New Tone After Music Festival (with Earplugs)

[Purple Parrot]

Hey folks,

So my tinnitus got way better over the last few months...then...I decided to go a music festival with some friends. I (of course) worse earplugs all day...the 32 db reduction ones, properly inserted. There was a lot of bass at some of the events we played, but I assumed all would be OK with my earplugs in (an audiologist told me it should be fine if I wore earplugs all day).

Coincidentally, my anxiety has been playing up a lot recently.

Festival was about a week ago - now I am noticing a new tone in my right ear. It is an intermitten low pitch hum/buzz - audible most prominently at night time, when I am lying in bed.

I've now completely freaked myself out (of course) - kicking myself for attending the festival in the first place. My hearing seems fine, just this new buzzing that I hear at night on my pillow.

Any insights into this? Could this be new damage (despite use of earplugs) or is it likely to be anxiety related?

 

[glynis]

I think It will settle down soon and well done in protecting your ears .
Flair ups can happen for any resson and will run its course and settle down.
Try stay positive and not let anxiety take hold as will make the perception of the sound seem worse.
A relaxing Easter hols and fresh air will help..
.lots of love glynis

 

[Ed209]

At an outdoor event with foam earplugs it is extremely unlikely you have damaged your hearing.

I too went to a festival 2 months after my T kicked up a notch; I used hearo xtreme earplugs the whole day. As soon as I got in the car and took the plugs out I noticed my T was louder. By the time I got home, where it was quiet, I really went into a full blown panic as it was definitely higher. The spike didn't last and my ears were exactly the same afterwards. In my case it was the earplugs that spiked my T. Having my ears blocked all day simply increased the tinnitus sound in my head and that was the cause.

Every time I have used the foam plugs, and other types for that matter, I get all kinds of crazy things happening in my head. Putting anxiety on top of this only heightens your senses and increases the perception of tinnitus even more. I will add that I have used the foam ones where noise has been very negligible, and I have still spiked.

I measured the sound levels at the festival and they averaged around 80db; the peaks could take it into the high 80's, but it rarely did. Obviously every festival is different but this gives you an idea of the kind of levels I experienced. I was around halfway down the field for the main stage. The rest of the areas were roughly the same on average. Sound levels outside are generally lower because there is no reverberation to reflect the sounds back.

In conclusion, the highest sound you were likely exposed to would have been below 70db, and factoring in bone conduction reduces around 40db I can't see much chance for damage. In fact I'd say slim to non.

 

[Purple Parrot]

Glynis, the thing I'm worried about (and which I've seen mentioned on the forums) is that the bass sounds have caused further damage through bone conduction.

I'm not sure how scientific this is...you would think the audiologist would have warned me about it if it were a real risk....

 

[Purple Parrot]

OK now I feel like I'm going completely mad....

I can't hear the low pitched buzz when I block my ears...so maybe it isn't a new tinnitus noise at all?!!! But I can't find an external source for the noise. And it really does feel as though it's coming from my ear...and it's weird that I hear it mostly when lying down (although a little when sitting up).

 

[Ed209]

OK now I feel like I'm going completely mad....

I can't hear the low pitched buzz when I block my ears...so maybe it isn't a new tinnitus noise at all?!!! But I can't find an external source for the noise. And it really does feel as though it's coming from my ear...and it's weird that I hear it mostly when lying down (although a little when sitting up).

You're paying more attention to the sounds in your head because you are concerned. I bet on an average day you don't pay anywhere near as much attention as you are now. Relax and try doing something else to take your mind off it. I promise you it will calm down.

 

[Bobby B]

depends how loud the music actually was
if its too loud then even plugs don't work that well if you stay for hours - especially for powerful bass
But if this T is a very faint buzz you only at night then you have very good chances that the damage done is temporary and will heal in time- provided you protect your ears in the coming weeks

 

[matt89]

Next time take 1200mg NAC (N-Acetylcysteine) 6 hours before the event starts.

 

[Ed209]

OK now I feel like I'm going completely mad....

I can't hear the low pitched buzz when I block my ears...so maybe it isn't a new tinnitus noise at all?!!! But I can't find an external source for the noise. And it really does feel as though it's coming from my ear...and it's weird that I hear it mostly when lying down (although a little when sitting up).

Another possible scenario is that you may have compacted some wax close to your ear drum. This is one of the unfortunate side effects of using earplugs; especially the foam ones when they are correctly inserted.

 

[Pumpkin]

Do you have a phone charger plugged in anywhere near your bed? Similar thing happened to me and turned out it was the plug buzzing....

 

[Purple Parrot]

No, no phone charger. I wondered about that too, as I know phone chargers can emit a weird buzzing noise.

The sound isn't a constant hum - it's like morse code. It's so weird that I can't hear it when I put my fingers in my ears though! But then it woke me up this morning at 2.30am, grrrr.

It was a pretty loud festival and the bass was pretty strong.

 

[Purple Parrot]

Hi folks

So I think I might have uncovered the mystery of the new tone - I think it might be street lamps! They make a bizarre intermittent humming noise...at least I hope that's what it is...

However, thanks to the anxiety and constant monitoring, my old tinnitus has kicked up a whole bunch of notches, argh.

 

[lymebite]

If you have an iPhone 5, 5s, 6, or 6s you can buy one of these nifty devices for $79 and have a friend check you for compacted ear wax (and other things such as infections), cheaper than a trip to the doctor.

https://www.cellscope.com/clinicians

 

[Ed209]

Hi folks

So I think I might have uncovered the mystery of the new tone - I think it might be street lamps! They make a bizarre intermittent humming noise...at least I hope that's what it is...

However, thanks to the anxiety and constant monitoring, my old tinnitus has kicked up a whole bunch of notches, argh.

I know what you mean. Anxiety and stress can take your tinnitus to another level, and once you get back into that state of monitoring your T, it can be difficult to get out of it again. It definitely raises your perception and awareness levels that's for sure.

I'm like a yo-yo just lately, but I'm trying to get back to the mental state I was in last year. At one point I felt I had moved passed focusing on it, but it only takes one bad day to put you right back there again.

All we need is a bit more time; the greatest healer of all.

 

[Purple Parrot]

OK so I think it was actual tinnitus and not street sounds...but I recently started a course of ecitalopram and believe THAT is what caused the new tone. Thank god it has now faded substantially as it was really annoying.

Once again, I have found the most helpful thing to be Julian Cowan Hill's videos on YouTube. Just listening to him helps my anxiety and tinnitus pipe down.

I'm sleeping again with very minimal masking.

Thanks for your support everyone!

Having said all of the above, I'm going to bring headphones (as well as earplugs) to the next festival I go to, as well as a decibel reader...

 

[bekker]

Yoooo purple parrot i recognize the things you have. My tinnitus changed after i went clubbing with 33 decibel earplugs. After that i got new tones that come and go. You Said you can't hear the toen if you close your ears from noise outside. I have the same. I think it is tinnitus/tones that is Being triggerd from noise outside. Because i don't hear the new tones always but when i go under the shower or go in the car the new tones come there also because it is triggerd from the noise of the shower and the car. I cant go the clubs and party's in a closed environment no more because also with the earplugs i get new tones and sensitieve ears. I still can go to a festival because that went good!! I took NAC before and after the festival and it is important to stay far away from the boxes so at the back of the dancefloor. I think the most important part is to take a rest of minimal 15 minutes Every hour. So chill in the grass or something.

Every tinnitus and ear reacts different so i hope you still can go out inside but you have to Find out.....