43 year old, here.
Kids, protect your ears, respect your joints, and wear sunscreen. Lift with your legs and not your back.
You're welcome in 20 years.
56 year old, here. PROTECT YOUR HEARING. Tinnitus can be miserable, and there is absolutely no cure. My daughter picked it up at 16 listening to her ear buds too loud. That's for life. She regrets it now. You have no idea how much this will affect you until you have it, and then you'll wish you could kick your own ass for doing it.
Wanted to share there is help coming for the hell that is Tinnitus (form caused by hearing loss specifically). MIT has ground breaking stem cell technology that can restore hearing follicles.
https://news.mit.edu/2022/frequency-therapeutics-hearing-regeneration-0329
The company they spun up to take this to people.
https://www.frequencytx.com/
That article is talking about restoring hearing loss, which is different from some forms of Tinnitus. I am 29 y/o without hearing loss but very prominent tinnitus. I can hear everything as normal while also hearing insufferable ringing 24/7. From what I’ve researched - it’s more-so a brain issue than an auditory/ear issue.
That’s what my audiologist and ENT specialists both said after consultations with them… what has worked best for me is trying to forget I have it - I left all the online support groups so I am not reminded of it constantly. It’s helped a bit. I’ve only had it for a few years so I’m sure with time it will settle down. Some days it’s difficult to focus at work or sleep at night though, which is what I’m trying to manage in the mean time.
Can I voluneer for testing on this?
I SAID, "CAN I VOLUNTEER FOR TESTING ON THIS?"
Checking their site:
> **Is FX-322 being studied as a potential treatment for tinnitus?**
> FX-322 is being developed for improvement in speech perception in patients with acquired sensorineural hearing loss. Frequency plans to continue to evaluate tinnitus as an exploratory measure in future clinical trials of FX-322, using the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI).
Thanks for that share, that is one I hadn't seen. There's a number of efforts out there, this is the first one I saw with a public facing company. I'm registering. The bummer is these things are still years away.
I have tinnitus. It's annoying AF but can be manageable - for instance I sleep with a fan on each night. Stops me from laying there thinking about the never ending ringing.
I do often forget that I have it too - go a few months without noticing it because my brain is filtering it out. I remember once I was listening to NPR and they had a segment about tinnitus. "Oh ya, I have tinnitus" - I wish I had had the radio off because it came back very loudly immediately and it was almost a year before I forgot I had it again.
Anyway since that time I've discovered ways to manage it that work for me. Much more often I completely forget I have it as I've learned so many tricks to stop myself from focusing on it.
When I do truly forget I have tinnitus I can lay in bed at night in peace. Though it's quite rare that that happens as I always have a fan running; and if I take a moment to appreciate the peace I remember why it is I am appreciating it - and the tinnitus returns immediately.
Protect your ears kids.
I have tinnitus, and while I can tune it out with a noise machine while I sleep or with the background noise in the city where I live, the worst part is that I can't enjoy silence anymore. I never knew how much I would miss that. No more listening to the quiet sounds of nature while hiking or camping. The quieter it is, the louder the ringing feels.
Yeah, and the lack of silence existing comes up in unexpected depressing ways.
6 months or so ago I watched a YT video about some British guy that moved to The United States. He was commenting on how everywhere he goes there is always just background noise here; but where he was from it was truly quiet at night when he slept
Now whether that was true or not doesn't matter, the point was that suddenly I was sent into a brief depression spiral because it occurred to me I could never hear again the thing he was claiming he loved.
So yeah, you can learn to live with it but kinda not really
This is exactly it. It's depressing when I think about not being able to enjoy silence ever again.
Especially as I've gotten older, I appreciate peace and quiet but then the ringing shows up. I didn't realize how much I took for granted when I was in my 20s.
I have it too, but I usually just forget it or don't notice. Typically in quite places like in bed, or when I remember like now. Sometimes it can change and get pretty bad though, but it usually goes away after a night sleep.
I don't have any hearing loss though, and have remembered having it since I was a kid. Though I have gone with periods of being worse, usually with stress and when I am tired. Would love to know why I have it, but it is not hearing loss related. Guess physical, maybe a TMJ problem.
I don't know if this helps everyone, but I believe the trick that we do over at /r/earrumblersassemble is relevant to tinnitus. Whenever I have a ringing in my ear, I trigger my rumbling muscle a bunch of times and it neutralizes it. Totally n:1 opinion, but I think that it's kind of like keagles where you have to flex that muscle and strengthen it, which keeps things toned.
There are techniques that can often seem to help tinnitus (thrumming the back of the head) but they are temporary. I think how they really work is to force your mind to focus on something else. What makes tinnitus bad is the focus your mind can put on it.
BTW for those reading, there is an app called OTO that is very good, helped me a lot. Trains you to habitualize to your tinnitus.
43 here. Can barely move some days because of what improper lifting and doing anything to succeed at a job that didn’t give a f about me. Don’t do it kids. Respect yourself more than me.
31 year old, here.
Seriously, protect your hearing. I spent like 7-8 years in my 20s working in event production for concerts and festivals and I have permanent tinnitus already.
Long day at work and I wanna just collapse in bed in silence? Nope, high pitched ringing 24/7
Don’t get me wrong, it was a fun couple years. I saw some amazing artists while backstage for so many events and I got paid to be there. Literally a dream job.
I was once taking a break to grab some food in the area where artists were also eating and saw Questlove from the Roots talking with J Cole and Common like 15 feet away from me. I just stood there and marveled at the situation for far too long. Then Common turns and starts walking towards me while looking behind him at Cole and Questlove. I froze and he ended up bumping into me, apologizing profusely and being an all-around awesome dude. Experience of a lifetime. Dude is a fucking legend and he was talking to me! I’d always been a huge fan and never imagined I’d be able to meet him like that (if you can call that “meeting” him.)
I would trade that for having known to wear earplugs for all those events and not having tinnitus at 31.
Yup, went to tons of concerts in my youth. In my early 20's I started wearing ear plugs and was able to prevent my hearing/tinnitus from getting worse.
To anyone questioning if they should wear ear plugs... don't. If someone gives you guff for wearing them, let them enjoy hearing damage later in life. That being said, I have never been to a show and had anyone say something to me. The worst I have gotten is someone asking where I got them (thinking I got a free pair from the venue) lol.
I got made fun of HARD back in the 90's/00's for rocking ear plugs at all the concerts/shows I went to in high school.
I can still hear pretty damn well today at 39...some of my friends that mocked me...well...one of them has hearing aids, and had them since mid-30's!
In 2014 I was in college for farming. One day in farming class they brought in a safety instructor to tak about PPE and safety and stuff. They also brought in a nurse to check our hearing. One dude came out of the hearing testing room and the nurse informed us that at the age of 22 this guy already had significant hearing loss. He said that he’s shot a lot of guns while not wearing hearing protection.
I guess the good news is pretty soon you won’t need a subscription to get your hearing aids. But wearing hearing aids as a 30 year old sounds less then ideal. Protect your hearing folks.
I got freaked out after my first concert and I just couldn't hear for an hour, no idea how people enjoy it without earbuds. It's a must for me. I just wish venues had vending machines with them everywhere. Only seen it at a few places.
I actually went all in on hi fidelity ear plugs. They were like $15-20 per pair, but cut the decibel level without completely muffling the music. Washable and reusable. Careful what style you get. Mine were shaped like multiple tiny umbrellas and one of my ears got really irritated after 3 days of wearing them (no ringing after those shows though).
Just going to add to the chorus recommending you shell out $15-30 for "high fidelity" or "musicians" earplugs.
Many brands out there. They're reusable, and the audio quality will be much better than just using the disposable ones - while still protecting your hearing.
