Just a quick moan really. I can actually hear it over my music these days.

Also, I’m a lover of audio books and worry that I’m making the condition worse with ear buds.

Now you’ve mentioned it I’ve started hearing mine now 🙁

You have my sympathy. Luckily I associate mine with being pleasantly tired so don’t find it annoying but it’s now load enough to make it hard to hear my girls talking. I love audiobooks/podcasts because I can fall asleep listening to them rather than the tinnitus.

Sorry. It’s pernicious, invasive and eventually, life-changing.

I too often forget about it until I’m sitting somewhere quiet, reading a book or trying to listen to music.

Or some sod mentions it.

What do you guys think caused your tinnitus? Out of interest.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

🙁

Mine was caused by pub juke boxes in my teenage years (I have sensitive ears). I remember having to leave pubs early when 17/18 as my ears hurt from the loud music. No one else seemed bothered….

Having a bad week this week as last WE I offered to help out a neighbour and change her car battery for her. I forgot that the minute I connect the new one the alarm would go off and my head was about 10cm from the bloody thing!

“What caused it?”. Playing stupidly loud guitars in bands, no doubt. My stepdad also suffers because he spent his youth shooting .303 rifles.

It’s avoidable if you own a time machine / ear plugs.

Causes of tinitus

persistent sore / ache in ears (specifically left one) from a lot of swimming in my youth – very prone to sore ears…

Don’t use ear buds – use IEMs – the ones that block the ear canal.

The sound pressure levels from ear buds (the ones that leak sound) is way more than the equivalently perceived volume from IEMs.

I have hyperaccusis as well and so am more sensitive to sound levels and I can only stand ear buds for a few minutes whereas I wear my IEMs most of the day.

Yeah, loud music tends to be the usual culprit.

I go to electronic music gigs twice a month roughly where the music is loud (but regulated tightly and with very good sound systems) and so far I’m all good, but there a lot of performers in “the scene” who do battle with it.

When I go to festivals/gigs abroad I do take some fancy earplugs that are supposed to reduce the levels by a good few dB without effecting the frequencies heard. They’re good. Abroad they tend to have looser/no regulation and things can get LOUD.

Had to Google hyperacusis – sounds awful (no pun intended).

As always, glad I’m not alone but sympathy extended to all affected.

At least it’s not TB.

When I go to festivals/gigs abroad I do take some fancy earplugs that are supposed to reduce the levels by a good few dB without effecting the frequencies heard. They’re good.

Yep same here, musician’s earplugs IIRC.

Yep,it’s shit

Mine was caused by a blow to the head. I now have a hearing aid, my tinnitus is much better. Seek professional help is my advice.

Screwed mine with years of gigs and clubs. Now have hearing protection:

had my ears 3D scanned by https://shop.hearology.uk/ at End of the Road last year and got custom plugs made. Way more comfortable than the ones in had for earphones with the old method of pushing a lump of wax into the ear. recommended.

Professional guitarist here…..mine hasn’t been too bad of late….I usually wear IEM’s nowadays though. Actually went to see a gig at Sound Control in Manchester a month ago, something that I rarely if ever do nowadays…..I lasted 3 songs then had to leave as it was hurting my ear too much. I’m only 31 too!

I developed really bad tinnitus aroud 5 years ago, for around 3 months I pretty much had a nervous breakdown. After about 6 months I started getting used to it a bit but was in reality 2 years until I kind of made my peace with it.

I still have it & will never go away, it is a nightmare tbh. Motorbikes, loud music , angle grinders , fitting tyres, being a mechanic all added up to it.

The best way to deal with it is to just accept it, after all it’s just a noise. Easier said than done 😉

Crikey. Mine’s not painful, just incredibly annoying. To the point of hitting my head to make it stop (doesn’t work but makes me feel better).

Didn’t realise there were treatments available. Gives me hope.

Aye it’s a right bastard is tinnitus. Had chronic tinnitus in both ears for about 9 years now. 32 years old now. As above – really battled with it for a couple of years and used to really affect me/get me down.. Not sure what “clicked” but I seem to be able to ignore it for the most part nowadays.

Obviously if I’m in a quiet environment I can hear it and have to wear earplugs for loud clubs and motorsport events. I hadn’t heard of the 3D scanning technology for custom plugs – I’ll have a look into that thanks. I have some custom ones from many moons ago (via the old fashioned method) and they’re not a great fit anymore.

My advice (easier said than done) is just to keep yourself busy (mind and body occupied) and try to forget about it. Although it sounds like yours is louder than mine. I have hyperacusis as well, horrible stuff.

As for the cause probably a multitude of things, I was quite close to an aerosol explosion as a lad, lots of loud clubs (abroad is worst due to no one giving a shit about regs), job in heavy manufacturing, motorsport events, etc.

nickewen. Interetesting that you can identify which ears it’s in. Absolutely not doubting you but mine’s just “in my head” rather than emenating from one side or the other.

Ironically, loud music seems to be the only temporary cure 😀

I’ve got it mostly in my left , but sometimes (like this week) get a lower frequency in my right.

I now look after whats left of my hearing very carefully. Wind noise on the bike worries me a bit. (No I’m not getting thoses stupid guy martin sidiies things)

I used it to motivate me to , (A) kick a long time pot habit , (B) Lose weight, this was helped by not being able to eat or sleep properly at the start , (C) sort a crap diet out , (D) get fitter.

Reserching it & watching youtube videos of people stressing about it will not help, infact it made things worse for me.

Good thing about us humans is we adapt (mostly). I miss playing the decks though 😥

Adapting to an annoying issue is essential. As a 44 year old I have a few, believe me.

Internet research on this subject in particular is a spiral of despair.

Wind noise on the bike worries me a bit.

Does anyone think/has heard it’s an issue at cycling speeds? I’ve wondered.

Does anyone think/has heard it’s an issue at cycling speeds? I’ve wondered.

Donno. Never gone fast enough.

LOL @ that ^^^! “I’ve never gone fast enough” 😀

On a serious note though, the wind noise thing worried me for a spell before I decided to not give a shit and overthink it. A lot of life’s problems can be solved by giving less of a shit.

For the swimmers. I had a miserable few days on holiday in the Uk as I forgot mine and chemists don’t seem to sell them.

I don’t find playing guitar a problem, it’s only 100W through a 2 x 12, and standing too close leads to too much feedback. Gigs as a spectator are a problem though, the audience gets couple of kWs of PA in addition to whatever noise the group is making.

A lot of life’s problems can be solved by giving less of a shit.

Very true of tinnitus