Q&A

Subject: Loud music

From: MW

After spending last night in a club with loud music, I am now experiencing a deafening, persistent ringing, whining noise in my ears, which doesn't seem to get any better. Could the problem be a permanent one, is there anything I can do to stop this? I would really appreciate any suggestions or information. Thank you!

Yes it could be permanent. The noise you are hearing is an indication of hearing loss. It goes by the name Tinnitus.

A dulling of hearing, noises or ringing in the ears, and pain in the ears are all symptoms of hearing loss. Sometimes these symptoms will go away by themselves in a little while (a day or so). Think of the hair cells in your inner ear as grass in a field. You can walk across it many times without permanently damaging it. However, if too many people walk on it, it will be damaged, and if you drive a bulldozer across it, it will surely be damaged. Time will tell if your experience was like a bulldozer.

Go to an audiologist and get a hearing test. That will give you an indication of how bad the problem is.

What to do? In the future, wear ear plugs when you are in loud noise. You can assume from your previous experience, that your ears are sensitive and susceptible to damage. There are "musicians" ear plugs that allow some sound in to provide a balanced sound field and there are plain "E.A.R." brand plugs that provide very good isolation. The E.A.R. plugs are about a dollar per pair, and they are reusable, so there is no excuse for not having them.

Noise caused hearing loss is

Progressive, Permanent, and ...Preventable.

Solveig