Tinnitus After Listening to iPod with Earbuds/Earphones

Hello, I have never posted on this forum before but I feel that now is the right time to do so.

On 1st February, I decided to listen to some music on an old iPod with some earphones/earbuds. The volume was probably a 2 out of 10 and then I turned it up to 3 out of 10 for about 20 minutes or so before turning it back down to 2 out of 10. I listened to my iPod for about 90 minutes in total and after I noticed a ringing in my ears. Stupidly, I listened to some more music that evening and the next day (I really wish I hadn’t now) but I stopped after that. I thought it was odd but didn’t think too much about it, a week passed and it was still there. A month later, I went to the doctor and explained what happened, they prescribed me some Amitriptyline but that hardly made any difference. I also went to see an audiologist for a hearing test and they said my hearing was fine and normal for my age.

Eventually I started to panic, “why has the ringing in my ears not gone away? It should’ve gone away by now” and as a result the last two months have been miserable. I have not been myself at all, waking up every morning and hearing this ringing in my ears is so distressing. I try to do things to distract myself from it, the audiologist recommended downloading an app called ‘Beltone Tinnitus Calmer’. I have created my own plan and listen to white noise every morning for about 25-30 minutes but it hasn’t made a difference. I’m not using earphones or headphones at the moment, any sound that comes out of my phone, tablet or computer comes out of external speakers. I can sleep fine though, I don’t need to use sound masking at night. The not knowing if this will go away or not, how am I going to live the rest of my life like this? My mind has gone to really dark places which I just didn’t think were possible. I have read lots of posts on this forum as I’m relatively new to all of this. I have read a lot of the success stories on this forum as well in order to give myself hope.

I can’t tell you how much I regret listening to my iPod on 1st February, I never listen to music on it so that makes it all the more frustrating. If I hadn’t, I’m convinced that none of this would’ve happened. I’ve been to music concerts in the past (without ear protection which was stupid looking back) and only once did I have tinnitus after but it went away after a day. I’m pretty sure I suffered from hyperacusis before my tinnitus started, does that mean anything? Before my tinnitus started, I sometimes listened to podcasts, YouTube videos through earphones/earbuds (like everyone else in the world) but they never caused tinnitus (I always had them at a low volume). How can an iPod from 2007 cause so much damage to my quality of life? I just don’t understand. Is there a time limit for when tinnitus is considered permanent? 6 months? 1 year? 2 years?

I’ve heard about habituation, is that as close to a cure that you can get? How do I get there? I’m really scared at the moment, I just want this nightmare to be over and for the ringing in my ears to stop. I would do ANYTHING!

 

I hope you can get better. Accept it and you can get better. Yes it can lessen or go away in due time but if you keep hanging onto that you may become obsessive.

Learn to accept it and if it goes away then you can celebrate lol.

 

Hi AD10.

I understand what you are going through at the moment because I have been there. Tinnitus can be scary in the early stages but trust me things will improve with time so try to calm down. Please take the medication that your doctor has prescribed. It is an antidepressant and will help your moods acting like a safety net so you don't become too down, which is something that can make the tinnitus more intrusive. Please click on the links below and read my posts, then go to my started threads and read the following articles when you feel a little better and take your time to absorb the information. The Habituation Process, Hyperacusis, As I See It, Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset, Acquiring a Positive Mindset. I advise that you use low level sound enrichment during the day and at night and not sleep in a quiet room. More about this is explained in my posts.

Things will improve believe me. Try not to use any type of headphones even at low volume.

All the best
Michael

New to Tinnitus, What to Do? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
Tinnitus, A Personal View | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

Thank you. I think the accepting part is what I'm really struggling with, when you have normal hearing for all of your life and then all of a sudden your brain is introduced to this new different sound it's quite scary, it's not normal and you want it to stop.

 

It’s very tough. I can’t even stay asleep because my brain is nonstop right now. All we can do together is cope and hope lol. Hang in there brother.