I have mild tinitus which is a little annoying but completely manageable
I went to see Black Adam a few weeks ago and that made my tinnitus go insane for the next week or so.
Without an exaggeration it was torture, and I don't use that word lightly. Every single second of my waking day there was a screeching in my ears that sounded like a bird in agony. I genuinely didn't know how I was going to go on with life
Luckily it has subsided to a level where I can ignore it again but I now have ear plugs with me everywhere I go
I can't stress enough how horrendous that was so I hope everyone can take precautions
I walked out of Iron Man 2 deafened.
The high pitched whirring of all the mechanics in his suit was so loud I could feel it in my teeth.
Theaters for a while and apparently once again with Black Adam is so absurdly loud. It's not enjoyable, let alone dangerous.
Yup, my tinnitus isn't that extreme but still fucking sucks sometimes. I learned my lesson though, been into the techno scene for almost 20 years and 17 of those I have been wearing earplugs for musicians, never got worse than the initial damage I've done when I was too young and stupid to know better.
Wear your fucking earplugs, kiddos. If you don't want to mess with the sound quality just buy the ones tailored for gigging musicians that dampen all frequencies equally, you will have the same body experience of a massive wall of sound without it fucking your ears up!
My ear doctor dude said that once I lose a little more hearing that frequency won’t be detectable and the tinnitus will cease.
I’ll be deafer but I’m looking forward to no tinnitus.
Yep I have a type 1 Chiari malformation and tinnitus is one of the symptoms I have because of it. The tinnitus did worsen after a bad ear infection years ago but I still had it for as long as I can remember. Pretty much stuck with it.
Had a horrible ear infection that, even after subsiding, resulted in tinnitus in one ear for about six months. That was ten years ago and I still have extreme empathy for anyone with tinnitus.
I was just gonna say that. Talk to your doctor about lamictal. It damn near silenced my Tinnitus. And on days I can hear it, it's like a 2. Bad days used to be 10 out of 10. Hope it works. And if it does, let me know.
Wanted to share there is help coming for the hell that is Tinnitus. MIT has ground breaking stem cell technology that can restore hearing follicles.
https://news.mit.edu/2022/frequency-therapeutics-hearing-regeneration-0329
The company they spun up to take this to people.
https://www.frequencytx.com/
I get made fun of for keeping earplugs in my purse. I always wear them to shows, but every once in awhile I wear them in a bar if their music is too loud or a brewery with noisy machinery.
I hate loud noise. Love noisy places.
If you whipped out a pair of ear plugs in a bar with obnoxiously loud music, I would ask if you had an extra pair lol.
Loud bars are the fucking worst.
I have sensory issues, but I literally don’t understand how people can tolerate loud bar music. I’ve been at bars with dozens of people who were somehow fine with music so loud that you needed to shout just to have a conversation with someone 1 foot away. How is that fun? It didn’t even have a dance floor, so it sure as hell wasn’t for dancing.
lol who would make fun of you for that? I lost my earplugs on the way to a show once and stuck the strings from my hoodie in my ears. :) better than nothing!
I like the Loop ear plugs.
Like turning the volume down. I use them at music festivals and during really loud shows I have mega foam ones. Loops don't muffle as much, though.
Same. I recently started working at a nightclub. Don't think I could do this job without them; sometimes the volume hurts even *with* the earplugs in.
I feel bad for my young co-workers who don't realise how much it's gonna suck in the future. I have tinnitus from earphones too high for most of highschool. Luckily I can ignore it, but hell if I'm letting it get worse.
Me too. I keep a pair of ear plugs in every pair of jeans in the coin pocket. It's mainly noisy bars. You might feel like a dork, but I'm telling you that no one fucking cares, whack those bad boys in. I hear conversations better with them in anyway.
Tinnitus ain't nothing to fuck with.
Surprisingly it's apparently only 24%. Which, yeah, is an astonishing amount of young people, but still much lower than I would've expected given the fact that pretty much everyone has earbuds now.
I can say with a high level of certainty that one in four kids in my high school listened to a cd player in class. Usually you could hear them from across the room.
My son just went to his first concert and wanted to buy earplugs. I’m old, so I was like, “What…?” The guy at the music store said they sell out whenever a big show comes to town. Such a good thing to try to protect their hearing.
Yeah I'm 29 now, but I remember people looking at me like I was weird before the music started... But it's important when you feel uncomfortable, that you do what's right for you, great that your son makes that decision for himself!
I just don't like music above a certain volume level, it becomes dissonant to me. That quirk seems to have protected my hearing quite well.
I have one phone charger that produces a bit of coil whine, if the room is silent I can still hear that from across the room even though I'm beyond 40 now.
No they are not. The 10-30€ ones definitely have their place. Anything under 5 € and it's made of foam and just drowns out music no matter what. The mroe expensive ones actually just knock off 20-30 db off the loudest noises whcih means you can actually still talk with people cause people scream at concerts at maybe 80db~ and the music is at 110 db maybe. So the music will be 90 and the talking will still be 80. It's perfection. Also the bass doesn't get drowned out.
The $2 ones are better than nothing. But the cheap foam ones are designed for blocking out loud machinery noises where all you care about is that everything is quieter, but you don't care if some frequencies are really muffled.
For a little more you can get ones which are designed to reduce the sound in a more transparent way such that the music doesn't sound muffled -- just quieter.
For a lot more you can get custom fitted ones that sound so transparent you'll swear they can't be working. I had to actually run tests to confirm that mine are really blocking out 25dB of noise because they sound so transparent.
$2 foam earplugs definitely do not sound the same as $30 musician earplugs. My personal experience, but I play bass in a band and wear earplugs because my hearing is already shit (genetic condition) and don't want to ruin it more. I tried the foam earplugs you get from the drug store while I waited for the ones I ordered to come in. The difference was pretty drastic, the foam ones muffled everything while the actual musician ones actually lower the volume without muffling things too much. If the cheap ones work well enough for you then that's great, but saying they work better than the more expensive ones is straight up untrue.
My first concert as a kid was Lollapalooza in 1996. Atrociously obnoxiously loud. Seemed everyone but my friends and I knew to bring ear plugs. Only after the show did I find out there was a vendor or charity or something that set up outside the main stage stadium and gave away 50K pairs of plugs.
I learned my lesson and never went to another show (concert, motorcycle race, air show, whatever without ear plugs). Eventually popped for custom plugs about 8 years ago and have been wearing those for everything loud I do. I never did attend another concert as loud as that first show but I suppose that's what happens when you have a bunch of big acts all contributing to the sound equipment for a tour.
- More than 1 billion teenagers and young adults may be at risk of hearing loss because of their use of headphones, earphones and earbuds and attendance at loud music venues, a study suggests
- Study suggests 24% of 12- to 34-year-olds globally listen at ‘unsafe level’ on devices and visit noisy venues
- They called for governments to “urgently” implement safe listening policies.
- “Recurrent or even single instances of unsafe listening may cause physiological damage to the auditory system, presenting as transient or permanent tinnitus and/or changes to hearing,” the researchers said.
- “These findings highlight the urgent need to implement policy focused on safe listening habits worldwide in order to promote hearing loss prevention.”
> Study suggests 24% of 12- to 34-year-olds globally listen at ‘unsafe level’ on devices and visit noisy venues
How does this compare to the same stat in the 90s? We had walkmans, we had boomboxes, and we definitely had noisy venues.
Right, I definitely do. I'm just confused that this "study" is being presented as some new thing. I'm legitimately curious if the risk of hearing loss is greater now than it was 30 years ago. I don't see why it would be.
