Clapping at Birthday Restaurant and Loud Singing

So, I went to someone’s birthday at a restaurant and at the end there was loud yelling and singing and loud clapping. I was at the end of the table that it was going on.

I didn’t have time to put in earplugs and was embarrassed to cover ears. It’s lasted about 30 seconds.

Google says that loud clapping is 130db at one meter. I was less than 1 meter away.

I’m so tired of this. What do I do?

I guess I’ll take magnesium and NAC when I get home. I can’t handle this.


Already have loud tinnitus and hearing loss. Had it for 2 years now and can’t pride it or handle all these situations I can’t prepare for and get too embarrassed to deal with.

 

There was 7 hosts clappig and singing loudly.

 

Try stay calm and relaxed and keep relaxing music on around you.
Im sure your spike will settle and no damadge done.
Love glynis

 

I guess is there ever any concern in a situation like that or am I overreacting? It lasted about 15 seconds.

 

You're not overreacting. Whether we like it or not, we're going to be faced with situations that we'd rather not be in. It's part of life. It's going to happen. Glynis had the right advice. Hopefully by tomorrow things will improve your way.

 

I don't think these short-burst events we all face do damage so much as they make us brutally aware of the damage already done. That's what makes them seem so traumatic. We keep hearing it. The unpleasantness of the sound and the aversion reaction that evolves from that, left untreated, gets locked into physical and psychological memory through repetition.

 

I don't think you're overreacting. And I don't think saying "it will be probably be all over tomorrow/soon" is helpful either. Especially if it isn't all over tomorrow. Everybody experiences tinnitus differently and I know someone like @glynis has a mild form of tinnitus which isn't affected by very loud noise exposure.

Although exposure to clapping and shouting isn't as bad as prolonged exposure to amplified sound it can worsen tinnitus significantly. I would try to stay in quiet environments for the next few weeks and try not to panic too much - I've had increased tinnitus levels as a result of noise exposure which have taken weeks to reduce, but slowly over time they have done so.

 

The Guinness World Record for "loudest clap" is 113 decibels... Now I'm not sure what the distance was but I assume the reading was taken fairly close. There's no way a clap is 130 decibels, you'd need an entire stadium of people cheering and clapping to reach that level. Yes, 30 seconds of a birthday sound is a bit loud, but stressing out and worrying about it is more likely to cause a spike than the actual noise is.

 

You Should be listening to the signals being sent to you by your own body. If you had a spike following this event, then you should make sure not to repeat this mistake in the future. You should stay away from restaurants and other places that can get loud. This is especially true if you have a problem protecting your ears (i.e., you believe that a couple of surprised looks are worse than a possible lifetime of louder T and making your body uninhabitable).

 

Glynis has mild tinnitus? She has menieres and hearing loss on top of tinnitus. It certainly does not sound mild based on her posts.

It seems a common tactic to shrug off an encouraging and positive post with “oh they must have mild tinnitus.”

@AZeurotuner is right. Anxiety can cause spikes just as much as noise. @jdjd09 are you actually experiencing a spike or instead worrying that you will experience a spike?

 

@Tinker Bell , I’m honestly not sure. I just hear it all the time so it is hard to say if there is a spike. I just don’t want it getting louder or my hearing getting worse.

These people were clapping not at the end but during the song in a loud beat. 7 of them.

I just don’t know what to do in those situations or others. Im damned if I complain to anyone in my life about any ringing or my ears because they don’t want to hear about it. But I’m damned if I put my fingers in my ears because then I embarrass everyone around me and they don’t like it.

I usually put ear plugs on in noisy events but I didn’t have time for this situation. I’m just so tired of dealing with others who don’t have to deal with this issue and then get their judgement no matter what I do. I don’t even know what I was suppose to do in that situation.

 

You shouldn't have been at the restaurant.

 

I've been in restaurants and stuck my fingers in my ears. I've walked down the street and had to stick my fingers in my ears. I honestly don't care what people think. Someone not caring about me is what contributed to my tinnitus.

It doesn't matter what people think about you sticking your fingers in your ears. They aren't the ones who have to live with the results of any acoustic trauma that you're exposed to. Seriously, shame on them if they're embarrassed because you have a condition that requires extra protection under certain conditions.

It's my understanding that Glynis has severe tinnitus, which makes it all the more remarkable how compassionate and understanding she is towards everyone, whether their tinnitus is mild, moderate, or severe.

 

I usually wear my solid silicone plugs at these dinners from the start on - typically a group of people talk loud in such environments, even with the 30 db of reduction is sufficient to hear them talk - if it gets real quiet then i move the plugs very slightly to create an air gap and it will be louder, and when it gets too loud I just push those plugs deeper and that's it - no one ever said anything

I spray my plugs with ethanol before using then to avoid ear infections from tears at the ear canal and also make those easier to insert at first

 

@david c,
Hi david ,
My tinnitus is sever and 10 out of 10 everyday.
I need medecation to sleep and Duel purpose hearing aids to help.
I have Menieres and hearingloss and I totally understand when someone is struggling and having an emotional time and anxiety and depression.
Thank you to those whom know me well on here and as Tinnitus Hub Moderator.

