More data popping up on hearing loss. A study in this month's Archives of Internal Medicine (and reported by today's science section of The New York Times) finds hearing loss increasing dramatically in people in their twenties. The Johns Hopkins study found 8.5 percent of 20-29 year olds to have significant hearing loss. Time to turn down the music, toss those ipod headphones.
Hearing Loss, again.
- Thread starter El Diablo
- Start date
Gmedlo
Professional
Just to give people an idea of how harmful headphones are, I have a little personal experience to share:
I was born with a hole in one of my eardrums. I had a tube in this ear and was on antibiotics until I was eight years old. I had constructive surgery to seal it up when I was 8, which failed, but it later healed itself, to my doctors wonder. But, when I hit sixth grade, I got chicken pox (the day before 6th grade camp started. Darn.), quite a bad case of it actually, and had had some internally, in my mouth as well as a few in/on my ear. Well, The doctors aren't completely sure what happened, but they believed that I actually had a pock on my eardrum. This caused a rupture, which went untreated for about a year or two. It was later examined when I was in 8th grade and a cyst had formed on my eardrum. That summer it was removed, and I had another tube put in, which should be falling out anytime soon (it's past its two-year quota). I still get ear infections constantly, even at the age of 16, and have nerve damage in my right ear as a result. Nearly every day I wake up with a translucent liquid coming out of my ear, which thankfully has started cycling on and off since I had the tube put in.
Recently, I've been listening to a lot of music with in-ear earphones. I keep the volume VERY low due to my ear sensitivity, but I still have various problems. If I have the earphones in for more than 30 minutes, I feel it the next morning. I get an almost instantaneous ear infection when I wake up. And this is no small ear infection; occasionally I get blood coming out, but it's usually a combination of a liquid that streams out in unimaginable quantities considering it's from an ear, and a thick snot-like mucus that hurts like hell as it goes through my tube, and I hear a loud "Pop, draaaaaiiiinn" from the inside. Through all of this, I still listen to music since I'm so used to the ear pain, and really, I don't know if I have any nerve endings left up there, and I like music that much. Stupid, I know, but I haven't found a better way to listen to music yet.
So in short, even if you don't feel the damage, its being done. Do you know how I know? I have countless tests done to monitor my hearing, and my right ear always scores higher than my left, even though I've had incredible pain from my right.
I was born with a hole in one of my eardrums. I had a tube in this ear and was on antibiotics until I was eight years old. I had constructive surgery to seal it up when I was 8, which failed, but it later healed itself, to my doctors wonder. But, when I hit sixth grade, I got chicken pox (the day before 6th grade camp started. Darn.), quite a bad case of it actually, and had had some internally, in my mouth as well as a few in/on my ear. Well, The doctors aren't completely sure what happened, but they believed that I actually had a pock on my eardrum. This caused a rupture, which went untreated for about a year or two. It was later examined when I was in 8th grade and a cyst had formed on my eardrum. That summer it was removed, and I had another tube put in, which should be falling out anytime soon (it's past its two-year quota). I still get ear infections constantly, even at the age of 16, and have nerve damage in my right ear as a result. Nearly every day I wake up with a translucent liquid coming out of my ear, which thankfully has started cycling on and off since I had the tube put in.
Recently, I've been listening to a lot of music with in-ear earphones. I keep the volume VERY low due to my ear sensitivity, but I still have various problems. If I have the earphones in for more than 30 minutes, I feel it the next morning. I get an almost instantaneous ear infection when I wake up. And this is no small ear infection; occasionally I get blood coming out, but it's usually a combination of a liquid that streams out in unimaginable quantities considering it's from an ear, and a thick snot-like mucus that hurts like hell as it goes through my tube, and I hear a loud "Pop, draaaaaiiiinn" from the inside. Through all of this, I still listen to music since I'm so used to the ear pain, and really, I don't know if I have any nerve endings left up there, and I like music that much. Stupid, I know, but I haven't found a better way to listen to music yet.
So in short, even if you don't feel the damage, its being done. Do you know how I know? I have countless tests done to monitor my hearing, and my right ear always scores higher than my left, even though I've had incredible pain from my right.
iPods are very dangerous if you try and listen too loud. In-ear phones are better because they block out some ambient noise, but you still need to be very aware of the volume.