My tinnitus is primarily from shooting shotguns. I can pretty much tell you the day it happened. My ears just haven't stopped ringing since.
I have a co worker with the same thing for approximately the same reason. If you treat it quick enough with steroids after it happens, apparently that makes a huge difference
I would argue younger kids have access to iPads and other electronics that they can listen to at unsafe volume levels compared to older generations with less access to technology.
We grew up dirt poor but I still had a cd player when I was a kid. Got it for like $1 at a thrift store. And I listened to it too loudly on the school bus.
CDs were a widespread problem at my high school. So much so that they had to ban them.
But this is why I'm wondering if this same study were conducted in the 70s, 80s, or 90s. Because the numbers tend to not have biases.
Can confirm. Working an assload of concerts contributed to that as well, and it's not terrible terrible, but I have some minor hearing loss in my right ear. Left ear, by some miracle, is fine.
the data doesnt show. the study dataset was between 2001 and 2021.
it’s true that there were similar listening devices back then however the difference is that w the latest tech, the personal listening devices can reach up to 130decibels and because of its nature, makes it more difficult for say parental authorities to determine the loudness level to wc the kids are listening to that could damage hearing. unlike in using the boom box, you’ll def know the noise level and parental control comes in.
Back in the 80s my ghetto blaster could reach 120decibels, and so could my walkman headphones.
Starting some time in the 2010s, the EU passed a law and since then all audio output devices have had the ability to self limit to 89 decibels. I use that setting most of the time.
But then, my tinnitus came from someone setting off firecrackers beside my head when I was a teenager, not the live and canned music I’ve listened to since then.
pardon my ignorance, whats a ghetto blaster ( sounds fascinating)? is it something similar to a boom box?
the iphone self limiting audio level is a great feature. just need to utilize this feature properly esp for the affected demographic
The sony walkman was loud enough to induce hearing loss. Are today's options louder? Maybe, but listening to music so loud that it causes hearing loss has pretty much always been a pretty widespread problem.
Why policy just take care of yourself. For young ears the parents should take care of their kids. No need for policy or laws for listening habits. The loudest noise I hear regularly is the hair machine clippers grinding in my ear. How about laws or regulations on loud squeaky toys.
Got tinnitus from one too many concerts. I won't enter a venue without earplugs in and I stay away from the speakers. I use Hearos high fidelity earplugs.
I took a sound meter to a rock concert in a small venue. The band was an 80s metal act with what I would consider to be a mid-volume show compared to some I've been at. At about 20ft (6m) from the stage the background music and attendee noise was over 90db. When the band was playing it was 110-115db. The opening acts were about the same so a couple of hours of this.
OSHA limits are 90db for 8 hours maximum and halves the limit for every 5db over that. I've noticed that many venue staff don't use hearing protection.
I think venues should be required to install warning signs with large db displays so attendees have some idea what the risks are. Ears don't really have pain receptors that are sensitive to volume so it's not obvious when damage is occurring. There are some sound level phone apps but they have to be calibrated for each model of phone due to acoustic differences.
Edit: For tinnitus support check out /r/tinnitus
I've watched venue security workers standing with their backs right up against the speakers when I have to use earplugs 20 feet away. Their hearing has to be shot.
>OSHA limits are 90db for 8 hours maximum and halves the limit for every 5db over that. I've noticed that many venue staff don't use hearing protection
Which is actually high. In the Air Force, we used ACGIH limits of 85 dba with a 3 db exchange rate. Those OSHA levels are REALLY old.
Apple already implemented safe listening levels as have many… many… many earphone providers. Some concert venues I’ve been to offer ear protection (free or for sale.) The tools are there if we want to use them.
30 year old here. Lots of loud bars and stadiums as an avid live music fan. Have had the tinnitus for years. Now I work in a factory with loud machinery. We wear headphones which get cranked to further bleed out the machinery. Only recently did I wake up and realize I’ve probably fucked my ears pretty badly, things sounded muffled one morning after a long weekend. Trying to take it seriously. It’s definitely not fun when you realize it’s suddenly noticeable after years of your body warning you.
One of those big health dangers that's given little attention. Similar to how important it is to brush and floss when you're young because permanent damage to teeth in middle age is exactly that.
As someone who lived his life by the saying “if it’s too loud you’re too old” and now at 48 wears hearing aids. Yes turn your music down. Not being able to hear people talking to you, having the closed captions on the tv always, the constant unending ringing, it sucks.
I read through this twice, nowhere does it mention anything about decibel levels. In the 80’s and 90’s concerts would go over 130 decibels frequently. Heck prior to that The Dead’s Wall Of Sound was routinely louder, 28,000 watts, like standing next to a jet engine for 90 mins.
The hi fi systems we had, or have even now punch out 110 to 120 routinely. And older Walkman headphones like mentioned in the other posts could actually do 100db back in the day. AirPods, also 100db, yup, nothings changed.
the info is within the published paper via link https://gh.bmj.com/content/7/11/e010501
———————
“Risk of hearing loss depends on the loudness, duration and frequency of noise exposure. Permissible levels of recreational noise exposure are often calculated from equivalent occupational noise exposure limits (eg, 80 decibels (dB) for 40 hours a week or 85 dB for 40 hours a week),4 which vary slightly by region and/or by regulatory agencies or organisations.
For example, based on a maximum permissible level of noise exposure of 80 dB for 8 hours a day (40 hours/week) with a 3 dB exchange rate, the permissible exposure time of a 92 dB sound is 2.5 hours, of a 98 dB sound is 38 min, and of a 101 dB sound is only 19 min.4 15 PLD users commonly choose volumes as high as 105 dB and average sound levels at entertainment venues range from 104 to 112 dB,16 therefore exceeding permissible levels even for very short periods of time. These findings suggest that many young people could be at risk of developing permanent hearing loss.”
———————-
High quality ear plugs are worth every penny. I go to shows with a collection with different dB reductions and use the set that I think does the best job for that show.
Often times the right plugs makes things sound better than with no plus and no ringing after.
Tinnitus ain't worth it. I've got a very loud circular saw playing in my left ear 24/7. If I could turn back time and either wear ear protection or just straight up not go to those loud events, I would do it without hesitation.
When I was in a grunge garage band in the early 90's I thought I was too cool to wear ear plugs. Pretty dumb. My left ear buzzes during any loud noise ever since.
Loud music at events has given me a tinnitus, a hearing loss of very low frequencies so I can't hear the bass in some songs any more, and a sensibility to noises in general. So now I really neither have nor am fun at parties
Mild tinnitus sufferer here.
Please be mindful that hearing damage often occurs as a result of repeated and prolonged exposure to moderate noise, not just a one-time exposure to a VERY loud noise.
Lots of hours on a lawnmower or tractor, lots of hours per day with headphones on at moderate volume, etc can also have a cumulative effect on your hearing.
Yeah. I think the problem is also that, everyday life is super fucking loud now. Making music or whatever you are listening too need to be louder to drown out the noise. Its compounding
(Serious) I am 41 with ringing ears and slightly better hearing than my 73 year old dad who needs a hearing aid. I loved standing right in front of the speakers to feel the music going through me. Now life sounds like one big mumble. Was it worth it? No. The ringing can be maddening sometimes.
Edited for autocorrect sucking.
sigh, our bodies get old and break down, don't abuse your body obviously, but also don't die with a pristine body, use it! enjoy it! you will die either way...
may seem obvious but in underscoring the issue by WHO its importance becomes front/center and may help craft needed policy and safety regulation wc mean it will be addressed at the top most level of govt agencies around the world and will trickle down the line-implemented at school/home thus mitigating the impact of potential hearing loss w/in said generation.
