available these days. Many with sound isolation, that sit deep in the ear canal.
Also the age before kids starting using headphones is getting lower with smart device usage.
These are just two examples.

 

[Julien87]

I don't think so. Yes noise pollution and continual noise exposure is a relatively modern phenomenon, but I don't think the recent past was quiet as people here make it out to be.

People may not have had ipods, but they did have boom boxes and loud stereos. People went to loud concerts. Many went to war without hearing protection, it turns out guns, bombs, and airplanes are kind of loud.
Many people worked in manufacturing with no hearing protection.

Yes, but what percentage of people did this concern VS what percentage of people listen to loud music and go to loud clubs today? I think now it has become an ordinary thing for most young people, and more importantly, for a lot of them loud music became a daily thing.

 

[Danig]

According to Wikipedia (in a paragraph duly referenced):

"Tinnitus affects 10–15% of people. About a third of North Americans over 55 experience tinnitus. Tinnitus affects one third of adults at some time in their lives, whereas ten to fifteen percent are disturbed enough to seek medical evaluation."
​

That seems like a whole bunch of people to me, 10-15% of people who are disturbed enough.

It'd be interesting to know what was the prevalence 30-40 years ago. Had it been significantly smaller, that would reinforce the claims of modern lifestyle habits (be it headphones, computer usage, etc.) as the probable culprits for this epidemics.

 

[Chris Holland]

Yes, but what percentage of people did this concern VS what percentage of people listen to loud music and go to loud clubs today? I think now it has become an ordinary thing for most young people, and more importantly, for a lot of them loud music became a daily thing.

How many people worked in factories back in the day? And how many worked in heavy industry such as coal mining? Don't forget about the second world war neither, I don't think it's that much more prevalent now compared to then, maybe more than in the 70's but I don't think it's more common now than it was when our grandparents were young, people just did not speak about it ...

 

[Bassplayer]

I'm beginning to believe that everyone has a degree of tinnitus during their lives. Even if it is only temporary (e.g after a loud concert then lying in bed and 'hearing their brain make noises'). Maybe it is just a natural warning response like pain.

I've spoken to so many people about it over the years now and haven't come across anyone who hasn't experienced 'phantom' sounds. Bare in mind many still have never heard of the word tinnitus.

The mechanism for T in 'normal' people seems to be there as has been shown in experiments when they are placed in a sound proofed room.

It's just that for some it seems it can get locked into our memory if it becomes associated with some form of stress or trigger. That trigger could easily be exposure to a loud sound and then worrying that if might cause a long term tinnitus condition. Other triggers include drugs and emotional issues. Those with slight obsessive behaviour can become over focused on the T and lock it in.

This is one thing which worries me about publicising the condition too much. I have seen posts on T forums where people have worried they have got long term or 'permanent' tinnitus just because their ear rings after a loud concert. As far as I can see, everyone experiences temporary ear ringing after exposure to loud sound. Fear of T could in itself actually bring T to the the forefront!

I know a lot of money and effort is going into finding a physical cure for tinnitus. If a 'magic cure' is ever found I can see the condition being promoted even more! However if T turns out to be a natural warning signal, then we still need to be looking at dealing with the emotional side of the problem.

If more people are suffering from T it may be that we need to look at the increasing stress we are being subjected to in day to day life. For example, being bombarded with doom and gloom from the press, being made to live unrealistic and unnatural lifestyles, being fed with foods and drinks full of chemicals etc etc.

It does seem crazy we live in such a beautiful world but we seem to have created a monster for ourselves.

 

[Tinker Bell]

How many people worked in factories back in the day? And how many worked in heavy industry such as coal mining? Don't forget about the second world war neither, I don't think it's that much more prevalent now compared to then, maybe more than in the 70's but I don't think it's more common now than it was when our grandparents were young, people just did not speak about it ...

True. Factories are very loud and before child labor laws, many children worked in factories in the U.S. If anything, some of our manufacturing processes are quieter now.

Warfare was incredibly loud, too. Not just during WWI and WWII. Ever heard a 1700s-era cannon be shot? I attended a re-enactment once, the noise was intense. Imagine being in a land battle or sea battle with multiple cannons and rifles being shot.

Shortly after I acquired tinnitus and hearing loss, I happened to be in a room with multiple war veterans. Every single one had tinnitus and hearing loss. I asked if it bothered them when it first hit, and they overwhelmingly said they were just trying to stay alive during the war. Basically it was the least of their problems and once they returned home, they were just happy to be alive. And before someone tries to belittle their lack of distress and claim they did not have severe tinnitus, yeah no. Very loud from their descriptions.

