Damaging your ears from loud music?

[Venga]

Hey guys, im sure alot of you have experienced going to an gig / rave etc and your ears are ringing afterwards. Backstory is, i went to a rave last night and my left ear is now continually ringing even after 6 hours sleep. I've had it before but this is to the point i feel it maybe damaged.

Point of the thread, anyone know a way to cure, or check if i have possibly damaged my ears?

Also anyways to prevent this would be appreciated, although im not the biggest fan of using earplugs, just feel it almost muffles the sound?

[Bingbong]

"Sounds" like Tinnitus

bah-da-bum! *cymbal*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus#Treatment

possibly serious, more than likely it'll clear up in a day or two... going forward though, watch the sound levels. I have three deaf grandparents and I haven't had a worthwhile conversation with them in over 3 years due to frustration on my part.

[Uzor]

If it is "true" objective tinnitus (as in, the small hairs in the tympanic cavity is damaged, resulting in a high-pitched ringing sound, or background noise) is, as far as I know, untreatable as those small hairs can't be repaired. It can be helped slightly with - for example - low sound treatment, but it can't be "cured".

I'm no doctor, so I'm not entirely sure - I just go by personal experience as my cousin suffers from Tinnitus.

[ferigor]

If you go to a lot of shows, buy ear plugs. If you don't want to buy ear plugs, put toilet paper in your ears. It will save your hearing in the long run, and although it does muffle the sound, it's not too bad (at least not compared to not being able to hear).

[Fhqwghads]

I went to a lot of concerts when I was younger, and also loved listening to music at loud levels, and there is a constant ringing in my ears now that is persistent and very annoying. I would highly recommend to anyone that subjects themselves to lots of high volume sound to either turn it down if you're in control of the volume, or wear ear plugs. You don't want to be sitting in a quiet room and hear an incessant high-pitched tone. It never goes away and it really fucking sucks.

[SephYuyX]

Tinnitus is unavoidable; most everyone has it to some degree. You would have to live every day of your life with some sort of ear protection as really any sudden loud noise has the chance of damaging your ear, hell even old age causes it.

Ive had it as long as I can remember as ive worked in the tree business since I was young, and I can never tell I have it unless I really focus on it, or it's really quite.

I dunno what London's equivalent of a "ear, nose and throat doctor" is, but theyll be able to tell easily.

[Uzor]

Tinnitus is unavoidable; most everyone has it to some degree. You would have to live every day of your life with some sort of ear protection as really any sudden loud noise has the chance of damaging your ear, hell even old age causes it.

Ive had it as long as I can remember as ive worked in the tree business since I was young, and I can never tell I have it unless I really focus on it, or it's really quite.

I dunno what London's equivalent of a "ear, nose and throat doctor" is, but theyll be able to tell easily.

Indeed, I have it too, but I don't notice it at all most of the time, unless I'm going to sleep and and go "Wonder where... Oh, there it is".

[zoobernut]

Hey guys, im sure alot of you have experienced going to an gig / rave etc and your ears are ringing afterwards. Backstory is, i went to a rave last night and my left ear is now continually ringing even after 6 hours sleep. I've had it before but this is to the point i feel it maybe damaged.

Point of the thread, anyone know a way to cure, or check if i have possibly damaged my ears?

Also anyways to prevent this would be appreciated, although im not the biggest fan of using earplugs, just feel it almost muffles the sound?

I am not a doctor but as far as I know actual damage to your ear, specifically the little hairs that allow you to hear is permanent. The best thing to do is to avoid damaging them further in the future with some of the suggestions from others in this thread already.

[Denchi]

I've had the ear ringing all my life and I can agree that it sucks. If it's really bad from the concert, even after 6 hours, it'll probably get better over time, might just take a little while. Either it'll lessen or you'll get used to it.

I had "Labyrinthitis" a few years back and that was like tinnitus on steroids. I couldn't concentrate on anything because of the ringing, it was SO loud. It really affected my school work. I was also dizzy and disoriented for about 3 months. I didn't drink for like 6 months just because it made the feeling worse and it freaked the fuck outta me. Soooo be glad you don't have that.

[BerenTebogo]

Turn volume to 11. Don't afraid of anything.

[Blabj]

Tinnitus in my right ear from where I stood when I practiced guitar/playing in my band. Hurray!

[Acturus]

Last rock show I went to, my ears rang at a progressively lower and lower volume over the next three days.

If symptoms last more than a couple of days, get your ears checked. However, as we age, our hearing diminishes, so age factors in your ability to rebound as well (I'm talking a couple decades of aging, not a couple of years).