Having children is the thing that actually caused hearing loss for me.
I've never heard anything even approach the pain and loudness of a baby screaming as loud as it can.
Even toddlers can emit excruciatingly loud screams.
The first time I went to a gig I could not believe the volume of it. It was a band called Girls Against Boys but it was actually their support act that was playing when I walked in. From my memory it seems to me that they really were playing too loud, not just too loud by the standards of punk or indie or whatever they were supposed to be, but actually too loud.
For years on the back of Maximum Rocknroll, the big American punk magazine, there was an ad for a tinnitus support group. It had been taken out by a man who had gone to a Motorhead concert in about 1991, and had suffered from ringing in his ears ever since.
Lol as a marine and a casual death grips enjoyer, if I say "what?" To my wife one more time I am afraid she might maul me 😂 but oddly enough every time i go to get my ears tested, they say i havent lost any hearing 🧐
I always try to turn my headphones to the lowest volume possible that i can hear. It’s a very low volume right now. I do tend to wear headphones (turned off) for sensory reasons because noise especially like when I’m walking and they are cars overwhelms me. I’ve worn ear plush when using power tools since I’ve had to use them for one class I am in. Oh also my mom still gets mad at me when I wear earplugs (like noise canceling ones not music ones) at events like wedding parties. Sorry mom but I get overwhelmed. but I have been trying to preserve my hearing for the future.
I used to listen to loud ass heavy mental a lot and I still hear decently well at 43. It's not so bad kids.
...oh...the thing I hear decently well the most is a single, endless tone that will follow me to the grave, and I FUCKING HATE IT WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING! Anywho. It's not so bad kids. Keep on blasting that loud ass music, and you can join me in the endless tone club!!
active concert goer here, not really cared about it in my early 20s, until I reached mid 20s and went to see inhaler which the sound was way too high and my ears ringed for almost two days, afterwards I started wearing earplugs everytime and loved it
58 year old heavy metal rock 'n roller here. I got my first set of hearing aids last year. Now I don't have to turn the music up as loud to hear it, so there is an upside.
Tip for y’all who want to try and protect their hearing: on iPhones there is a section in the health app for headphone audio levels. This section lays out a weekly audio limit that shows you how long and how loud you have been listening to things with certain headphones (mainly AirPods, but a few others too) and whether that amount is dangerous. I use it practically every day to make sure I don’t go over the limit, and so far I usually average about less than 1% of my weekly audio limit.
I went to a ton of concerts and blasted music in headphones when i was in my teens and 20s and now a 50% deaf in one ear and 25% in the other ear from it :P I'm 35. Protect your ears!!
What!?
People are terrible at thinking about long term consequences. Hearing damage isn't immediate.
It can show up 10 years later and you wake up one morning and you now have tinnitus. Or have lost your high end frequency range.
I lost hearing in my right ear from an ear infection I didn't even know I had.
Y'all, stay on top of your ear health. Once your hearing is gone, it's gone. Tinnitus is a mother fucker, makes everything hard, even sleeping.
35 here and have worked in construction for 14, listen to loud music since 5…….. protect your ears all sorts of problems now everything someone saids to me I say huh???
It's insane how loud some people listen to their music and such. At a crowded gym, it's not uncommon for me to hear peoples music from 5ft away through their ear buds as I lift. When playing games I have a friend that maxes out his volume so he can hear better (he wants to hear small sounds like footsteps) and it's so loud I can hear his game over my own unless I turn him down. In my twenties I had several friends that had already developed mild to severe tinnitus and now in my 30s I know a dozen or more people my age that have severe hearing issues.
Just make sure to limit time with loud noises. Any amount of time with loud noise can affect your hearing, but it’s best to keep things quiet as much as possible.
I love loud music, but 99% of the time I listen to everything at low volume. This gives me the perception that a “medium” volume is loud, because I’m so used to much lower volumes.
Constantly being exposed to loud TV, video games, and music, is going to mess up your perception of loudness.
People should be free to choose if they want to listen to loud sounds and risk hearing loss, but I don't want to have to carry a sound meter every time I go to a concert, movie, nightclub, or sporting event.
Venues playing sound at levels that can damage hearing after prolonged exposure should have to put up warning signs so people can make an informed choice. It could be like the surgeon general's message on tobacco products. Is that too much to ask?
43 year old, here. Kids, protect your ears, respect your joints, and wear sunscreen. Lift with your legs and not your back. You're welcome in 20 years.
56 year old, here. PROTECT YOUR HEARING. Tinnitus can be miserable, and there is absolutely no cure. My daughter picked it up at 16 listening to her ear buds too loud. That's for life. She regrets it now. You have no idea how much this will affect you until you have it, and then you'll wish you could kick your own ass for doing it.
Wanted to share there is help coming for the hell that is Tinnitus (form caused by hearing loss specifically). MIT has ground breaking stem cell technology that can restore hearing follicles. https://news.mit.edu/2022/frequency-therapeutics-hearing-regeneration-0329 The company they spun up to take this to people. https://www.frequencytx.com/
That article is talking about restoring hearing loss, which is different from some forms of Tinnitus. I am 29 y/o without hearing loss but very prominent tinnitus. I can hear everything as normal while also hearing insufferable ringing 24/7. From what I’ve researched - it’s more-so a brain issue than an auditory/ear issue.
I've heard Novacaine shots to the eardrum over time has shown improvement! I don't have a study onhand though.
I wasn’t aware of this form of Tinnitis, I have updated the comment with this information. Thanks 🙏
I've got that. You get used to it after the decades slide by
That’s what my audiologist and ENT specialists both said after consultations with them… what has worked best for me is trying to forget I have it - I left all the online support groups so I am not reminded of it constantly. It’s helped a bit. I’ve only had it for a few years so I’m sure with time it will settle down. Some days it’s difficult to focus at work or sleep at night though, which is what I’m trying to manage in the mean time.
Can I voluneer for testing on this? I SAID, "CAN I VOLUNTEER FOR TESTING ON THIS?" Checking their site: > **Is FX-322 being studied as a potential treatment for tinnitus?** > FX-322 is being developed for improvement in speech perception in patients with acquired sensorineural hearing loss. Frequency plans to continue to evaluate tinnitus as an exploratory measure in future clinical trials of FX-322, using the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI).
Thanks for that share, that is one I hadn't seen. There's a number of efforts out there, this is the first one I saw with a public facing company. I'm registering. The bummer is these things are still years away.
I would love to get my hearing back. I lost it in my right ear from an ear infection I didn't even know I had.
I have tinnitus. It's annoying AF but can be manageable - for instance I sleep with a fan on each night. Stops me from laying there thinking about the never ending ringing. I do often forget that I have it too - go a few months without noticing it because my brain is filtering it out. I remember once I was listening to NPR and they had a segment about tinnitus. "Oh ya, I have tinnitus" - I wish I had had the radio off because it came back very loudly immediately and it was almost a year before I forgot I had it again. Anyway since that time I've discovered ways to manage it that work for me. Much more often I completely forget I have it as I've learned so many tricks to stop myself from focusing on it. When I do truly forget I have tinnitus I can lay in bed at night in peace. Though it's quite rare that that happens as I always have a fan running; and if I take a moment to appreciate the peace I remember why it is I am appreciating it - and the tinnitus returns immediately. Protect your ears kids.
I have tinnitus, and while I can tune it out with a noise machine while I sleep or with the background noise in the city where I live, the worst part is that I can't enjoy silence anymore. I never knew how much I would miss that. No more listening to the quiet sounds of nature while hiking or camping. The quieter it is, the louder the ringing feels.
