I went to a concert 2 nights ago at a pretty small venue that was very loud. It was the first concert I went to at a place so compact and loud, so I expected to not be able to hear as well after the show. However, what I did not expect was for my hearing to still be somewhat off a day and a half later. I have a persistant ringing in my left ear (that one was closer to the closest speaker), and it can't hear nearly as well as it could before the show. It can still hear, but everything just sounds a bit more muffled and some normal household sounds are bothersome. My right ear seems to pretty much be back to normal as far as I can tell. I want to say that my hearing is getting better in my left ear, but it's pretty hard to tell. Both ears definitely hear better than the first night right after the show, but in terms of compared to how they could hear yesterday, it's hard to tell of much of a difference.
I've done some looking around online, and it seems people have these kinds of problems after loud concerts, and some people even said that it's taken up to a week for their hearing to come back. While I hope that's the case here, I'm wondering if there's anyway to speed up the process, or if my doctor would be able to give me any drops or anything to help it out. I figured I'd wait it out for the most part. I don't expect my hearing to come back to what it was 100% (since I know loud noises can be permenantly damaging), but I do expect my hearing to come back to close to 100% (at least as far as I'll be able to notice).
Just some other information- If I knew it was going to be so loud, I defintely would've gotten earplugs, and I most certainly plan to get them in the event that I go to another show. My girlfriend went with me and she's been to loud shows before (she didn't wear earplugs), and her hearing came back to normal late the night that we got home. Also, I this might be TMI, but I have some kind of sinus problem in my left sinus close to the top of my nose, that my ENT doctor thinks is a fungus (I'm having it removed at the end of the month). It's been causing my sinuses to not clear out correctly, and I don't know if this might be causing my hearing to recover slower than normal or not. Any advice or reassuring recollections would be appreciated, thanks.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
I've had ringing in my ears since I was eight years old, and still have a lot of discomfort when I go to concerts or really loud places.
Concerts can make me go effectively deaf for a long period of time, but eventually the hearing will come back. But you have to be careful: there is a decibel threshold for permanent hearing loss, so don't put your face up to the speaker and expect no repercussions.
And, yes, sinuses can impact your hearing.
Posted by Epictetus (Member # 6235) on :
I think you'll be fine, especially if you plan on taking earplugs next time. I don't know of any way to speed up the process though, I'd say if your hearing isn't back to normal in a week or so, you should go see a doctor about it.
Posted by Hamson (Member # 7808) on :
Ok, thanks for the input guys.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Where'd you go and what'd you see?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
FYI, the persistent ringing almost certainly means you have done permanent damage to your hearing -- damage which at this point in time is not reversible.
Start stocking up on tiny batteries. Although you probably have a couple decades until you need 'em.
Posted by Dav (Member # 8217) on :
The last time I went to a loud concert I used Etymotic earplugs, which are supposed to reduce the decibels without muffling the sound. They seemed to work pretty well.
Posted by Hamson (Member # 7808) on :
I went to see Jimmy Eat World at the Crowfoot Ballroom in Pontiac.
Yeah I saw that brand of earplugs recommended a couple other times before. I'll probably end up getting those.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
I bring earplugs to every concert I go to, no exceptions. I absolutely detest the post-concert ringing, and I want to avoid any permanent hearing loss from heavy decibel exposure.
I go to concerts that tend to be heavy on the amperage, so it's only prudent. Last time Steve Vai was performing at the fox here in town, he hit some notes that gave me ringing through the earplugs.
Posted by scifibum (Member # 7625) on :
I wonder why bands allow (or require) things to be turned up to the point where it damages people's hearing. I understand that "feeling" the music as well as hearing it is something people can enjoy, but I'm also pretty sure you can achieve some of that at a decibel level that won't leave people unable to hear the next day, or in 30 years. Making your fans go deaf seems like a pretty crappy thing to do.
I suppose it's up to the folks buying the tickets to exert pressure. I wonder if anybody ever won a lawsuit for concert-related hearing loss.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka: FYI, the persistent ringing almost certainly means you have done permanent damage to your hearing -- damage which at this point in time is not reversible.
Start stocking up on tiny batteries. Although you probably have a couple decades until you need 'em.
I've had persistent ringing and 40% hearing loss in my left ear since a major ear infection when I was young.
Also affects my equilibrium now and then. I can't ride rollercoasters that go upside down extensively because I'll pass out.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
sfbum, when the music isn't loud, people talk during concerts. I am firmly convinced that is the primary motivation.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
There are many middle-aged hippies walking around music festivals who always tell my son to put in his earplugs so he doesn't have to be like them. (Ha ha-edited to add that "like them" in this instance is near-deaf. Many have hearing aids)
Think about it. You love music. You want to hear music for the rest of your life. Protect your ears.
I think most people simply don't know how damaging sloud noise can be. But those earplugs mentioned by Dav, though rather outer space alien-looking, work well and allow the sound to come through.
[ July 09, 2008, 05:54 PM: Message edited by: Elizabeth ]
Posted by Artemisia Tridentata (Member # 8746) on :
I developed my tinnitus (that's ringing in the ears for those who are undiagnosed) while riding in an airplane with a cold. The doctor suggested "age related". But, you don't get old in one trip. I do have years of playing in concert bands and orchestras. But other than sitting in front of a 6 man trombone section in an Air Force band, I was always careful of my hearing. Never mind, it is a real bother. I have learned to hear around it. But, when I listen to music that is close to the frequency of the tinnitus, it makes the timbre of the sound "tinny". Imagine a beautiful violin concerto played on an old transistor radio with a one inch dusty speaker. I can hear volumn from very soft to very loud and frequency from high to low. Some frequencys just sound cheap and raspy. Once, I was substituting for the Organist in a Sunday service. The tinnitus doubled and I could hear two pitches. I was making plans for a quick trip to the Doctor as soon as the service was over. When, A young girl snuck up to the bench and whispered "Mom says to tell you that you have a key stuck". You young guys really need to be careful. Living with a stuck key is not enjoyable.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Here is a hearing damage chart. We have a similar one at the nurse's office of my school:
Following the directions, I started to hear it just under 30 Hz, and from there could hear fine until about 10 kHz when it dropped off quite drastically.
If I "cheated" and cranked the volume when I couldn't hear it anymore, I could still hear somewhat between 10 kHz and 14 kHz. But above 14 kHz, nothing for me.
I'm 38 now. Some of this loss may be attributable to various loud shows I went to during my 20s without earplugs, plus a year or so when I regularly played guitar with a "garage" rock band myself.
I started regularly using earplugs for loud shows about 6 years ago when the tinnitus and fuzziness symptoms during and after loud shows started getting annoying, and wasn't going away so fast anymore.
Some loudness is fun, but too much of it too often does take its toll.