Also, if you regularly attend events with OMGWTFBBQ LOUD sound systems, wear earplugs. Once in a while is okay, but regular concert goers should be smart about such things.

[notorious bum]

That's what happens when you go to raves. They are notorious for having shit-for-brains tweeking retards at the mixers. Of course, most of the audience is just there to get thoroughly fried and could give a fuck less, music is secondary. Therefor you get pounding garbage bass with zero respect for anything electronica.

Also, the ringing will probably wear off, you will think the damage is not so bad and years later, even after giving up raves and loud concerts, will show up in the form of a fuck-you ringtone and you'll notice just how much hearing is lost when talking to people.

This is from what my older brother (35) has experienced, atleast. I'm a paranoid, OCD motherfucker, but I still religiously go to outdoor venues or small venues with competent/non-garage band artists. I have only experienced slight ringing after concerts a handful of times. Acoustics matter alot too, if the venue blows, your ears will pay the price(hello old brick buildings hosting hiphop acts)

[Jefe]

If it doesn't get better go see an ENT specialist. When we saw Muse a couple of years, I just got an earache and honestly it ruined the damn thing. It lasted for that one day and it went away. It freaked me out because when I was a kid I had an ear infection.

[Deadgye]

Last rave I went to I had the same problem. Ears were still ringing a good 14+ hours after the rave. I would definitely invest in some ear plugs or something that will make the music slightly less loud. Cotton balls is a ghetto solution if I remember correctly. If it hasn't cleared up in like 2 or 3 days it might be something serious.

[rezn0r]

i have it from my friend's dumb fucking amps in their practice space. it really blows.

[Obev]

Also anyways to prevent this would be appreciated, although im not the biggest fan of using earplugs, just feel it almost muffles the sound?

Thing is, if you're listening to it at earsplitting volume, the sound's muffled anyway due to the natural peaking (and distortion) of your eardrums. I started wearing ear protection to gigs and clubs a few years ago when I started gigging regularly. I actually notice a lot more of the music with the earplugs in, since the overall volume level is reduced and the dynamics and different parts are able to be heard rather than a relentless wall of BRRRRRRRZZZZ.

That's with pro-quality ones though. Not cheap foam buds. Those might muffle the sound somewhat I guess. The ones I use aren't even that expensive, but they just plain reduce the volume without muffling it. http://www.allearplugs.com/ear-plugs...ugs-white.aspx

[Kerberoz]

"You know that ringing in your ears? That 'eeeEeeeEEEEee'? That's the sound of the ear cells dying,
like their swam song. Once it's gone, you'll never hear that frequency again. Enjoy it while it lasts."

[Norellicus]

Ringing in your ears is the result of the tiny little hairs that provide waveform pattern transmission from your cochlea to your brain being flattened out by extreme sound pressure (fwiw: extreme = anything over 85 dB). The higher the pressure and the more persistent and prolonged it is, the more flat they become, until they simply don't stand up anymore. Ringing after any kind of exposure almost always indicates some amount of permanent hearing loss will have occurred, if not now, then later in your life. But usually it's minor and no worse than the standard regression that comes with age. Excessive ringing for prolonged periods of time is more than likely a source of permanent damage and anyone who experiences it should probably take special care to avoid extreme pressure situations for at least 24 hours after the incident, possibly up to a week.

A good way to help mitigate extreme pressure is through the use of a quality set of earplugs; proper musicians' silicone plugs will not muffle or dampen the actual fidelity of the sound, but instead simply inhibit the overall pressure that can enter your ears. It's worth noting however that poorly tuned music will not sound "correct" below a certain pressure threshold, and anything above a certain threshold is likely to still cause damage anyway simply as it passes through your own body, though obviously less so than it would if you let it assault your ears unfettered.

Here are the plugs I use. A good set of these will allow you to remain inside your average 100 dB concert hall for approximately 3 hours with no permanent damage to your ears. You can experience 80 dB environments near indefinitely. Anything over 130 dB (equivalent to jackhammers, jet engines, and is the scientific threshold of acoustic pain) is not healthy for any length of time no matter what equipment you wear unless it is completely sound isolating; you can probably spend 5-15 minutes exposed to it maximum. Explosive force shockwaves, like a gunshot at close range or a sonic boom, are anywhere from 180-230 dB, so it's no wonder they deafen people almost instantly and for several minutes solid.

http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.html

Edit: If you believe you have a problem with permanent damage, see an audiologist sooner than later, and they're much more likely to be able to do something about it.

[Fr34k]

Gun shots are closer to 140 db, The loudest sound possible is 194 db, and at 180 db your ears would be completely shot and you would die from the pressure. My car does 147 db all day long, and I'm fine but I'm used to the pressure.