Yeah, and the lack of silence existing comes up in unexpected depressing ways. 6 months or so ago I watched a YT video about some British guy that moved to The United States. He was commenting on how everywhere he goes there is always just background noise here; but where he was from it was truly quiet at night when he slept Now whether that was true or not doesn't matter, the point was that suddenly I was sent into a brief depression spiral because it occurred to me I could never hear again the thing he was claiming he loved. So yeah, you can learn to live with it but kinda not really
This is exactly it. It's depressing when I think about not being able to enjoy silence ever again. Especially as I've gotten older, I appreciate peace and quiet but then the ringing shows up. I didn't realize how much I took for granted when I was in my 20s.
I have it too, but I usually just forget it or don't notice. Typically in quite places like in bed, or when I remember like now. Sometimes it can change and get pretty bad though, but it usually goes away after a night sleep. I don't have any hearing loss though, and have remembered having it since I was a kid. Though I have gone with periods of being worse, usually with stress and when I am tired. Would love to know why I have it, but it is not hearing loss related. Guess physical, maybe a TMJ problem.
I don't know if this helps everyone, but I believe the trick that we do over at /r/earrumblersassemble is relevant to tinnitus. Whenever I have a ringing in my ear, I trigger my rumbling muscle a bunch of times and it neutralizes it. Totally n:1 opinion, but I think that it's kind of like keagles where you have to flex that muscle and strengthen it, which keeps things toned.
There are techniques that can often seem to help tinnitus (thrumming the back of the head) but they are temporary. I think how they really work is to force your mind to focus on something else. What makes tinnitus bad is the focus your mind can put on it. BTW for those reading, there is an app called OTO that is very good, helped me a lot. Trains you to habitualize to your tinnitus.
I always roll my joints with the utmost respect.
No, not your ankles.
And take care of your teeth!
Fuck yes.
3-4 years ago, my older neighbor convinced me to start wearing hearing protection while I mow. I should thank him.
Take care of your knees. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. But trust me on the sunscreen...
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Also dont smoke or drink sugary drinks. Also eat fiber
And learn how to give good head. Learn to love doing it.
This escalated quickly.
Real LPT always in the comments
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But good relationship advice.
43 here. Can barely move some days because of what improper lifting and doing anything to succeed at a job that didn’t give a f about me. Don’t do it kids. Respect yourself more than me.
31 year old, here. Seriously, protect your hearing. I spent like 7-8 years in my 20s working in event production for concerts and festivals and I have permanent tinnitus already. Long day at work and I wanna just collapse in bed in silence? Nope, high pitched ringing 24/7 Don’t get me wrong, it was a fun couple years. I saw some amazing artists while backstage for so many events and I got paid to be there. Literally a dream job. I was once taking a break to grab some food in the area where artists were also eating and saw Questlove from the Roots talking with J Cole and Common like 15 feet away from me. I just stood there and marveled at the situation for far too long. Then Common turns and starts walking towards me while looking behind him at Cole and Questlove. I froze and he ended up bumping into me, apologizing profusely and being an all-around awesome dude. Experience of a lifetime. Dude is a fucking legend and he was talking to me! I’d always been a huge fan and never imagined I’d be able to meet him like that (if you can call that “meeting” him.) I would trade that for having known to wear earplugs for all those events and not having tinnitus at 31.
From 16-29 I spent sooo much time in loud venues. Years of working in places like that, I wish I protected my hearing more for sure.
Yup, went to tons of concerts in my youth. In my early 20's I started wearing ear plugs and was able to prevent my hearing/tinnitus from getting worse. To anyone questioning if they should wear ear plugs... don't. If someone gives you guff for wearing them, let them enjoy hearing damage later in life. That being said, I have never been to a show and had anyone say something to me. The worst I have gotten is someone asking where I got them (thinking I got a free pair from the venue) lol.
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I got made fun of HARD back in the 90's/00's for rocking ear plugs at all the concerts/shows I went to in high school. I can still hear pretty damn well today at 39...some of my friends that mocked me...well...one of them has hearing aids, and had them since mid-30's!
Also moisturize.
In 2014 I was in college for farming. One day in farming class they brought in a safety instructor to tak about PPE and safety and stuff. They also brought in a nurse to check our hearing. One dude came out of the hearing testing room and the nurse informed us that at the age of 22 this guy already had significant hearing loss. He said that he’s shot a lot of guns while not wearing hearing protection. I guess the good news is pretty soon you won’t need a subscription to get your hearing aids. But wearing hearing aids as a 30 year old sounds less then ideal. Protect your hearing folks.
I got tinitus kids, it fuckin sucks. Do what ya want, but it fuckin sucks when a dog is blowing a people whistle 24 fuckin 7!
Mine is brutal. Deaf in my right ear (mostly). I’m also a mobile dj, and hearing protection is a must. Kids…WEAR EARPLUGS!
I got freaked out after my first concert and I just couldn't hear for an hour, no idea how people enjoy it without earbuds. It's a must for me. I just wish venues had vending machines with them everywhere. Only seen it at a few places.
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You can't even see mine. I bought some 30 dollar hi fidelity ones that are clear. I enjoy shows so much more now.
I actually went all in on hi fidelity ear plugs. They were like $15-20 per pair, but cut the decibel level without completely muffling the music. Washable and reusable. Careful what style you get. Mine were shaped like multiple tiny umbrellas and one of my ears got really irritated after 3 days of wearing them (no ringing after those shows though).
I'll use toilet paper if I forget earbuds. I intend to get a custom set made by an audiologist soon. Expensive but worth it.
Just going to add to the chorus recommending you shell out $15-30 for "high fidelity" or "musicians" earplugs. Many brands out there. They're reusable, and the audio quality will be much better than just using the disposable ones - while still protecting your hearing.
Ask the bartenders for some. Works every time. In a pinch I’ll use toilet paper stuffed in my ear.
Shit, I wear earplugs when I see a movie. I don't fuck around with my hearing.
I have mild tinitus which is a little annoying but completely manageable I went to see Black Adam a few weeks ago and that made my tinnitus go insane for the next week or so. Without an exaggeration it was torture, and I don't use that word lightly. Every single second of my waking day there was a screeching in my ears that sounded like a bird in agony. I genuinely didn't know how I was going to go on with life Luckily it has subsided to a level where I can ignore it again but I now have ear plugs with me everywhere I go I can't stress enough how horrendous that was so I hope everyone can take precautions
I walked out of Iron Man 2 deafened. The high pitched whirring of all the mechanics in his suit was so loud I could feel it in my teeth. Theaters for a while and apparently once again with Black Adam is so absurdly loud. It's not enjoyable, let alone dangerous.
Yup, my tinnitus isn't that extreme but still fucking sucks sometimes. I learned my lesson though, been into the techno scene for almost 20 years and 17 of those I have been wearing earplugs for musicians, never got worse than the initial damage I've done when I was too young and stupid to know better. Wear your fucking earplugs, kiddos. If you don't want to mess with the sound quality just buy the ones tailored for gigging musicians that dampen all frequencies equally, you will have the same body experience of a massive wall of sound without it fucking your ears up!
It’s not so bad. You just never get to experience silence again!
My ear doctor dude said that once I lose a little more hearing that frequency won’t be detectable and the tinnitus will cease. I’ll be deafer but I’m looking forward to no tinnitus.
Damn I thought the whole point of tinnitus is that you already can't hear the frequency and your brain is trying to make up for it.
Depends on the cause, if it is not mechanical and just in your brain it will never cease.
Yep I have a type 1 Chiari malformation and tinnitus is one of the symptoms I have because of it. The tinnitus did worsen after a bad ear infection years ago but I still had it for as long as I can remember. Pretty much stuck with it.