Being a musician and live sound engineer, I see an audiologist once per year to have my hearing tested. Thanks to wearing earplugs at all times when around live music and being smart about my volume, I have very little in the way of hearing loss at 25. I have very mild tinnitus, to the point that I don't hear it even when I lay down to go to sleep.
Being a musician and live sound engineer, I see an audiologist once per year to have my hearing tested. Thanks to wearing earplugs at all times when around live music and being smart about my volume, I have very little in the way of hearing loss at 25. I have very mild tinnitus, to the point that I don't hear it even when I lay down to go to sleep.
I've played guitar in bands since I was 13, and I've had many loud guitar playing sessions with buddies. My hearing tests only a very slight drop of in high end hearing, but I have permanent ringing in my right ear to the point that I need to fall asleep with an air purifier on to drowned it out. I never had this until I started doing a lot of mixing at home on my computer with headphones. Headphones are bad.
I always wear an ear plug in my right ear when I play in a band, because loud guitar noise will trigger it and make it louder for a few hours, which can be very un-enjoyable.
The arrogance of youth makes everyone think that they are invincible. We are going to see many more problems with hearing because of all the i-pod use and ridiculously loud car stereos.
slice bh compliment
G.O.A.T.
dman72;....ridiculously [COLOR=darkred said:
What?
Sorry, OP, could you speak up, please? I didn't catch that.
Kidding. This thread reminds me of a concert tee shirt in the 80s: "IF IT'S TOO LOUD, YOU'RE TOO OLD!"
So silly. Of course there's nothing like good seats at a concert, but at home, music sounds best with really good speakers at a low volume.
I noticed some hearing loss in my 30s. I think it happened when my wife and I bought a place in the ''hip and cool'' part of the city. Or maybe it started right after the wedding.
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Rickson
G.O.A.T.
If you get an ear infection, take a Q tip and Bacitracin. Gently place the Bacitracin in the ear and roll the Q tip around so you get all the inner ear walls. You'll probably feel an intense itch, but that'll go away in a couple of days with the Bacitracin. Rinse out the ear the next day and repeat the Bacitracin step if the infection is still present.
Dedans Penthouse
Legend
"Hey, you got a banana in your ear!" ......... "what?! I can't hear you!"............"I said you got a banana in your ear!"........."what?! I still can't hear you!"......"I said YOU GOT A BANANA IN YOUR EAR!!!"........"what?! I can't hear you, I got a banana in my ear!" :razz:
I've listened to and have played music all my life (and very, very loudly on occassions; e.g. using "feedback" as an 'artistic feature' :neutral: for some of our Indian-themed, psychadelic 'rock ragas') and as a result, my ears sometime ring....but even though you sort of get used to it, I can't emphasize enough: don't be like me--protect your hearing. Actually, the "ringing" I can live with; it's the ****ing voices in my head that bother me.
I've listened to and have played music all my life (and very, very loudly on occassions; e.g. using "feedback" as an 'artistic feature' :neutral: for some of our Indian-themed, psychadelic 'rock ragas') and as a result, my ears sometime ring....but even though you sort of get used to it, I can't emphasize enough: don't be like me--protect your hearing. Actually, the "ringing" I can live with; it's the ****ing voices in my head that bother me.
Cindysphinx
G.O.A.T.
I can't run without my Ipod. I can't use ear buds because they irritate me and fall out. I have Old School Headphones from Radio Shack. The finest that money can buy for $12.
I am probably killing my hearing, but what do I care? I'm pushing 50, so my ears don't have to last much longer . . .
I am probably killing my hearing, but what do I care? I'm pushing 50, so my ears don't have to last much longer . . .
SteveI
Legend
I can't run without my Ipod. I can't use ear buds because they irritate me and fall out. I have Old School Headphones from Radio Shack. The finest that money can buy for $12.
I am probably killing my hearing, but what do I care? I'm pushing 50, so my ears don't have to last much longer . . .
Cindy,
Protect those ears.. you might live to 100
Steve
I played started playing in a punk band when I was 17, and played with them until I was 23. I now play with a few more mellow guys, but I always wear plugs. I didn't when I started playing, and I'd have ringing for a day or so after practice.
Headphones can be very, very bad. I have nice IEM's that I use when I listen to my iPod or have my mobile recording rig out at a show. The ones I have block out 30 dB of ambient noise, which means that I can hear clearly at 30 dB less than if I were using some standard over the ear or non-IEM headphones.