Another thought is that sound is not the only cause of tinnitus. Many diseases that could cause inflammation and hearing loss were more prevalent before advances in medicine. It's very likely that many people historically acquired tinnitus through illness.

 

[Autumnly]

This is one thing which worries me about publicising the condition too much. [...] If a 'magic cure' is ever found I can see the condition being promoted even more!

Are you saying you don't want people to raise awareness for tinnitus because in return people might be more prone to develop it since they are now aware that it exists?

 

[Bassplayer]

Are you saying you don't want people to raise awareness for tinnitus because in return people might be more prone to develop it since they are now aware that it exists?

I'm saying that I'm sure some people have become aware of it and the fear of it become a trigger for the more permanent variety. Not only with tinnitus but other ailments.

It's good we have support networks for such things these days, I was helped a lot 6 years ago by people on the BTA forum. But it's getting the right balance like everything else. How much profit is made each year out of fixing the symptom but not the cause ?

 

[Julien87]

How many people worked in factories back in the day? (....) I don't think it's that much more prevalent now compared to then, maybe more than in the 70's but I don't think it's more common now than it was when our grandparents were young.

That's it, it really depends on what we call "relatively modern" and "back in the day".
At times of war and dominance of industrial sector, I assume it was very frequent indeed. Seeing footages of artillery firing makes me cringe

 

[Bassplayer]

I do think that by creating all these modern labels for ailments we have also created problems to fix. Lots of profit in fixing problems. Everyone has got something. Everyone wants an instant fix for it.

Yes, it may the case many years ago, depending where you lived, that we had much worse things to worry about. I'm lucky enough to have not been around during the big wars.

However we all still have to live out this modern life with the 24/7 continuous threat of humanity being wiped out by nuclear or biological warfare. A planet which is struggling to sustain us. That has got to be taking a toll on our sub consciousness and emotions. I doubt that has ever been quantified.

Maybe we as a race need to putting more effort into fixing those causes.

 

[Dem]

A friend of mine told me his whole family has tinnitus.

But told me his is really mild where he can only hear it in a silent room with his hands over his ears.

In my family home 3 out of 5 people have T from different reasons, among my close friends two have noise included T, sister of other friend has T as well.
Few of other friends when i talked with them about T said that in absolute silence they can hear some very quiet ringing. If everyone would talk louder about this condition maybe more scientists would be working on cure...

 

[dpdx]

If he uses headphones at high levels or goes to places where loud music is played, his tinnitus is likely to get louder...

Can it go up when an ambulance passes by or when a fire alarm suddenly comes on?

 

[Helheim]

I really hope it'll become more common. Maybe people will put more effort into curing it then.

 

[attheedgeofscience]

Empirical studies on tinnitus prevalence have produced "mixed results" over the past couple years. But there are indications that tinnitus may be on the rise or that there is a shift in the make-up of the subpopulations that develop tinnitus (i.e. a shift away from tinnitus caused by industrial noise to recreational noise). The CEO of Otonomy (Mr. Weber) has stated in his presentations that hidden hearing loss is on the rise (and hidden hearing loss is known to be correlated with tinnitus). And also figures for disabling hearing loss have been revised upwards recently by the WHO (when the entity released a presentation to mark World Hearing Day on March 3rd – see attachment, slide #2).

 

[Luman]

I really hope it'll become more common. Maybe people will put more effort into curing it then.

It's common enough already, one in ten have it, and a third of seniors. Curing it takes money.

We should all become members of, or donate to, the American, or British, Tinnitus Associations - these organizations support research. Membership in the ATA is not expensive, and it includes their quarterly magazine with interesting and informative articles.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Can it go up when an ambulance passes by or when a fire alarm suddenly comes on?

Not usually. If a person has hyperacusis then sensitivity to those sounds can make the tinnitus increase causing a spike. The answer is not to wear earplugs outside as this will lower the loudness threshold of the auditory system making sensitivity to sound worse. More than likely it is stress and anxiety that will cause the tinnitus to increase due to negative thinking.

 

[dpdx]

Not usually. If a person has hyperacusis then sensitivity to those sounds can make the tinnitus increase causing a spike. The answer is not to wear earplugs outside as this will lower the loudness threshold of the auditory system making sensitivity to sound worse. More than likely it is stress and anxiety that will cause the tinnitus to increase due to negative thinking.

thanks

 

[Mister Muso]

Yes.

I know 4 people with tinnitus. Only one of them talked about it before I got it and started talking about mine. The one friend had Meniere's disease so although he was a musician I figured I was unlikely to suffer the same. On the plus side he has recovered so he only hears it in quiet rooms and can go to concerts again.

This gives me hope that one day I can resume my concert-going too.