59 dB to Ears via Headphones

Hi there,

just wanted to ask. I went to see my audiologist today to measure the frequency level of my tinnitus.

At one point she asked me a question directly through the headphones which I didn't expect and it freaked me out.

She said it was only '59' dB. Do you think this could spike up my tinnitus?

Thx, Jiri

 

No. 59dB will not cause a tinnitus spike. But anxiety about the 59dB exposure will.

 

If your tinnitus was caused by noise trauma and you have hyperacusis. Sound levels of 59 db and lower can cause a spike. Tinnitus caused by loud noise trauma with hyperacusis is different from tinnitus that wasn't caused by loud noise, I assure you. However, anxiety and worrying unnecessarily can cause tinnitus to spike too.

Michael

 

It wont man. I had them speak with me and I had no spike.
Did you do the otoacoustic test?

 

Thanks for replying everyone. Appreciated.

I know that under 'normal' circumstances this wouldn't be an issue - that is in open space (not to be confused with outer space). Yet, I can't stop thinking that the sound was projected through the headphones directly through my ear cannnals to the middle ear, inner e. & straight to my brain where it could mess up even more the already 'panicking' neurons. I hope I'm making sense.

Simply put: no open space, couldn't be more closed space between the sound intensity and the rest of my auditory system. May be I'm overthinking, but may be, just may be I'm not & then add anxiety into the mix and voila = spike.

Why me... *sad face*

The man himself. I've heard a lot about you. Let me start off by saying thanks again for taking the time and replying.

Now, yes I do have a noice-induced tinnitus. I was recently explained that I do not have H but rather phonophobia - loud sounds just scare me A LOT. You know, noice-induced tinnitus, no wonder.

As I was already saying to Tinker Bell.... just please, do me a big favour, scroll up a little and let me know if what I wrote to the fairy makes any sense to you and I should be getting ready for a spike.

Thanks, bro. That put me into a chill mode a little. I know how sensitive your ears are. And no. They don't have it there and it was a uni teaching hospital! I gotta keep searching.

 

What you wrote does make sense, but I still do not think it is enough to cause any long term damage. My hearing loss is severe at several frequencies, and at those frequencies the audiologists have to play sounds above 75dB before I can even hear them. Because of how dB work, 59dB is considerably quieter and within a safe volume.

If anything, I am sure the sound startled you because you were not expecting it. If you are dealing with phonophobia, that is going to further exasperate your response to the sound.

Are you currently experiencing a spike? If not, I think you are okay. If you are having a spike, I think it will resolve as your sound anxiety diminishes.

 

Now my ears are burning. I hope that you have heard good comments about me and not bad! Since you have phonophobia, hopefully with treatment with a Therapist you can get help. Try not to worry about the 59db you heard through the headphones. Depending on whether you have hyperacusis and how severe it is, even low levels sounds can occasionally cause a spike. However, more often than not one can bring on a spike by worrying over such things. Try to forget it and move on.

If you are not using a sound machine at night by your bedside then I advise you to do so. Please click on the links below and read my posts, that you might find helpful.

All the best
Michael


https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-positivity-important.23150/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/acquiring-a-positive-mindset.23969/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-ent-doctor-and-hearing-therapist.24047/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/inspiration.22894/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/can-tinnitus-counselling-help.22366/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/a-change-of-lifestyle.20643/

 

Talking about damage, I just don't want any louder ringining. That's all. I went to see a ENT and an audiologist, now my anxiety is telling me to go back tomorrow and reassure for the 1001 time that this lil episode couldn't hurt me.

I'm sure they'll welcome me back with open arms....

I'm one of those guys who's wearing earplugs in and earmuffs on top when leaving the house... just in case a loud crying baby (105 dB +) passes by with its mother.

Also, I'm trully sorry to hear that.

I've already read some of your threads and it's some good stuff! *Thumbs up* And I assure you I mostly heard good comments. Btw how can you tell which therapist is the real deal and which one is just a greedy charlatan?

I know how you feel about Julian Cowan Hill btw.

Roger that.

@Bill Bauer has a theory if a spike doesn't take a place within the first 24 hrs of the incident, most likely you're safe. If it's 48+ hrs than after that you can stop worrying about it fully. Yay or nay?

 

The good news is that you are realizing that it's anxiety driving you.
The bad news is that your plan is to go back to see an ENT & audiologist: what you need instead is someone who will help you deal with your anxiety. In particular, you seem to be a prime candidate for CBT so you can learn tools that help you straighten your cognitive biases.

 

I could be completely wrong about Julian Cowan and hold my hands up to that...No one is perfect...
You got tinnitus in November last year so in my opinion it's too early to start TRT. I live in the UK and had my TRT with the NHS. I don't know where you live or what your healthcare system is like. Give it 6 months a little longer if you can as you might habituate by then. Try and find a reputable clinic that practices TRT or CBT or whatever treatment you want to try. Do research and probably contact someone whose had treatment at a certain clinic that you want to try.

Hope this helps.
Michael

 

The OP is so anxious its making me anxious :|

 

Well, yeah. I hope it's understandable since I lost the ability to hear silence. On that note, I've always been an anxious person.

Wanna hear the truth? This past 10 days I was calling them every. single. day. (cept for weekends). To my defence - a car honked at me at a zebra crossing, I'm inside a car, suddenly the car's alarm just goes off, I got ototoxic ear drops (ciprofloxacin) for my ear cannal that gave my a proper spike, I had a ride in an ambulance where the driver would keep slamming the sliding door shut (8 times to be precise) generating 114 dB + each time.., see what I mean? Oh yes & that car accident that gave me a proper whiplash wasn't exactly silent either.

CBT you say? Is that someone with magic powers?

I was already suggested to try out an alternative medicine like acupuncture and such... I don't know. I keep reading the 'success stories' on here and most of the time it's just people habituating to their tinnitus. Did anybody ever recover from it fully on this forum? The only person I can think of is @jjflyman and he's a legend imho.

 

Then stop reading anxious stories. or try Clonazepam. Start with 0,5 mg and work your way up. It helped me. A little.

 

I was not being serious..

 

I see what you mean, but the guys you were calling "every. single. day." aren't the ones who are in the best position to help you (that's why I called it "the bad news" - perhaps it's not the most accurate term).

I'm sure you are quite internet-savvy and can figure out what CBT involves. You can mock it all you want with snarky prose, but given your anxiety and cognitive biases, it may be more appropriate to adopt a more humble attitude towards something that can actually help you.
CBT is just a tool. You need to learn how to use the tool. There are many avenues to learn. I got introduced to it through this book. I don't know that it's the best book out there, but it does cover a good amount of stuff.
It won't lower the intensity of your T. It'll just help you manage your anxiety. If your anxiety fuels your T, you can see how managing anxiety can be beneficial.

Good luck.

 

Neither was I..