Tinnitus/Hyperacusis After Years of Loud Music — 3+ Months of Hell on Earth

[John Joseph]

I was asking because I feel I notice my hearing loss in most settings even though it is considered as mild and unilateral. Most sounds sound shrill and slightly distorted in my right ear at just about any volume. So when I try to listen to music it's not just that some frequencies are lost, but more so that those around the damaged frequencies sound wrong. I hope that perception mellows out or that I'll eventually be able to not care about it too much, but so far this has really been putting me off any kind of music activities. Maybe it's more related to hyperacusis than to my hearing loss per se.

I've been doing a lot of thinking this week, trying to untangle the web of ear damage symptoms that have followed my acoustic trauma, and I've come to a similar conclusion.

I have high frequency hearing loss that is greater than yours and Benjaminbb's (30ish dB at 6 kHz and 40ish dB at 8 kHz) and yet I think the hyperacusis and the related distortions, which are very similar to what you guys have described in this thread, are what detracts from music the most for me. There are times when it (and the fullness) subsides somewhat and I notice music sounds substantially better. That tinny, metallic edge gets taken off. It's usually this terrible filter that gets applied to most sound I hear.

This thread is a good read. Music is (was?) my life. I always feared something like this happening to my hearing and here I am. I know the pain. I barely bother anymore as it just sounds wrong to me usually. I do notice that it tends to actually sound better with some earplugs though. It's like the top end gets taken off so much with them in that there's no reactivity.

I truly hope everyone suffering can get to a spot where we can enjoy the finest of tunes again.

 

[Benjaminbb]

I've been doing a lot of thinking this week, trying to untangle the web of ear damage symptoms that have followed my acoustic trauma, and I've come to a similar conclusion.

I have high frequency hearing loss that is greater than yours and Benjaminbb's (30ish dB at 6 kHz and 40ish dB at 8 kHz) and yet I think the hyperacusis and the related distortions, which are very similar to what you guys have described in this thread, are what detracts from music the most for me. There are times when it (and the fullness) subsides somewhat and I notice music sounds substantially better. That tinny, metallic edge gets taken off. It's usually this terrible filter that gets applied to most sound I hear.

This thread is a good read. Music is (was?) my life. I always feared something like this happening to my hearing and here I am. I know the pain. I barely bother anymore as it just sounds wrong to me usually. I do notice that it tends to actually sound better with some earplugs though. It's like the top end gets taken off so much with them in that there's no reactivity.

I truly hope everyone suffering can get to a spot where we can enjoy the finest of tunes again.

Sorry to hear my guy, I feel like I'm not too far behind you. I have had the resonance/distortion forever now (13+ years) and it never affected me beyond being annoying if I didn't wear ear plugs. I actually didn't know it was damage related til recently, which definitely changes your perspective on it.

Does it happen to you at low/all volumes too? If only in loud places then I can guarantee you'll be fine with it, as you said earplugs almost always stop it. You can just cover up with headphones as earmuffs when doing live instrumentation in the studio. A little frustrating but workable for our remaining years haha.

When I'm with people talking loud or shouting, I'm almost always automatically pressing my ear closed from behind. It's not as obvious as blocking your ear which is good in public settings. Just pointing out these precautions and reactions can become so automated that it doesn't even become an issue.

I've become so good at pre-empting loud sounds now, its like PTSD if I'm near a truck or something, I feel like a bang could happen at any second so I just block that ear - sounds stressful but I've gotten used to it and it's more of an auto reaction that I'm sure you can get used to as well.

If you only have it when it's loud, then you can make music in the studio with no problems, there's almost no way I'm getting close to the distortion volume in my day to day. But I don't play live guitar or piano in studio - both of those would tweak it out for sure.

As I've said in posts before, try to not let it distract you, it will understandably be frustrating at first, but we just gotta roll with the punches in life. Whether that leads us to other jobs or is simply dealing with tinnitus etc.

If someone told me this when I was upset, I'm not sure I would have listened, but the fact that I've come out the other side trying to help others switch perspectives too.

Go easy on yourself, if you need to take breaks/time off do whatever keeps you from spiraling. Maybe meditate.

 

[CJCP]

Thanks! Are you a musician? What is your current scenario?

Hi mate! Sorta new to this website and missed this.

Things have gotten better over the past few months. I've made major changes to managing my generalized and health anxieties by meditating, taking Magnesium bisglycinate supplements, quitting smoking, and drinking way less.

