Headphone-Induced Ear Pain and Hearing Loss with Delayed Onset

[waterbird]

I made a very foolish choice. On July 15, I listened to music for an hour straight, even though it was seriously hurting my ears. The volume was only about a quarter of the maximum, so I managed to convince myself that no real damage was being done (how could I have thought that? I am cursing myself every minute).

I took a break, then went back and listened some more. When I went to sleep that night, my hearing was muffled and my ears hurt a lot, but I felt fine the following morning. The headphones still hurt my ears to use, although less so the next day.

I continued using headphones over the following week.

A week after the initial incident, I woke up with muffled hearing, ringing, and pain in my ears.

Now, nearly a month after the original incident, there has been only slight improvement.

This happened while using JBL TUNE510BT headphones.

I am interested in hearing from people who have had similar experiences, especially given the delay between overexposing my ears and the onset of hearing changes. If you damaged your ears with headphones, did you also notice pain?

I want to know if there is a chance I might improve, although I am aware that permanent damage has likely been done.

 

[waterbird]

It seems that digital audio makes it louder, which makes masking more difficult.

 

[Sonia554]

I made a very foolish choice. On July 15, I listened to music for an hour straight, even though it was seriously hurting my ears. The volume was only about a quarter of the maximum, so I managed to convince myself that no real damage was being done (how could I have thought that? I am cursing myself every minute).

I took a break, then went back and listened some more. When I went to sleep that night, my hearing was muffled and my ears hurt a lot, but I felt fine the following morning. The headphones still hurt my ears to use, although less so the next day.

I continued using headphones over the following week.

A week after the initial incident, I woke up with muffled hearing, ringing, and pain in my ears.

Now, nearly a month after the original incident, there has been only slight improvement.

This happened while using JBL TUNE510BT headphones.

I am interested in hearing from people who have had similar experiences, especially given the delay between overexposing my ears and the onset of hearing changes. If you damaged your ears with headphones, did you also notice pain?

I want to know if there is a chance I might improve, although I am aware that permanent damage has likely been done.

I've been told that delayed onset tinnitus can actually be a good sign. It suggests that your auditory system was irritated and sent into overdrive, but it doesn't necessarily mean permanent damage. I experienced the same delayed onset after spending 15 minutes in a furnace room. It steadily got louder over about three days. I don't remember exactly how long it took for that initial 10/10 siren to calm down—probably a couple of weeks.

In all likelihood, you'll get better, and there's a strong chance you'll fully recover, but it takes time. I didn't see my first major improvements until the middle of month six, but when they came, they came fast.

Drink lots of water, prioritize rest and sleep, and stay away from loud noises. Everyday sounds are fine. In fact, I think a lot of people run into more trouble when they start overprotecting, like wearing ear protection all the time or isolating themselves in their rooms. Your brain needs sound exposure to re-adapt and dampen the signal.

Go for walks in nature, and play low-volume sounds on your phone or computer. I bought open-ear, cuff-style earbuds and played cricket sounds on the lowest possible volume for the first few months. Later, once I started improving, I switched to river sounds.

I'm not 100 percent yet at the beginning of month eight, but the trend is positive. I can sit in a quiet room and hardly hear it at all outside. Don't let anyone tell you it's permanent—it very likely isn't.

And yes, I had quite a bit of pain in both ears for months. My exposure was in January 2025, and the pain and fullness set in a few weeks later before starting to lift in May 2025. It felt like I had a ping pong ball behind my eardrum and as if my ear canals had been rubbed raw. My right ear has completely cleared and feels normal now. My left ear, which was more affected, still has some residual on-and-off feelings of pressure and soreness, but it continues to improve. Try using a warm compress a few times a day in front of your ear, not over the ear canal.