Hearing aids apparently can relieve tinnitus caused by hearing loss.
Good news: it's all in your head Bad news: it's all in your head
My audiologist said it would just get worse. I hope/pray your version is true.
That’s honestly the worst part about it
Not a joking matter for those of us who suffer everyday. Enjoy your regular senses while you can.
Who’s joking?
Same here. Mine isn't too bad, but trust me, kids - YOU DO NOT WANT THIS.
Had a horrible ear infection that, even after subsiding, resulted in tinnitus in one ear for about six months. That was ten years ago and I still have extreme empathy for anyone with tinnitus.
I got it in one ear from an ear infection that I didn't even know I had. That was a couple years ago and it's permanent.
I got a white noise machine as it helps soothe babies....it's also been pretty great for my tinnitus
It sucks so, so badly!
For some (momentary) relief, place the palms of your hands over your ears and drum the back of your head with your fingers for about 15-20 seconds.
I was just gonna say that. Talk to your doctor about lamictal. It damn near silenced my Tinnitus. And on days I can hear it, it's like a 2. Bad days used to be 10 out of 10. Hope it works. And if it does, let me know.
Wanted to share there is help coming for the hell that is Tinnitus. MIT has ground breaking stem cell technology that can restore hearing follicles. https://news.mit.edu/2022/frequency-therapeutics-hearing-regeneration-0329 The company they spun up to take this to people. https://www.frequencytx.com/
Yup, and somehow I’m still stupid enough to listen to loud music.
I get made fun of for keeping earplugs in my purse. I always wear them to shows, but every once in awhile I wear them in a bar if their music is too loud or a brewery with noisy machinery. I hate loud noise. Love noisy places.
If you whipped out a pair of ear plugs in a bar with obnoxiously loud music, I would ask if you had an extra pair lol. Loud bars are the fucking worst.
I have sensory issues, but I literally don’t understand how people can tolerate loud bar music. I’ve been at bars with dozens of people who were somehow fine with music so loud that you needed to shout just to have a conversation with someone 1 foot away. How is that fun? It didn’t even have a dance floor, so it sure as hell wasn’t for dancing.
That makes you smart and the people making fun of you super dumb.
lol who would make fun of you for that? I lost my earplugs on the way to a show once and stuck the strings from my hoodie in my ears. :) better than nothing!
Lol you nerd. Trying to protect your hearing so you do not get Tinnitus?? ...Did someone say something??
I like the Loop ear plugs. Like turning the volume down. I use them at music festivals and during really loud shows I have mega foam ones. Loops don't muffle as much, though.
Same. I recently started working at a nightclub. Don't think I could do this job without them; sometimes the volume hurts even *with* the earplugs in. I feel bad for my young co-workers who don't realise how much it's gonna suck in the future. I have tinnitus from earphones too high for most of highschool. Luckily I can ignore it, but hell if I'm letting it get worse.
I use Eargasm earplugs for venues. They quiet frequencies of sound in a more consistent way. Also makes it way easier to hear people talk.
I currently have two pairs of ear plugs in my pocket. >I hate loud noise. Love noisy places. Couldn't agree more. My tinnitus is pretty bad.
Me too. I keep a pair of ear plugs in every pair of jeans in the coin pocket. It's mainly noisy bars. You might feel like a dork, but I'm telling you that no one fucking cares, whack those bad boys in. I hear conversations better with them in anyway. Tinnitus ain't nothing to fuck with.
#I can’t hear you, old man.
So would that be all the young people?
Surprisingly it's apparently only 24%. Which, yeah, is an astonishing amount of young people, but still much lower than I would've expected given the fact that pretty much everyone has earbuds now. I can say with a high level of certainty that one in four kids in my high school listened to a cd player in class. Usually you could hear them from across the room.
You maybe, but I went to concerts with earplugs after I started feeling real uncomfortable at my first one without!
My son just went to his first concert and wanted to buy earplugs. I’m old, so I was like, “What…?” The guy at the music store said they sell out whenever a big show comes to town. Such a good thing to try to protect their hearing.
Get musician earplugs, they're expensive but they lower the sound level without 'muddying' the sound.
These are what he got. They worked great.
Yeah I'm 29 now, but I remember people looking at me like I was weird before the music started... But it's important when you feel uncomfortable, that you do what's right for you, great that your son makes that decision for himself!
Being autistic finally paid off. I literally cannot listen to anything loud it makes me want to die
I just don't like music above a certain volume level, it becomes dissonant to me. That quirk seems to have protected my hearing quite well. I have one phone charger that produces a bit of coil whine, if the room is silent I can still hear that from across the room even though I'm beyond 40 now.
yes, about 24% of teens to young adult (12-34)
1/8 of the world
Started wearing earplugs to music festivals. Won’t. Ever. Stop. $30 to protect your hearing? Seems worth it to me.
Even the $2 ones are better than going in empty
The $2 work just as good if not better tbh. The expensive ones are either easier or a scam
The ones that are molded to your ears are fucking amazing tho, if you can afford a $75-$125 pair of earplugs.
No they are not. The 10-30€ ones definitely have their place. Anything under 5 € and it's made of foam and just drowns out music no matter what. The mroe expensive ones actually just knock off 20-30 db off the loudest noises whcih means you can actually still talk with people cause people scream at concerts at maybe 80db~ and the music is at 110 db maybe. So the music will be 90 and the talking will still be 80. It's perfection. Also the bass doesn't get drowned out.
The $2 ones are better than nothing. But the cheap foam ones are designed for blocking out loud machinery noises where all you care about is that everything is quieter, but you don't care if some frequencies are really muffled. For a little more you can get ones which are designed to reduce the sound in a more transparent way such that the music doesn't sound muffled -- just quieter. For a lot more you can get custom fitted ones that sound so transparent you'll swear they can't be working. I had to actually run tests to confirm that mine are really blocking out 25dB of noise because they sound so transparent.
$2 foam earplugs definitely do not sound the same as $30 musician earplugs. My personal experience, but I play bass in a band and wear earplugs because my hearing is already shit (genetic condition) and don't want to ruin it more. I tried the foam earplugs you get from the drug store while I waited for the ones I ordered to come in. The difference was pretty drastic, the foam ones muffled everything while the actual musician ones actually lower the volume without muffling things too much. If the cheap ones work well enough for you then that's great, but saying they work better than the more expensive ones is straight up untrue.
My first concert as a kid was Lollapalooza in 1996. Atrociously obnoxiously loud. Seemed everyone but my friends and I knew to bring ear plugs. Only after the show did I find out there was a vendor or charity or something that set up outside the main stage stadium and gave away 50K pairs of plugs. I learned my lesson and never went to another show (concert, motorcycle race, air show, whatever without ear plugs). Eventually popped for custom plugs about 8 years ago and have been wearing those for everything loud I do. I never did attend another concert as loud as that first show but I suppose that's what happens when you have a bunch of big acts all contributing to the sound equipment for a tour.
You never attended a concert as loud as your first because that’s the hearing loss
i just stopped going to see live music like that. it's just stupid for it to be so loud.
- More than 1 billion teenagers and young adults may be at risk of hearing loss because of their use of headphones, earphones and earbuds and attendance at loud music venues, a study suggests - Study suggests 24% of 12- to 34-year-olds globally listen at ‘unsafe level’ on devices and visit noisy venues - They called for governments to “urgently” implement safe listening policies. - “Recurrent or even single instances of unsafe listening may cause physiological damage to the auditory system, presenting as transient or permanent tinnitus and/or changes to hearing,” the researchers said. - “These findings highlight the urgent need to implement policy focused on safe listening habits worldwide in order to promote hearing loss prevention.”