I am very happy to say that I am back in the studio! I use an earplug in the affected ear when working with other instrumentalists, but at this point my hyperacusis has improved so much that I can do all production work unprotected. Production work should be done at a low volume anyway! I've always produced at low volumes, so this isn't a major change in practice for me. I don't notice any major frequency blindspots when playing with EQ, thank god...

The major complaints I had after my trauma were aural fullness (seemingly Eustachian Tube Dysfunction) and hyperacusis - I've had tinnitus my entire life, so the minor uptick was not the biggest challenge to deal with. After about 4 and half months, I am finally feeling the fullness die down and the hyperacusis improve. It has taken way longer than I would have liked, but I am happy to start seeing results after around 3 months of wondering whether I would be able to continue pursuing my passion again!

I do notice minor distortions at really low frequencies (especially on the train while wearing ear protection). I also feel like my hyperacusis is worse with percussive noises, but not necessarily as bad with sustained noise. My suspicion is that this has to do with a sort of paralysis of the stapedius muscle or the tensor tympani. From my understanding, these muscles act as compressors for lower frequencies, and it feels like the attack on one of my internal compressors is slower, if this makes sense.

Check this out if you haven't already:
https://www.uaudio.com/blog/how-the-ear-works/

Overall, while my injury has no doubt been very traumatic, it feels like this is a paper cut compared to some of the things I've read on here. I look forward to continuing with newer, healthier habits and hopefully more healing as time moves on.

 

[CRGC]

Hi mate! Sorta new to this website and missed this.

Things have gotten better over the past few months. I've made major changes to managing my generalized and health anxieties by meditating, taking Magnesium bisglycinate supplements, quitting smoking, and drinking way less.

I am very happy to say that I am back in the studio! I use an earplug in the affected ear when working with other instrumentalists, but at this point my hyperacusis has improved so much that I can do all production work unprotected. Production work should be done at a low volume anyway! I've always produced at low volumes, so this isn't a major change in practice for me. I don't notice any major frequency blindspots when playing with EQ, thank god...

The major complaints I had after my trauma were aural fullness (seemingly Eustachian Tube Dysfunction) and hyperacusis - I've had tinnitus my entire life, so the minor uptick was not the biggest challenge to deal with. After about 4 and half months, I am finally feeling the fullness die down and the hyperacusis improve. It has taken way longer than I would have liked, but I am happy to start seeing results after around 3 months of wondering whether I would be able to continue pursuing my passion again!

I do notice minor distortions at really low frequencies (especially on the train while wearing ear protection). I also feel like my hyperacusis is worse with percussive noises, but not necessarily as bad with sustained noise. My suspicion is that this has to do with a sort of paralysis of the stapedius muscle or the tensor tympani. From my understanding, these muscles act as compressors for lower frequencies, and it feels like the attack on one of my internal compressors is slower, if this makes sense.

Check this out if you haven't already:
https://www.uaudio.com/blog/how-the-ear-works/

Overall, while my injury has no doubt been very traumatic, it feels like this is a paper cut compared to some of the things I've read on here. I look forward to continuing with newer, healthier habits and hopefully more healing as time moves on.

Thanks for sharing your progress, I'm happy to read that you're doing better! I'm still very much struggling with my hyperacusis and still feel a long ways away from getting back to making music. Your story gives me hope!

 

[CJCP]

Thanks for sharing your progress, I'm happy to read that you're doing better! I'm still very much struggling with my hyperacusis and still feel a long ways away from getting back to making music. Your story gives me hope!

I noticed that you, like me, deal with quite a bit of anxiety. I want you to know that I have made a concerted effort to prioritize managing my anxiety and mental health before my ear health. This alone has worked wonders for both. To be clear, I am still dealing with the hyperacusis and fullness at this moment, but it is so much better than the onset.

Cheers, and I am sending wishes for you to find some relief soon.

 

[Scarface Tony]

I noticed that you, like me, deal with quite a bit of anxiety. I want you to know that I have made a concerted effort to prioritize managing my anxiety and mental health before my ear health. This alone has worked wonders for both. To be clear, I am still dealing with the hyperacusis and fullness at this moment, but it is so much better than the onset.

Cheers, and I am sending wishes for you to find some relief soon.

I hope you feel better soon.

Has your tinnitus ever reduced in volume or has it been constant since the onset? Have you ever experienced moments of complete silence or tinnitus being very soft?

