Used Headphones to Watch a Show...

I used my headphones to watch a comedy show (so I didn't bother someone trying to sleep), the volume was low and I felt my ears were not bothered. Some time after now, my T has spiked. Almost as bad as when I first got it. I will no longer wear headphone again. I was very much habituating, the T was a faint noise in the background now its loud again. I should have known better, this is the main reason why I have T in the first place (Headphones).


Now my anxiety is kicking in as to whether or not I have made the ringing worse, permanently. Things were definitely getting better but now I've pushed all the progress back.

 

I've had the same issue, also with using headphones post T. There will always be triggers that will cause it to spike or return. But over a period of days, or yes, possibly weeks, it will susbide back to where it was before.

 

@WildMan Hopefully your tinnitus will calm down. I keep advising people (you may not have seen my posts) not to use headphones even at low volume, and especially when the tinnitus was caused by exposure to loud noise. Even after a person habituates to their tinnitus, they are never completely out of the woods and always need to be careful. One of the biggest mistakes a person can make, is to forget they have tinnitus. This mostly happens when it has reduced to a very low level or is seldom heard. In my opinion, headphones are dangerous to anyone that has tinnitus and uses them.
Michael

Headphones and Tinnitus

The views on whether a person with tinnitus should listen to music through headphones are controversial. Some people show no adverse affects while others do even when the volume level is kept low.

As I have already mentioned we are all different so the only way a one can know is to experiment for themselves if they want to. In my opinion, when the tinnitus was caused by exposure to loud noise/music and it has become intrusive - by this I mean a person having to seek help at ENT, then they shouldn’t listen to music through headphones no matter how low the volume is set.

Most music has syncopation throughout its frequency range, so it’s constantly changing in pitch, rhythm and timbre. The beat of the music and volume can also change while listening. This evokes pleasure and can stir our emotions. This happens whether we listen to music loud or soft, although certain types of music does sound better played at a higher volume than others, and vice versa.

Once the Cochlear in the inner ear becomes damaged by noise exposure, it is much more sensitive to sound. This is one of the reasons hyperacusis (sensitivity to sound) is often experienced with noise-induced tinnitus. The wearing of WNGs (white noise generators) as part of TRT treatment can often cure the condition. I will be covering Hyperacusis and Habituation in more detail later on.

The organ of the Corti, which is attached to the Cochlear, has approximately 20,000 hair
cells. These hair cells move to the vibration of sound and are just one of the components in the auditory system that enable us to hear. Someone that already has a sensitive auditory system due to noise-induced tinnitus and listens to music through headphones at a low volume, risks irritating the Cochlear further; this can make the tinnitus louder and more intrusive.

In my opinion, it can be misleading when some health professionals tell tinnitus patients, listening to music through headphones is fine as long as long as the volume is kept low. These health professionals mean well and know a lot about the anatomy of the ear and therefore, it is not my intention to try and undermine their abilities or expertise. However, It must be said, that many of them have never experienced intrusive tinnitus. This leads me to say, one of my ENT consultant’s who is an Audiovestubular consultant, and someone that I have a lot of respect for, once told me that I know more about tinnitus than she/he. This person explained, for the simple reason they had never experienced it.

I have spoken to many people and corresponded with them by email and at Internet forums, complaining their tinnitus has become worse because after listening to music through headphones even though the volume was kept low.

My advice to anyone that has tinnitus that was caused by exposure to loud noise is not to listen to music through headphones, as the auditory system is more sensitive. However the choice is entirely up to them.

 

This is an old thread, but just in case it helps anyone ...

I have been noticing that on days I wear headphones my tinnitus is worse in the evening. I have to sit closer to my wife just so I don't have to ask her to speak up all the time. Luckily we are still young enough that she is ok with that.

Thank you Michael Leigh for writing this thorough reply. I guess I will hand up my headphones and try to live without them. I'm also finally going to see an ENT.

Michael Cunningham

 

Great post, but not sure I agree. I wear in-ear canal hearing aids. Am I not supposed to wear my hearing aids when I have hearing loss and T? Everyone says to wear the hearing aids, but don't use headphones. To me, they work the exact same way. So, not sure what to do.

 

@MeBeSurfer

Hearing aids, whether in-ear canal type or BTE (Behind The Ear) are completely different from headphones and you should wear them if advised by your healthcare professional. The same applies to white noise generators. Used correctly they will cause no harm. Please read below.


White noise generators.
Some may question the use white noise generators and in-ear types that emit white noise directly into the ear. White noise generators don’t usually irritate the auditory system due to the volume being kept low and its frequency range remains constant, so there is no syncopation within it unlike music.

I believe someone that has noise induced tinnitus and uses earbuds to listen to music, is putting themselves at even greater risk of making the tinnitus worse. Earbuds are inserted into the ear canal which is around 1 inch in length, therefore they are very close to the eardrum.

