- Feb 28, 2025
- 2
- Tinnitus Since
- 06/2023
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Repeated Exposure to Loud Noises
Hey Everyone 
I'm experiencing a spike recently and wanted to document my experience to see what others with tinnitus think and feel about it.
My tinnitus started in June 2023 after attending Download Festival. I (stupidly) watched a few bands that day without hearing protection. Should I have known better? Absolutely. The ringing never stopped. I was a drummer in my teenage years and, unfortunately, often practiced without ear protection. I eventually learned to wear earplugs, but as you can see, I didn't use them every time.
At first, it wasn't too bad. I could go about my daily life and only noticed it when things were quiet. I was still relatively comfortable with it and wasn't too concerned about my ears, so a few months later, I went out for a friend's birthday. The venue was loud, and I could tell, but since no one else was wearing earplugs and they all seemed fine, I figured I'd be okay. The ringing got louder after that night. This period was quite distressing, but I found that when I had my headphones on for gaming, listening to music, or watching TV with my girlfriend, I couldn't hear it—so that became my way of coping.
Fast forward to New Year's Eve 2024. It wasn't supposed to be a loud event, just drinks at my workplace bar. The music was slightly louder than I expected but not so loud that you couldn't hold a conversation, so I figured it was fine. I think I ended up staying in a slightly too loud environment for too long—about seven hours. Because I spent the following weeks around constant A/C noise, I didn't notice any change at first. Then, I started realizing that when I wore headphones, I could still hear the ringing. That was new.
I should also mention that I fly a lot for work. Typically, with noise-canceling headphones, I can watch a movie at a quiet volume without hearing the tinnitus. But on my flight home this time, I could still hear it even with the headphones on. I told myself it was just acting up and would get better. I had gotten really good at convincing myself of that, and it had helped me cope.
Now, a couple of months later, in a new environment without A/C noise, things haven't improved. I think I've permanently made things worse again. I'm in that dread phase, hoping I'll adapt like I did before—but who knows. In the past two weeks, I've even developed a new, lower tone in my right ear for no apparent reason, long after returning to a quieter environment.
After reading through these forums, I can see that many of you have gone through similar experiences. Did you struggle with the same uncertainty? Questions like:
Many thanks.
I'm experiencing a spike recently and wanted to document my experience to see what others with tinnitus think and feel about it.
My tinnitus started in June 2023 after attending Download Festival. I (stupidly) watched a few bands that day without hearing protection. Should I have known better? Absolutely. The ringing never stopped. I was a drummer in my teenage years and, unfortunately, often practiced without ear protection. I eventually learned to wear earplugs, but as you can see, I didn't use them every time.
At first, it wasn't too bad. I could go about my daily life and only noticed it when things were quiet. I was still relatively comfortable with it and wasn't too concerned about my ears, so a few months later, I went out for a friend's birthday. The venue was loud, and I could tell, but since no one else was wearing earplugs and they all seemed fine, I figured I'd be okay. The ringing got louder after that night. This period was quite distressing, but I found that when I had my headphones on for gaming, listening to music, or watching TV with my girlfriend, I couldn't hear it—so that became my way of coping.
Fast forward to New Year's Eve 2024. It wasn't supposed to be a loud event, just drinks at my workplace bar. The music was slightly louder than I expected but not so loud that you couldn't hold a conversation, so I figured it was fine. I think I ended up staying in a slightly too loud environment for too long—about seven hours. Because I spent the following weeks around constant A/C noise, I didn't notice any change at first. Then, I started realizing that when I wore headphones, I could still hear the ringing. That was new.
I should also mention that I fly a lot for work. Typically, with noise-canceling headphones, I can watch a movie at a quiet volume without hearing the tinnitus. But on my flight home this time, I could still hear it even with the headphones on. I told myself it was just acting up and would get better. I had gotten really good at convincing myself of that, and it had helped me cope.
Now, a couple of months later, in a new environment without A/C noise, things haven't improved. I think I've permanently made things worse again. I'm in that dread phase, hoping I'll adapt like I did before—but who knows. In the past two weeks, I've even developed a new, lower tone in my right ear for no apparent reason, long after returning to a quieter environment.
After reading through these forums, I can see that many of you have gone through similar experiences. Did you struggle with the same uncertainty? Questions like:
- Is it actually worse, or am I just noticing it more?
- Do my ears feel clogged?
- Why does it sometimes seem quieter at bedtime (with no external noise) than when I'm watching TV?
Many thanks.