I'm only 2 months into it and my tinnitus varies from high pitch to lower pitch hiss, recently, the last week, I've been experiencing that my tinnitus goes soft during the day and remains like that for a few hours. I've had a few minutes of complete silence but it always comes back. Getting random spikes throughout the day. This has been happening daily.

Last night it was very loud with mild fullness and pain, itching a lot inside the ear.

 

[CJCP]

I hope you feel better soon.

Has your tinnitus ever reduced in volume or has it been constant since the onset? Have you ever experienced moments of complete silence or tinnitus being very soft?

I'm only 2 months into it and my tinnitus varies from high pitch to lower pitch hiss, recently, the last week, I've been experiencing that my tinnitus goes soft during the day and remains like that for a few hours. I've had a few minutes of complete silence but it always comes back. Getting random spikes throughout the day. This has been happening daily.

Last night it was very loud with mild fullness and pain, itching a lot inside the ear.

Hi Tony.

It sounds like you are experiencing the habituation process. My tinnitus perception varies frequently, and it's most closely associated with my anxiety levels that day. There are some times when I feel it is completely gone (it's not), and there are other times when I can't not hear it. You cannot force habituation, which is why I take to things I feel that I can control - like my mental and physical health. Further, if you look for your tinnitus, it's always going to come back.

I can definitely relate to the fullness and pain/itching in the ear. My injury does feel that it has much to do with my nervous system. This is why I have become so passionate (maybe obsessive, not sure) about managing my anxiety. Working on calming my nervous system down has already brought me so much relief, and I am working to achieve even more. It is way easier said than done, but you just have to take it one small step at a time. Small steps add up.

 

[Benjaminbb]

I noticed that you, like me, deal with quite a bit of anxiety. I want you to know that I have made a concerted effort to prioritize managing my anxiety and mental health before my ear health. This alone has worked wonders for both. To be clear, I am still dealing with the hyperacusis and fullness at this moment, but it is so much better than the onset.

Cheers, and I am sending wishes for you to find some relief soon.

Same here for me.

I rated my 2/10 tinnitus as 10 because of how anxious I was. Getting that under control was amazing. Everyone take note that you might not understand how much anxiety is really changing your perception until it's over.

 

[GBB]

Hi Tony.

It sounds like you are experiencing the habituation process. My tinnitus perception varies frequently, and it's most closely associated with my anxiety levels that day. There are some times when I feel it is completely gone (it's not), and there are other times when I can't not hear it. You cannot force habituation, which is why I take to things I feel that I can control - like my mental and physical health. Further, if you look for your tinnitus, it's always going to come back.

I can definitely relate to the fullness and pain/itching in the ear. My injury does feel that it has much to do with my nervous system. This is why I have become so passionate (maybe obsessive, not sure) about managing my anxiety. Working on calming my nervous system down has already brought me so much relief, and I am working to achieve even more. It is way easier said than done, but you just have to take it one small step at a time. Small steps add up.

Hearing different sounds and having actually more and less volumes at different times of day is not habituation. Habituation is conditioning yourself, or being conditioned, not to be bothered by the noise, but does not describe any actual change in the noise - when people say they barely hear their tinnitus anymore even if they listen for it, that's tinnitus getting better. When people say it's just as loud but they don't care, that's habituation.

There is no voodoo magic where the tinnitus stays the "same", but you simply can't hear it even if you try, therefore you "habituated".

I'm only picky about this because the corollary of habituation = volume decrease is Jastreboff really treats tinnitus, the condition, which he does not, and out of principle I can't let that SOB ever have an ounce of traction he doesn't deserve.

 

[ZFire]

Hearing different sounds and having actually more and less volumes at different times of day is not habituation. Habituation is conditioning yourself, or being conditioned, not to be bothered by the noise, but does not describe any actual change in the noise - when people say they barely hear their tinnitus anymore even if they listen for it, that's tinnitus getting better. When people say it's just as loud but they don't care, that's habituation.

There is no voodoo magic where the tinnitus stays the "same", but you simply can't hear it even if you try, therefore you "habituated".

I'm only picky about this because the corollary of habituation = volume decrease is Jastreboff really treats tinnitus, the condition, which he does not, and out of principle I can't let that SOB ever have an ounce of traction he doesn't deserve.

Yeah, I wouldn't even classify habituation as treatment either. Habituation is not something that needs to be evoked or initiated. It's a phenomenon that the mind naturally progresses towards over time. That's not to say it happens to everybody though, but it applies to the vast majority of people with tinnitus.