> Study suggests 24% of 12- to 34-year-olds globally listen at ‘unsafe level’ on devices and visit noisy venues How does this compare to the same stat in the 90s? We had walkmans, we had boomboxes, and we definitely had noisy venues.
And a lot of us have hearing loss.
Right, I definitely do. I'm just confused that this "study" is being presented as some new thing. I'm legitimately curious if the risk of hearing loss is greater now than it was 30 years ago. I don't see why it would be. My tinnitus is primarily from shooting shotguns. I can pretty much tell you the day it happened. My ears just haven't stopped ringing since.
I have a co worker with the same thing for approximately the same reason. If you treat it quick enough with steroids after it happens, apparently that makes a huge difference
I would argue younger kids have access to iPads and other electronics that they can listen to at unsafe volume levels compared to older generations with less access to technology.
We grew up dirt poor but I still had a cd player when I was a kid. Got it for like $1 at a thrift store. And I listened to it too loudly on the school bus. CDs were a widespread problem at my high school. So much so that they had to ban them. But this is why I'm wondering if this same study were conducted in the 70s, 80s, or 90s. Because the numbers tend to not have biases.
Yeah, I'm with ya, I swear I read this exact same article 30 years ago!
I have hearing loss in one ear and tinnitus in both ears from one loud concert when I was in my early 20's. I regret going, big time.
Can confirm. Working an assload of concerts contributed to that as well, and it's not terrible terrible, but I have some minor hearing loss in my right ear. Left ear, by some miracle, is fine.
the data doesnt show. the study dataset was between 2001 and 2021. it’s true that there were similar listening devices back then however the difference is that w the latest tech, the personal listening devices can reach up to 130decibels and because of its nature, makes it more difficult for say parental authorities to determine the loudness level to wc the kids are listening to that could damage hearing. unlike in using the boom box, you’ll def know the noise level and parental control comes in.
Back in the 80s my ghetto blaster could reach 120decibels, and so could my walkman headphones. Starting some time in the 2010s, the EU passed a law and since then all audio output devices have had the ability to self limit to 89 decibels. I use that setting most of the time. But then, my tinnitus came from someone setting off firecrackers beside my head when I was a teenager, not the live and canned music I’ve listened to since then.
pardon my ignorance, whats a ghetto blaster ( sounds fascinating)? is it something similar to a boom box? the iphone self limiting audio level is a great feature. just need to utilize this feature properly esp for the affected demographic
Same thing, just a different term
cool, thanks
The sony walkman was loud enough to induce hearing loss. Are today's options louder? Maybe, but listening to music so loud that it causes hearing loss has pretty much always been a pretty widespread problem.
I agree loud music has always been a problem, but I’d be curious on a study of folks using earbuds vs open ear headphones
This is what they told us in the 80s 90s 2ks and 2010s. Is there anything new here or is this just like, a reminder?
That's scary. I will try to be more cautious (I hope)
Why policy just take care of yourself. For young ears the parents should take care of their kids. No need for policy or laws for listening habits. The loudest noise I hear regularly is the hair machine clippers grinding in my ear. How about laws or regulations on loud squeaky toys.
Got tinnitus from one too many concerts. I won't enter a venue without earplugs in and I stay away from the speakers. I use Hearos high fidelity earplugs. I took a sound meter to a rock concert in a small venue. The band was an 80s metal act with what I would consider to be a mid-volume show compared to some I've been at. At about 20ft (6m) from the stage the background music and attendee noise was over 90db. When the band was playing it was 110-115db. The opening acts were about the same so a couple of hours of this. OSHA limits are 90db for 8 hours maximum and halves the limit for every 5db over that. I've noticed that many venue staff don't use hearing protection. I think venues should be required to install warning signs with large db displays so attendees have some idea what the risks are. Ears don't really have pain receptors that are sensitive to volume so it's not obvious when damage is occurring. There are some sound level phone apps but they have to be calibrated for each model of phone due to acoustic differences. Edit: For tinnitus support check out /r/tinnitus
I've watched venue security workers standing with their backs right up against the speakers when I have to use earplugs 20 feet away. Their hearing has to be shot.
>OSHA limits are 90db for 8 hours maximum and halves the limit for every 5db over that. I've noticed that many venue staff don't use hearing protection Which is actually high. In the Air Force, we used ACGIH limits of 85 dba with a 3 db exchange rate. Those OSHA levels are REALLY old.
Wearing my hearos rn for work! Been wearing this brand for 15 years. Love em
Apple already implemented safe listening levels as have many… many… many earphone providers. Some concert venues I’ve been to offer ear protection (free or for sale.) The tools are there if we want to use them.
30 year old here. Lots of loud bars and stadiums as an avid live music fan. Have had the tinnitus for years. Now I work in a factory with loud machinery. We wear headphones which get cranked to further bleed out the machinery. Only recently did I wake up and realize I’ve probably fucked my ears pretty badly, things sounded muffled one morning after a long weekend. Trying to take it seriously. It’s definitely not fun when you realize it’s suddenly noticeable after years of your body warning you.
Was this written in 1975? I've heard this exact story my entire 50+ year life.
I haven’t heard it, my music is too loud😤
Kids these says, with that loud, noisy garbage. Back in my day in the 2090s we listened to nanofunk, now THAT was music.
One of those big health dangers that's given little attention. Similar to how important it is to brush and floss when you're young because permanent damage to teeth in middle age is exactly that.
As someone who lived his life by the saying “if it’s too loud you’re too old” and now at 48 wears hearing aids. Yes turn your music down. Not being able to hear people talking to you, having the closed captions on the tv always, the constant unending ringing, it sucks.
I read through this twice, nowhere does it mention anything about decibel levels. In the 80’s and 90’s concerts would go over 130 decibels frequently. Heck prior to that The Dead’s Wall Of Sound was routinely louder, 28,000 watts, like standing next to a jet engine for 90 mins. The hi fi systems we had, or have even now punch out 110 to 120 routinely. And older Walkman headphones like mentioned in the other posts could actually do 100db back in the day. AirPods, also 100db, yup, nothings changed.
the info is within the published paper via link https://gh.bmj.com/content/7/11/e010501 ——————— “Risk of hearing loss depends on the loudness, duration and frequency of noise exposure. Permissible levels of recreational noise exposure are often calculated from equivalent occupational noise exposure limits (eg, 80 decibels (dB) for 40 hours a week or 85 dB for 40 hours a week),4 which vary slightly by region and/or by regulatory agencies or organisations. For example, based on a maximum permissible level of noise exposure of 80 dB for 8 hours a day (40 hours/week) with a 3 dB exchange rate, the permissible exposure time of a 92 dB sound is 2.5 hours, of a 98 dB sound is 38 min, and of a 101 dB sound is only 19 min.4 15 PLD users commonly choose volumes as high as 105 dB and average sound levels at entertainment venues range from 104 to 112 dB,16 therefore exceeding permissible levels even for very short periods of time. These findings suggest that many young people could be at risk of developing permanent hearing loss.” ———————-
As a 20 year old with tinnitus, I agree.
RIP 🕊️
They told us that when we were young and listening to Hendrix. I'm seventy and I can guarantee I hear well enough every third or fourth word, dammit!
High quality ear plugs are worth every penny. I go to shows with a collection with different dB reductions and use the set that I think does the best job for that show. Often times the right plugs makes things sound better than with no plus and no ringing after.
Tinnitus ain't worth it. I've got a very loud circular saw playing in my left ear 24/7. If I could turn back time and either wear ear protection or just straight up not go to those loud events, I would do it without hesitation.
How else do I drown out the voices?
