Is It Safe for Tinnitus Sufferers to Go to the Cinema?

Hi everybody.

I previously did a post regarding how I got my ringing in my ears.
I’ve had a ringing in my ears since I had a bad cold and chest infection (just over a month).
My doctor won’t send me the ENT as she says it will clear in a few months.

My ringing spikes when I yawn, put pressure on my jaw and I’m waiting to see a dentist to see if TMJ related.
I can’t read due to the hissing and ringing which is making me more anxious as I love to read (it’s not overly loud as unless I’m in silence or go to bed).

Would it be ok to the cinema if I get ear plugs/ear protectors?
If so, what type of ear plugs or ear protectors should I get?

On a side note my ears seem to look out for noise when there’s a high pitch or buzzing/humming sound which makes my stomach turn as I need to establish if it’s in my ears or somewhere else.
I apologise If my post is a bit erratic but I’m kind of feeling that way at the moment, it’s hard to concentrate sometimes.

 

I saw The Last Jedi w/ ear plugs in and had no issues at all. So you should be fine. I used these ones:

https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Fidelity-Earplugs-ETY-Plugs-Standard/dp/B0044DEESS/

 

Thanks illegalmonkey77.

I will have a look at them. That was the last film I saw, really enjoyed it. Looking to put go and see Black Panther and worried about making the ringing worse even though mine wasn’t noise induced (I think).

 

Hi. Saw Star wars without ear protection no problems for me. You just need to test what you can and what you can't do with your tinnitus.

 

I think I’ll still get some ear protection as I’m still panicky about making it worse.
Thanks for your feedback though Bartek I appreciate it.

 

I just saw The Greatest Showman. I started without ear protection but I noticed the sound was uncomfortably loud during the singing parts of the movie so I ended up wearing earplugs most of the movie but other than that I'm perfectly fine. My tinnitus hasn't spiked at all. In fact my perception is that it is less loud than it was before because I had a great time. So yeah. I would go if I were you. Just have some earplugs with you in case the movie is loud and you will be fine

 

I am sure it's fine with good ear protection. I did not go to movies much, and with my tinnitus I always imaging myself sitting next to a speaker and going deaf on very first loud noise.

 

It depends IMO. I can manage smaller/art-house cinemas quite comfortably with earplugs because they tend to have the volume lower but I find larger cinemas e.g. ones in shopping centres etc a bit of a struggle. Make sure you have earplugs on hand just in case!

 

Yes. I go to movies with ear plugs on. I am going mad if I sit at home. I am going early to theater and getting middle seats away from speakers and wear ear plugs and winter cap and ear muffs. 3 layers on and then watching movie.

So far like that after watching it did not spike up. Also my tinnitus is not noise induced. I definitely decreased the number of movies I used to watch in theaters. Going only if I really want to watch the movie. I used to go to pubs and dancing stopped that too. I just do not want it to get worse. Movies is something so regular I do if I stop doing that I do not having nothing to do except eating at restaurants in this cold weather.

 

Thanks for all your input I really appreciate it.
I’ve been looking at different ear plugs, think I will purchase a few different ones and make sure I sit in the middle of the cinema. I used to love going the cinema but this Ringing in my ears has impacted my life like nothing else.
I’m trying to stay positive and hope and pray it goes away and if not that I eventually get used to it.

 

I think tinnitus spike when clenching jaw etc is absolutely normal. I know mine does. Yes go to the cinema. Perhaps buy some good quality ear plugs before hand if possible just incase you find it too loud. But as far as I'm concerned, cinema volume won't hurt. Concert volume is a different story.

 

Have you ever been tested for TMJ? I’m awaiting a dentist appointment as my local practitioner hasn’t been much help and won’t send me to ENT as she “assures me it will go away” in a few months as I’m still congested.
My ears pop and crunch when I swallow and my ears feel full then go back to normal.
It’s just whenever I yawn or eat or put pressure on my jaw it spikes, so based on all the reading I’ve done and this forum I’m guessing it’s TMJ related but won’t know till I’ve been the dentist.

 

Just take some good noise reduction plugs with you to wear.
My tinnitus is not noise related but I take no chances around extra loud sound.
Love glynis x

 

I just came back from the cinema. In the U.K. they are not that loud. The highest peak I measured for the movie I just saw, ‘Black Panther’, was 84db. A lot of the film was less than 70 dB.

PS, I only measure the SPL for interest purposes. To see how loud stuff really is. The loudest I’ve come across so far was Star Wars with peaks in the high 80’s. Cinemas don’t really concern me, but I still wear my 10 dB filters in my earplugs to be cautious. IMAX is a different story and other countries will vary. Remember this is based on the UK cinemas that I’ve been to (which is a few).

 

I agree about the noise Jcb. I have no idea where you are or what cinema you went to but it wasn’t that loud where I was. I measured the noise to be objective and all the talking scenes were in the 60db range. Action scenes were all over the 70’s peaking around 84db here and there. I wore 10db filters which were perfect. They were like a safety blanket for my sanity more than anything. I don’t think it was damaging at all, but I’d rather be safe than sorry in all instances nowadays.

 

Hi, I'm with @Ed209 on this. I had Hyperacusis when it all started, so I used to wear my plugs all the time during movies. It got gradually better and I started to take them off to have popcorn during "quiet" scenes, or not wear them if I was going to see a drama or something like that.

Nowadays I carry my plugs around, but if it isn't that loud I know I'll be ok. I wore them to watch Black Panther, but I was in an Imax Theater.

If it makes you more ate ease, you can measure the Db around you with a smartphone app.

Best,
Zug

 

Pacific Rim opens this Friday and I'd love to go see it but my ears tell me they would like to sit this one out.

