Using the Phone at Work — Could It Be the Cause of My Tinnitus Spike?

[Deamon22]

Hey everyone, recently my tinnitus spiked a bit and I am wondering if it is just a normal fluctuation or if there is a reason for it. Does anyone else work in an office and needs to use the phone and cellphone a lot? I mostly keep the landline phone away from my ear but if the other person has bad audio quality I sometimes also shortly press it to my ear to understand something, but always on the lowest setting.

With my cellphone I use speaker phone 99% of the time. My office is normally pretty quiet so I am not sure how to reduce my noise exposure even more.

Anyone has a similar job and can share some experience?

 

[Digital Doc]

Yes, using the phone frequently can spike the T, and the closer you hold it the worse it is. Using the speakerphone is better, and holding it further away is the way to go. Also consider using musician ear plugs that are designed to protect from louder sounds while letting audio through for further protection.

 

[Deamon22]

Yes, using the phone frequently can spike the T, and the closer you hold it the worse it is. Using the speakerphone is better, and holding it further away is the way to go. Also consider using musician ear plugs that are designed to protect from louder sounds while letting audio through for further protection.

Thanks, the problem with plugs is that depending on the audio quality of the caller I would need to raise the volume of either the phone or my cellphone even more to understand the person speaking, so I am not sure if it makes a difference. Right now I use speaker with low volume as much as possible but unfortunately not always.

 

[Digital Doc]

The other thing I tried was to put a piece of tape over the phone speaker to lower the volume a little further.

 

[Deamon22]

The other thing I tried was to put a piece of tape over the phone speaker to lower the volume a little further.

Do you also work in an office? Thats not a bad idea, I could try that. Although the volume is already low I could try it nontheless. Thanks for the idea.

Anyone else who is using the phone a lot? How do you handle it?

 

[Digital Doc]

My job does involve being on the phone in an office, but not constantly the entire day.

 

[Deamon22]

My job does involve being on the phone in an office, but not constantly the entire day.

Ah ok, got it. I am also not constantly on the phone, but often. Luckily my office is also very often quiet for a few hours with no telephone so hopefully this is enough for a sustainable balance. But I will try the tape trick.

 

[Digital Doc]

Ah ok, got it. I am also not constantly on the phone, but often. Luckily my office is also very often quiet for a few hours with no telephone so hopefully this is enough for a sustainable balance. But I will try the tape trick.

I used the scotch tape as I could turn the volume of the phone down, but it would still beeping loudly when there was a second incoming call, and this could not be adjusted. I also try to keep the speaker a small distance away from my ear which helps.

 

[Juan]

Hey everyone, recently my tinnitus spiked a bit and I am wondering if it is just a normal fluctuation or if there is a reason for it. Does anyone else work in an office and needs to use the phone and cellphone a lot? I mostly keep the landline phone away from my ear but if the other person has bad audio quality I sometimes also shortly press it to my ear to understand something, but always on the lowest setting.

With my cellphone I use speaker phone 99% of the time. My office is normally pretty quiet so I am not sure how to reduce my noise exposure even more.

Anyone has a similar job and can share some experience?

It is a matter of decibel level and time of exposure. I dont think using the phone a lot at a normal volume can deteriorate normal hearing. I would be more worried about cellphone use and radiation, or the waves from the mobile phone towers.