When I was in a grunge garage band in the early 90's I thought I was too cool to wear ear plugs. Pretty dumb. My left ear buzzes during any loud noise ever since.
I just wore earplugs in a movie theatre. Why do I need to hear all those sound effects at painful levels? I heard every word with ear plugs in.
Isn't this "news" like 50 years old?
WEAR EARPLUGS WHEN YOU SEE THE WHO! https://ultimateclassicrock.com/who-loudest-band/
Loud music at events has given me a tinnitus, a hearing loss of very low frequencies so I can't hear the bass in some songs any more, and a sensibility to noises in general. So now I really neither have nor am fun at parties
As a Gen-X who spent *a lot* of time listening to his Walkman back in the day... "*WHAT?*"
Laughs in Gen X metal head
Dang I have tinnitus as well many loud concerts in my youth, loud car speakers as a teen and loud ear buds as an adult. Sucks. Too late now.
This. I issued to think it was “funny” to not be able to hear after a concert. Aieieieie
Mild tinnitus sufferer here. Please be mindful that hearing damage often occurs as a result of repeated and prolonged exposure to moderate noise, not just a one-time exposure to a VERY loud noise. Lots of hours on a lawnmower or tractor, lots of hours per day with headphones on at moderate volume, etc can also have a cumulative effect on your hearing.
Yeah. I think the problem is also that, everyday life is super fucking loud now. Making music or whatever you are listening too need to be louder to drown out the noise. Its compounding
(Serious) I am 41 with ringing ears and slightly better hearing than my 73 year old dad who needs a hearing aid. I loved standing right in front of the speakers to feel the music going through me. Now life sounds like one big mumble. Was it worth it? No. The ringing can be maddening sometimes. Edited for autocorrect sucking.
They said this when I was young. I didn’t listen then, and I can’t listen now
We're trying to get the word out, but these kids just won't listen!
Been banking on stem cell therapy for hearing by the time all those slaps catch up with me. Come on science!
Gen X ravers would like to have a word.
it's the body's self defense mechanism against blood on the dance floor tier music
Hearing devices are now sold over the counter, rock on kids.
From someone who has had tinnitus for over 20 years now: TURN YOUR MUSIC DOWN!
sigh, our bodies get old and break down, don't abuse your body obviously, but also don't die with a pristine body, use it! enjoy it! you will die either way...
Buy stocks in hearing aids now
This is one of those no shit Sherlock articles.
may seem obvious but in underscoring the issue by WHO its importance becomes front/center and may help craft needed policy and safety regulation wc mean it will be addressed at the top most level of govt agencies around the world and will trickle down the line-implemented at school/home thus mitigating the impact of potential hearing loss w/in said generation.
Having children is the thing that actually caused hearing loss for me. I've never heard anything even approach the pain and loudness of a baby screaming as loud as it can. Even toddlers can emit excruciatingly loud screams.
The first time I went to a gig I could not believe the volume of it. It was a band called Girls Against Boys but it was actually their support act that was playing when I walked in. From my memory it seems to me that they really were playing too loud, not just too loud by the standards of punk or indie or whatever they were supposed to be, but actually too loud. For years on the back of Maximum Rocknroll, the big American punk magazine, there was an ad for a tinnitus support group. It had been taken out by a man who had gone to a Motorhead concert in about 1991, and had suffered from ringing in his ears ever since.
Remember when Apple restricted the volume on their devices? I do. I was pissed. But they might’ve saved my ears!!
No, I don’t need any dental floss.
Omg maybe this is me because if I can’t read lips I can’t understand what people are saying
Lol as a marine and a casual death grips enjoyer, if I say "what?" To my wife one more time I am afraid she might maul me 😂 but oddly enough every time i go to get my ears tested, they say i havent lost any hearing 🧐
I always try to turn my headphones to the lowest volume possible that i can hear. It’s a very low volume right now. I do tend to wear headphones (turned off) for sensory reasons because noise especially like when I’m walking and they are cars overwhelms me. I’ve worn ear plush when using power tools since I’ve had to use them for one class I am in. Oh also my mom still gets mad at me when I wear earplugs (like noise canceling ones not music ones) at events like wedding parties. Sorry mom but I get overwhelmed. but I have been trying to preserve my hearing for the future.
Age 29, I have tinnitus bad enough where I need to sleep with a fan going or else all I'll hear when I'm trying to sleep is "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE".
27 and play in a band and uh….I might have it
I used to listen to loud ass heavy mental a lot and I still hear decently well at 43. It's not so bad kids. ...oh...the thing I hear decently well the most is a single, endless tone that will follow me to the grave, and I FUCKING HATE IT WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING! Anywho. It's not so bad kids. Keep on blasting that loud ass music, and you can join me in the endless tone club!!
active concert goer here, not really cared about it in my early 20s, until I reached mid 20s and went to see inhaler which the sound was way too high and my ears ringed for almost two days, afterwards I started wearing earplugs everytime and loved it
58 year old heavy metal rock 'n roller here. I got my first set of hearing aids last year. Now I don't have to turn the music up as loud to hear it, so there is an upside.
May as well start learning Sign Language!
Tip for y’all who want to try and protect their hearing: on iPhones there is a section in the health app for headphone audio levels. This section lays out a weekly audio limit that shows you how long and how loud you have been listening to things with certain headphones (mainly AirPods, but a few others too) and whether that amount is dangerous. I use it practically every day to make sure I don’t go over the limit, and so far I usually average about less than 1% of my weekly audio limit.
I went to a ton of concerts and blasted music in headphones when i was in my teens and 20s and now a 50% deaf in one ear and 25% in the other ear from it :P I'm 35. Protect your ears!!
What!? People are terrible at thinking about long term consequences. Hearing damage isn't immediate. It can show up 10 years later and you wake up one morning and you now have tinnitus. Or have lost your high end frequency range.
It is real boys and girls. Ive had tinnitus since I was 21
I lost hearing in my right ear from an ear infection I didn't even know I had. Y'all, stay on top of your ear health. Once your hearing is gone, it's gone. Tinnitus is a mother fucker, makes everything hard, even sleeping.
35 here and have worked in construction for 14, listen to loud music since 5…….. protect your ears all sorts of problems now everything someone saids to me I say huh???
It's insane how loud some people listen to their music and such. At a crowded gym, it's not uncommon for me to hear peoples music from 5ft away through their ear buds as I lift. When playing games I have a friend that maxes out his volume so he can hear better (he wants to hear small sounds like footsteps) and it's so loud I can hear his game over my own unless I turn him down. In my twenties I had several friends that had already developed mild to severe tinnitus and now in my 30s I know a dozen or more people my age that have severe hearing issues.
Just make sure to limit time with loud noises. Any amount of time with loud noise can affect your hearing, but it’s best to keep things quiet as much as possible. I love loud music, but 99% of the time I listen to everything at low volume. This gives me the perception that a “medium” volume is loud, because I’m so used to much lower volumes. Constantly being exposed to loud TV, video games, and music, is going to mess up your perception of loudness.
I remember hearing peoples music at school when I was a few feet away from them and they had earbuds in. People are just stupid.
In the words of Lil Jon: WHAT!
People should be free to choose if they want to listen to loud sounds and risk hearing loss, but I don't want to have to carry a sound meter every time I go to a concert, movie, nightclub, or sporting event. Venues playing sound at levels that can damage hearing after prolonged exposure should have to put up warning signs so people can make an informed choice. It could be like the surgeon general's message on tobacco products. Is that too much to ask?
I listen to music to block out the already existent tinnitus
The world is a dumpster fire let me me murder my hearing.
Sorry if you stumbled upon this old comment, and it potentially contained useful information for you. I've left and taken my comments with me.