 

If that’s your feeling, I’d leave it for a while... maybe when your feeling a bit more confident about your ears you could try another film.

 

I agree JCB. I'll wait for it to be on Pay Per View.

 

I went to see Tomb Raider last night, was a lot better than I expected. I took a decibel reader and used the one on my phone. The max was 90 dB and averaged about 69 dB through the film, had my plugs in and thoroughly enjoyed the movie experience.

 

Hi Guys,

My name is Tharanga in case I have not introduced myself yet. I have a concern about watching movies in the cinemas. Is cinema movies loud enough to cause any ear drum damage? Or damage to other areas of the ear? Or cause tinnitus to get worse?

What if I watch a movie every 4 weeks in the cinemas? Is this safe for my ears? And will watching a movie in the cinemas every 4 weeks cause tinnitus to get worse?

Kind Regards
Tharanga

 

It depends how loud they are in your country, but I’ve never been to what I’d consider a dangerously loud cinema whilst wearing earplugs (even if I wasn’t wearing them in many cases, but I always do nowadays to be on the safe side).

I use my 10dB filters in my custom moulds for movies.

 

Sadly even wearing good quality earplugs I have found the sound level in cinemas to be so negative for my tinnitus that I no longer go. The last two occasions led to severe spikes in my tinnitus which lasted for months afterwards - for me that just wasn't worth it. Still try and catch films on dvd or streaming. Only you can judge the impact on your own tinnitus on going to the cinema but if you do find your tinnitus is negatively affected I wouldn't continue going - it just isn't worth the risk.

 

The real question is if there are actually any movies good enough to go to the cinema with or without tinnitus?

 

I remember reading (time before I had tinnitus or at least before I acquired this form of tinnitus) that movie theaters increased the volume unnecessarily.

If you could compare to 10 years ago, I believe it was quite a difference.

 

I’ve been going to cinemas, in the UK, for most of my life and there was a time when I used to go every week for many years. The sound level has always remained the same from my experience and I’ve measured the levels for the last 4 years using a decibel meter. There hasn’t been any change. However, audio is far more compressed nowadays, same with music, so the lack of dynamic range means there’s far less fluctuation which results in a higher average.

The LAeq of an average film is a lot lower than what many people on here will tell you (based on UK cinemas, and some US ones). In fact, for many films, it’s quite likely you will experience higher levels of noise on the way to the movie and/or whilst waiting around. Part of the illusion with sound is the context we hear it in. Cinemas are very quiet rooms and nobody talks and this gives the illusion of everything being louder. This is a perception thing and how our brain analyses sound. Have you ever had your radio on in the car at a “normal” level and then got in the following morning when you’re tired and thought, “shit, that’s loud!” Same as how the TV seems to get louder at night when the house is dead quiet. I’ve had my TV on so low some nights and yet it seems relatively loud in the moment, and then I’ll turn it on the following day and I can’t hear a thing. Context is everything and a cinema has zero background noise which tends to raise our perception.

Dialogue scenes are mostly in the 60-decibel range (A weighted), so if you’re seeing a drama the LAeq will be low. Dramatic scenes with music tend to be in the 70-decibel range, and action sequences tend to clip in and out of the 80-decibel range (I’ve seen rare peaks clip 90dBA, but it’s rare and they are very short-lived).

The caveat here is that this can’t be guaranteed for every cinema, but the general feel in the UK is that all non-IMAX theatres run their volume levels at a pretty much the same standard rate.

With earplugs, there is no risk of damage. A trip to the cinema is nowhere near the league of a live gig for example.

 

Wise decision @david c not to go to the cinema if you have experienced spikes. A lot of people do not realize that the best earplugs or moulded types, will not stop tinnitus spiking if external sound is loud enough, because it can pass through the head/skull and be transferred to the inner ear by bone conduction. I suspect this is what has happened in your case. No hearing protection can stop this.

Michael

 

Cinemas are not loud enough for bone conduction to be a concern. They are way below that threshold. There may be some rare rogue ones out there that are loud, but the mainstream ones do not pose a risk if one uses ear plugs. If someone wants to go and see a movie I’d say go and don’t worry about it - common sense can prevail in the very unlikely scenario that one ends up in a ridiculously loud one. However, at the levels where bone conduction becomes a concern I can assure you that you won’t be the only one leaving.

 

Completely agree Michael. Actually it's been several years now since I have been to the cinema but won't be going back. Sound level at maximum is certainly at the level where bone conduction can occur. Noticed this sensible article by someone who knows what they are talking about on the increase in sound levels at cinema:

https://conversation.which.co.uk/travel-leisure/cinema-volume-loud-film/

 

Maybe I’ve just been lucky in all the cinemas I’ve been to. I’ve seen these articles before and one even stated that films can reach 130 dBA. I’ve seen over 400 films at the cinema and all I can say is that I’ve never been in one that’s been anywhere near that loud. Even if you said 100 dB LAeq I can honestly say I’ve never experienced it. With the amount of films I’ve seen, I just don’t understand where these overinflated numbers come from. Either I’m the luckiest guy ever and have managed to avoid every overly loud cinema, or something else is going on. I have no idea.

I’m a trained sound engineer so I’ve dealt with sound at a professional level since about the age of 17 and can tell you that a concert is orders of magnitude louder than any cinema I’ve ever set foot in (and that’s over 400 times). Pre-tinnitus, I never even considered cinemas to be loud.

If one is experiencing spikes, though, and/or one doesn’t like films anyway than it’s a no-brainer to just stay away. If you love films, however, then I see no reason to stop going. Just wear filtered earplugs and enjoy yourself. Bone conduction will not be a problem unless you’re in a cinema that’s louder than a metal concert.