 

Hi Michael,

Thank you so much for your kind words. The medication the doctor prescribed me ran out last week, I took it for 6 weeks and it didn't change my mood at all. The mornings are always when I feel the worst, the afternoons are a slight improvement but I always feel at my best in the evening. I have no idea why I seem to get better as the day goes on? I have seen you respond to other people and recommend they read your articles before, I did read them before but this time I will give them a proper thorough read.

With the sound enrichment, how long should I ideally do it for during the day?

I really hope things improve as you say.

Regarding headphones, I have seen you say this to other people and I have not used any type of headphones for a few weeks now.

 

Thanks, cope and hope is a good way to look at it. I never thought of it that way before.

 

Hi AD10

Please go back to your doctor and explain how you feel regarding the medication. It is important that you take it if your doctor advises you to. You have probably been given a low dose to see how you get on. Tinnitus fluctuates a lot in the early stages and this can continue for quite some time. During the day try to have some low level background music playing or nature sounds for as long as possible. The idea is to keep the sounds at a low level so they are not drawing attention to themselves. Do not try to mask the tinnitus so that it can't be heard as it's the wrong thing to do.

Take your time and read my articles more than once to fully absorb the information. They are a form of counselling and will help you to understand the way tinnitus makes a person feel. You will start to feel better but it takes time and is something that can't be rushed. My advice is not to try any treatment for now just try and do things that you like to do but keep away from all types of headphones. When listening to music through speakers, keep the volume at a comfortable level.

Give yourself plenty of time to adjust. Things will get better.

Michael

 

Hi Michael,

Thanks again.

I’ve had two courses of Amitriptyline (10 mg a day). After the first course I remember the doctor saying that if it didn’t make any difference then not to bother with a second course but I wanted to carry on to see if it would make any difference. I will try to listen to some low level background music during the day as you said.

I will also read your articles again. I have really struggled to do the things I like in the last two months, it’s so difficult. I have avoided all types of headphones in the last few weeks after I read it in one of your articles. I haven’t listened to any music recently, I mainly watch videos on the internet but they come from speakers at a low volume.

I suppose it will take time to adjust as you say, at the moment it seems impossible but if other people can do it so can I.

When you say things will get better, does that mean my tinnitus will reduce slightly or I will notice it less? Or both?

 

Hi AD10,

Stress and anxiety need to be kept under control otherwise they can make your tinnitus worse which can also affect your mental and emotional wellbeing. I have mentioned this in many of my posts so please have a talk with your doctor if you are feeling stress is becoming too much because of the tinnitus.

You are in the early stages of tinnitus and usually this condition improves with time. From 6, 12 to 18 months and sometimes a little longer for full habituation to be reached. It is important that you do not rush things or put too much pressure on yourself by wanting unrealistic results too soon. Read my articles and this will bring you up to speed on what you're likely to expect with noise induced tinnitus. No two people experience tinnitus the same but they do share similarities during the habituation process and beyond. For some people the tinnitus can reduce to a very low level that it's hardly noticeable unless in very quiet surroundings. Others may hear it mild or moderate but once habituation has been achieved, it all means the same thing, as for the brain will have learnt to accept it and the tinnitus will no longer be a problem.

Please keep in mind that when habituation is reached you still need to be careful of exposure to overly loud noise and I recommend that you do not use any type of headphones even at low volume. The choice is yours of course but my advice is not to use them. Please read my post: The Habituation Process and Will My Tinnitus Get Worse? Both are on my started threads.

Michael

 

It's not plausible that using headphones at a sensible level will cause hearing loss/damage that can lead to tinnitus.

You won't find a single tinnitus researcher that subscribes to that view. I was involved in a trial with the Tinnitus Research Initiative (TRI) that encouraged their use.

Musicians with tinnitus (Chris Martin) use in-ear monitors to protect their hearing.

Loud music via headphones is of course dangerous but at sensible levels they are fine, I would reject out of hand any suggestions otherwise, there's no credibility to these claims, they are anecdotal.