Behind the ear (BTE) white noise generators, have a "thin tube" that wraps around the ear and is inserted in the ear canal. At the end of this tube there is an opening - a very "small" hole which the white noise emits and is sent towards the eardrum and inner ear. Similarly, in-ear white noise generators also have a small opening which the white noise is emitted. Headphones and earbuds are different. They use a large speaker or diaphragm in comparison to deliver sound. Playing white noise through them cannot easily be fine tuned as the WNG and can cause irritation to the ear and auditory system. Therefore, it' possible to make the tinnitus worse.

 

Wow, thanks for this. One thing, though is that my hearing aids are not white noise generators. They are regular hearing aids. I have had hearing loss since I was born and only start to hear most frequencies at the 40 decibel range (somehow this is still considered mild). Anyway, I do want to get noise generators, but for now, I just have regular old hearing aids that are amplifying sounds to match my hearing profile. So, are these dangerous? I'm not going to lie, getting a bit of anxiety reading headphones are bad for your ears, when my hearing aids basically do the exact same thing, put stress on my auditory system by amplifying sounds and serving as a speaker in my ear.

 

As I mentioned in my 2nd post which is quoted above: Hearing aids, whether in-ear canal type or BTE (Behind the ear) should be worn if you are advised by your healthcare professional. Hearing aids and white noise generators are totally different from headphones and will not harm your ears when used correctly. The same cannot be said for headphones regardless of type, especially when used by someone that has "noise induced" tinnitus, there is a risk of making it worse in my opinion.

Hope this helps.
Michael

PS: I advise you to be careful of listening to people that tell you headphones cannot cause any harm when used at low volume. Some of these people but not all, their tinnitus was not caused by "loud noise" Tinnitus caused by noise trauma is different from tinnitus caused by an underlying medical problem, that's associated with the ear or caused by medication etc.

 

Yup, it's not much different from headphones indeed. Your statement is likely to cause some cognitive dissonance among certain members though...

I'd say that the main difference with headphones is that the hearing aids are designed to not go above a certain loudness level (if a sound is already naturally loud, it won't amplify it), while headphones will blindly reproduce your input signal at the volume you've set, even if such volume is unreasonably high.

At the end of the day, I think you're right that they're both essentially a speaker sending sound energy to your ear drum.

 

Thanks, ya mine was caused by medication, an SSRI called Celexa destroyed whatever filter my brain had in place to deal with the hearing loss I was born with. Didn't hear any T until 8 months ago, age 35. Are you sure hearing aids are that different than in ear headphones? Greg makes a good point how they are not designed to go above a certain level, but I'm pretty confident my hearing aids amplify all sounds, since my hearing loss is at 40 decibel, even if the sound is naturally loud. There's def moments where I need to turn down my hearing aids, because the sounds are too loud, like a loud cafe or whatever. Anyway, I agree it makes sense that headphones in the ear are risky, but I just can't help but think low volume should be fine. I mean I'm currently blasting away my ear drums with hearing aids, amplifying the world around me, and my T has remained the same. I guess since mine wasn't noise induced, that's why? Anyway, just don't get how they are any different. To me, they both throw sound at your ear drum an inch away. So why are audiologist telling me hearing aids are completely safe and these forums are saying headphones are bad?

 

I have T in my right ear. Can I listen throught my left ear, which has no T ?

 

Please read my post above, where I say hearing aids and white noise generators are different from headphones. Headphones use a diaphragm or speaker to deliever sound which produce airwaves. As far as I'm aware hearing aids and white noise generators do not use diaphragms. They deliver sound via a small opening aperture and therefore, these airwaves are not present.

My advice is for people that have tinnitus which was originally caused by "loud noise" exposure. When a person's ear has been affected in this way, the internal organ: the cochlea is more sensitive to sound. My advice is based on personal experience and corresponding with many people affected by tinnitus caused by "loud noise". This has also involved counselling people with noise induced tinnitus. It must be said that not everyone with noise induced tinnitus, will be adversely affected by headphone use but there is a risk of the tinnitus being made worse every time they use them in my opinion. Just peruse some of the posts in this forum, from members with "noise induced" tinnitus that returned to using headphones after they have habituated and now regret it.

The choice is entirely up to you whatever you decide to do. However, one more piece of advice I'm going to give you. If your tinnitus should become worse when using headphones. Those same people that are telling you headphones are safe as long as the volume is kept low, will not be able to help you, when your kept awake at night because of the distress your tinnitus is giving you.

I wish you well.
Michael

 

My advice is based on tinnitus when it was caused by "exposure to loud noise". It doesn't matter whether the tinnitus is in one ear or two, because the tinnitus signal is generated in the brain having been first sent there by the ear along the auditory nerve. If your tinnitus was caused by "exposure to loud noise" then I advise you not to use headphones even in one ear or at low volume.

Take care
Michael

 

I rarely use headphones or my ipod since i got tinnitus, even thought it faded lower from it's original volume. I still had a very mild variation of painful hyperacusis in my right ear.

I'm hoping hearing restoration is possible in the near future 5-10 years so I can use headphones again without risking it. http://frequencytx.com/ if not I'm probably gonna end it all. I live in a small apartment not a house where I can listen to all my favorite music on hi fi system. neighbors will complain if you listen to music loudly obviously. I can't exercise the way i use too without music and my ipod, not to mention my right ear smears high pitch noises, and both ears have mild issues detecting speech in background noise. Yet my audiogram says perfect!