Back to the original post,
Maybe get your ears checked out but in my opinion steroids are not needed .

I have dedicated my life to supporting others with tinnitus and menieres as well as an active tinnitus campaigner for Tinnitus Talk and Tinnitus Hub and Moderator .
Love to you all.
Glynis x

 

Hi Glynis,

The thread itself concerns the issue of noise exposure and tinnitus. You have talked about your enjoyment of going to the cinema - including going to see some incredibly loud films such as Dunkirk.

It's really great that you can do that. But please be aware that this is not an option for some of us. I couldn't go to the cinema even with the best earplugs in the world and to see a relatively quiet film, because my tinnitus would be unbearable afterwards. It was this objective measure I was using to talk about your/my tinnitus in relation to noise exposure.

We all do our best to help others on here and we are all entitled to our views.

Kind regards

David

 

@david c,
Hi David,
Your opinion is equally important to mine and everyones and I totally understand the restrictions of going to loud places when you have tinnitus and Hyperacusis.
Loud sound does not bother me as mine was due to Menieres but I still wont go to loud places with out noise reduction plugs as a precaution but I don't think mine could get any louder if it tried.
I only responded as my name was brought in to this thread so you now know about my ears .
Anyway thank you for your reply and pointing out your views too !
Love glynis x

 

I am getting an accurate at home hearing tester that is very accurate. I’ll test it when I get it. I guess in the future I will just cover my ears with zero shame and to hell with others who care.

I took magnesium and NAC after and trying to stay away from noise. I mean am I going to be ok? The loud clapping is what worried me. It was not normal clapping.

 

Anyone?

 

@jdjd09
Why no wearing plugs ? A loud restaurant with a group of people getting all excited is asking for trouble if you have weak ears ...why even take a chance ?

 

Magnesium bisglycinate (stay away from oxide, it's bioavailability is quite low and it's hard on the stomach), NAC, taurine, and Vinpocetine are a good spike cocktail for me. Next time wear some earplugs with filters (15-20 decibels should be fine), that way you'll still be able to hear conversation fairly well.

 

It was a dead white empty restaurant. The waiters came out of no where and started doing that. I didn’t expect it and got caught off guard and couldn’t even think straight.

 

Can someone just give me a straight answer. Did I damage my hearing? I’m just tired of this world filled with people without my problem who could care less and enjoy making noise for no reason.

I’m fed up with this existence and frankly feel like ditching everyone I know because every situation I’m put in is mainly due to people dragging me into situations that lead to things like this. Without them I would have far less problems. My family and friends refuse to understand my situation and have no clue how it is. They can’t even get it through there head that some things aren’t just like colds.

Did I screw up my hearing and tinnitus with a stupidly small but loud event like this. I can’t stand this life anymore. I’m just sick of it. Other people just make my life miserable.

 

Anyone, how can I be certain if I damaged ears or not?

 

@jdjd09 ,
Maybe have your ears checked and try to relax and stay calm as only ENT,audiology can give you that answer as we can only give you our views and own tinnitus journey .
I hope your ears calm down soon for you but do go have a chat with your doctor .
Sending you lots of love
Glynis

 

From what I know and I've heard from countless people who have a form of T it's quite unlikely this will damage your hearing.
But it can spike your tinnitus, these are different things.
In the future, bring plugs, and plug your ears when you feel its too loud, never care what others think. But also don't buy into the fearmongering.
Be safe and have fun.

 

I don't want tinnitus to limit my life but at the same time, every setback i experience takes me back a long way of anxiety and depression. It takes a lot of time not necessarily to fully habituate but to reaccept.

The way I chose to rewire my mind. I avoid such scenarios and other loud situations. I accept that my life is a bit more limited now since I have tinnitus. I choose to increase my enjoyment in the activities that dont have the potential to negatively impact and avoid situations that can worsen tinnitus. I just think avoiding those situations are much much worth than taking a risk and going through a setback.

The problem is that you can still face situations that are not in your control/or didnt expect. In such situations, if shit happens, regret wont take over your mind. But in situations where you had the control to avoid, regret will control your mind. "ah i could have avoided this 30 seconded clapping part"

 

Doctors are useless around here. They will just tell me they can’t do anything and thanks for the visit.

I just want to know if I really damaged my hearing again. Supposedly the world record clap was from 2.5 meters away. They were right next to me clapping away.

I am just done caring what others think of me anymore and covering them. Anyone who vices opposition is getting cut out of my life that second.

I just want to know that I have a chance to heal and a chance that this didn’t damage my ears realistically. I just want some honest hope for my situation and knowing something that could help me now. I’m tired of all these situations that I can’t anticipate and can’t handle when they come up.

 

That is the biggest problem I have on here. It is hard to understand what is over worrying and what isn’t. Some people here take it too an extreme that I know are not issues for lost. But then some don’t take it far enough. I just don’t know where the balance is and I don’t know how to deal with this. I just worry that the noise was enough to screw up my ears more again.

 

Do you ears hurt, have a tingling sensation, feel full, is your tinnitus louder, and is your hearing muffled?