It's no different to me pointing the finger at certain medications i.e. I took Ibuprofen and then my tinnitus started. Or alternatively me saying something improved my tinnitus, in my case Lenire, which comprises of using headphones for an hour a day for weeks on end. My testimony is anecdotal, what matters is science/evidence.

Please ignore the fear mongering nonsense you read on this site by people who have nothing better to do than write thousands of posts repeating the same falsehoods.

 

Hi Michael,

I would agree that at the moment I am expecting unrealistic results too soon. I definitely need to adjust my expectations, take one day at at time and eventually try to habituate. It's like I want to go from 0-10 straight away but that's not possible, I need to work my way up in small increments e.g. 0, 1, 2, 3 etc.

I'm already being very careful with loud noises, I'm trying to avoid anything unnecessary. Isn't any sound classed above 85 dB where you need to have ear protection? Because of lockdown there aren't many situations in life where I would encounter this but I will need to invest in some ear plugs at some point in the future.

Would you say not to listen to any headphones for the rest of my life?

Also, what about using a telephone/mobile phone? Do I have to put it on speaker going forward as opposed to having it pressed against my ear?

Thanks once again.

 

Hi AD10

When you have time, please go to the top of this page and type in the search box Headphones. Read in the list posts from members of this forum that have noise induced tinnitus and used headphones and regretted it because their tinnitus increased. Some people with noise induced tinnitus are not affected by headphone use but many are. As I have said, the choice is yours. Remember, people that tell you using headphones at low volume is safe, should your tinnitus increase, they will not be able to help you.

Furthermore, be careful about taking advice from people that do not even know what caused their tinnitus. Therefore, they will have no knowledge or experience of noise induced tinnitus.

Michael

 

I don't have any hearing loss/damage, this was confirmed by an audiologist when I did a hearing test back in March. The music I was listening to wasn't even that loud, it was probably a 2-3 out of 10 at most.

 

Hi Michael,

In that case I am 100% happy to not use headphones, I used to use them a lot for podcasts, television, internet videos etc. Not anymore, from what you say I don't want to risk my tinnitus getting worse. I did still use them for a brief period (which I regret) but I would say I've avoided them completely in the last month or so.

 

Take things slow, go out and spend time with friends and family and direct your thoughts away from tinnitus. It takes time but you'll get there.

Try not to pay too much attention to sound levels and please do not download a decibel meter to your mobile phone. They cause more harm than good. Please read my post: Hypercusis, As I See It. Try to to overuse hearing protection, more is explained in the post about earplugs.

I am an Audiophile and used to use headphones a lot that eventually gave me tinnitus because I listened at too high a volume without realizing it. I haven't used them in 25 years. I enjoy my music much better now listening through speakers. A good audio system with speakers can create a three dimensional soundstage with a realism that no headphones can match. Please believe me as I used to use some the the best, Beyer and Stax headphones, please Google them. Click on the following link and read my post: Does Your HIFI Sing?

My advice to you is not to use headphones again even at low volume but the choice is yours.

Michael

Does Your Hi-Fi System Sing? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

Hi Michael,

Trying to direct my thoughts away from tinnitus is exactly what I need to do, it’s not easy but from what you say it can be done. This gives me hope.

The only reason I’m cautious about sound levels is because I don’t want to make my tinnitus worse and/or damage my hearing. When I think back to the concerts I’ve been to and what I’ve subjected my ears to it’s frightening, I’m amazed my hearing isn’t damaged. I’m extremely fortunate. I will read your articles regarding hyperacusis and Hi-Fi.

I’m happy not to use headphones again, I’m not taking any chances after what happened with my iPod.

 

Give yourself time and try not to put too much pressure on yourself. If you drink, have a glass of wine or beer during the evening to help you relax. Engage in the things you like to do and this will help take your mind off tinnitus. It is a learning process that takes time.

 

The pressure I put on myself is also a factor, but hopefully with time this will decrease. I don’t drink but I can relax easily. Engaging in the things I like doing seems so hard right now but I realise I need to do it in order to divert my attention away from tinnitus.