 

Since your tinnitus was caused by headphones the same as me 22 years ago. If you leave it 30 years and return to headphone use then you risk making your tinnitus worse. It can return with a vengeance that you would not believe is possible.

Just two weeks ago, someone from this forum telephoned me who originally got tinnitus due to headphone use. This person had habituated for 6 years and hardly ever heard the tinnitus. This person joined the gym and started using headphones keeping the volume low. Within a few days the tinnitus returned as if it has never gone away and now this person is in immense distress.

If a person with noise induced tinnitus is not aware of the risk of headphone use, then that is fair enough. However, everything that I have said on this thread and others on this forum for the last 4 years, regarding "noise induced" tinnitus and headphones. If a person that has NIT still goes and uses headphones having read what I've written and what others say about headphones being dangerous for people with NIT, then they cannot be surprised if things go badly for them.

Michael

 

All sound is airwaves.

 

Indeed it is. Sound waves from a large diaphragm or speaker in a headphone is different coming from a small opening or aperture in a hearing aid or white noise generator. You are trying to be clever and not being very good about it.

I notice that you got tinnitus from headphones. Carry on using them and if your tinnitus gets worse then you know what caused it.

Michael

 

I see that now you know how I feel, Michael.

 

Yes, you are indeed quite likely to be lacking awareness, as hearing aids do also create airwaves (that is the very definition of sound). For your reference, here is a picture of a typical BTE (behind the ear) hearing aid:


Pay particularly attention to box #4 and its name: "loudspeaker". It functions with the exact same principles as the speakers found in headphones, as well as speakers found in tower speakers or HiFi speakers.

Note that as far as the ear drum is concerned, an airwave is an airwave, irrespective of the technology that created it.

 

I do Bill but I have reservations about some of your beliefs and will leave it at that.....

Thanks for your trophies
Michael

 

you quoted me out of context.

 

Sorry for quoting you out of context.

As long as you never use headphones again @Contrast then I will know that you have seen the light and in time you will do well.

All the best
Michel

 

Sick burn dude. So you do know it's airwaves then. Maybe choose your words more wisely. It wouldn't hurt to use the scientific method either.

 

@sirhand

When you address me in future, please do not refer to me as "dude" or in this instance, Sick burn dude. Please address me as Sir or use my name: Michael or Mr Leigh. That is, if you want me to reply to you.

Please be aware scientific evidence or method as you aptly say has very little to do with understanding tinnitus or how it affects a person. I will admit I'm not a scientific person but do have a lot of experience with tinnitus just as many other members in this forum.

All the best
Michael

 

I wonder if these are the older hearing aids, because mine certainly don't have a speaker where your #4 is. To Michael's point, they are just hollow tubes. I understand what he is saying now. Most hearing aids project the sound further away from your ear drum.

 

I would never use headphones again. This suffering is not worth it. I can listen to my classical music on my laptop.

 

I agree entirely @dpdx classical music is the most beautiful music in the world and I'm not going to say in my opinion. It is the most beautiful music. If you really want to appreciate it to the full, then listen to it on a good quality HI-FI system, as I and many people do.

Take care
Michael

 

(1) Heavy (but not loud) use of in-ear Etymotic earphones for 12 years - no tinnitus increase.
(2) Occasional use (though extensive use on a few long flights, including while sleeping) of corded Bose noise canceling headphones from about 2014-17 - no tinnitus increase.
(3) Frequent (but not extensive) use of wireless Bose noise canceling headphones for a few weeks (late February into March 2018) - perceived tinnitus increase.

Those who think that headphones and/or earphones cause or exacerbate tinnitus, your conclusion in my case is what? That in-ear Etymotic earphones don't cause or exacerbate tinnitus? That corded and wireless noise canceling technologies are different when it comes to tinnitus? That I might have used the wireless headphones just enough more to cause my tinnitus problem? That I'm just older? That there is no particular answer . . . it is what it is because everyone is different and different circumstances cause different unexplainable reactions?

I'm not trying to be argumentative, just curious which might be the case. I don't see there being a right or wrong answer here. But I would think that if earphones/headphones were problematic for me, I would have experienced tinnitus issues long ago.

 

In my opinion, ears couldn't care less weather sound is coming from a drum, speaker, tv or headphones. If a noise is too loud it's too loud. It could even make your t worse. But in my opinion headphones aren't a problem if used appropriately. Of course this debate will go on forever on this forum. And some will disagree. Also we are all different and so are our ears and tinnitus. But I use headphones all day at work, have used them on a and, and basically have them on when ever cycling or walking which is everyday. Never had a spike and no increase in t.
However if someone uses them and they are confident they have caused an increase or spike in t, then dont use them again!

 

@John Smythe

Please read all my posts on headphone use and tinnitus. I state in every post that my advice is for people whose tinnitus was orginally caused by "Noise exposure" or Loud noise exposure. Some people with Noise induced tinnitus are not affected by headphone use and this is very true. However, many are.

On your profile you state: Cause of tinnitus unknown.

Michael