Very Light Tinnitus Case — Are Noise-Cancelling Headphones Still a No-Go?

Hi all,

I am quite new to this forum but I’ve read a lot of threads and I’ve seen people warn others that using Active Noise-Cancelling (ANC) headphones can be harmful to people with tinnitus. I apologise if these questions have been asked before.

The question is: are ANC headphones known to actually cause tinnitus (or worsen very mild tinnitus)? I have used the Apple AirPods Pro Max for 6 weeks daily and I haven’t noticed anything yet. My reasoning was that in crowded areas, by using ANC I could keep the volume low and protect my ears. When reading ANC can cause tinnitus, I was quite surprised.

I have a very mild case of tinnitus. It’s a continuous tone in the 12-13 kHz frequency range (I used the Szynalski online tone generator). I’m 53 and I can’t hear anything that’s over 14 kHz. The tone I hear is not loud and, when I concentrate for work, I’m not aware of it. For the last year or so I notice that I have grown sensitive to noises that my environment (wife and teenage children) call normal, such as kitchen noise (plates going in/out dishwasher, glasses hitting tables, etc) or a loud TV. Our new dog (dachshund) barking is way more than my unprotected ears can handle. I tend to wear foam earplugs more often these days.

Since I hear this tone (6 years ago), I have restrained myself from listening to even medium loud music and avoided headphones. But at a cost, because music enriches my life.

I have no recollection of any loud events that could have started this tone, although I have been to concerts unprotected when I was a teenager, but after those occasions a solid 25 years have gone by without hearing this tone.

I am a music lover but for the last 15 years at least I have been very aware of the ear damage risks, even though I didn’t have any issues at the time. During those 15 years I have always taken protection such as earmuffs or earplugs. I have been to around 4 concerts during this time, every time with protection.

I do notice that when it’s quiet (I hear my tone) and I start listening to music through headphones, the tone gets more noticeable instantly, then when I put the headphones away, it always gets back to the base level, sooner or later.

When I’m in the shower or when I make sudden bows, my tone sometimes transforms into a cricket (animal) sound for about 10-15 seconds, then the crickets stop chirping and I get my base tone back.

Well that’s about it. I hope someone can share any relevant information regarding this topic.

Peter

 

From my experience, I purchased top of the line noise-canceling headphones to drown out office noise. I wore them for 2 days at the office; they worked great to reduce that office background noise, but I realized they exacerbated my tinnitus. If I were you, I wouldn't listen to headphones or purchase noise-canceling headphones - just not worth it.

 

So you do hear your tinnitus in the shower? Seems pretty loud to me?

 

Were you playing music or just utilising noise cancelation?

 

This sounds like reactive tinnitus to me. A component of my tinnitus is like this. It reacts to external sounds, then settles back down when those external sounds stop.

 

I just bought Sony noise-canceling headphones and they work well for me.

I have only tried them for 2 days and the plus is I can listen to white noise at the same time as I use the noise-canceling feature or the other settings.

 

No, certainly not. I meant shower room = bathroom. I just mentioned this because it's a place where I tend to move my head around up and down (before and after the actual shower) by drying my feet, collecting towels from the floor etc. Or maybe it's just that that's where I found myself when I heard the crickets. Come to think of it, a bathroom is a confined space with sound reflective walls, maybe that has something to do with it, I don't know.

 

Music with noise cancellation.

 

Like the OP, I tend to hear sounds at higher volumes than most people. But there is noise, and then there is sound. To me, a waterfall is sound and pleasant, while other noises that are at the same decibel level put me on edge. If I'm on edge, my tinnitus is louder, or at least my awareness of it is more acute.

It's probably safe to try noise-cancelling headphones for a very short period of time and note how it goes. For myself, completely covering my ears w/ anything is a no no.

Some headphones are vented, those may be better.

 

Yeah ok, it would be the music that is affecting you, not the noise cancelling IMO. So it can still be used to reduce noise only.

 

Nope, it was the headphones with noise cancellation. I could listen to music with the noise cancellation off and my tinnitus was unaffected (low volume setting each time).

You can always buy a pair and give it a go; nothing to lose but a bit of cash and exacerbated tinnitus.

 

Thank you for telling me this. I did a hearing test last week and next Monday I'll speak to a doctor to tell me the results.

 

Well this really is the key question: as long as trying headphones doesn't affect the tinnitus, it's harmless. But if it does, it feels like there's no going to back to what it was before. That is the scary part.

 

This is what I used to think. And I have no evidence to negate it, but when I explained to my 14 y/o kid how ANC works (mirrored anti phase counter waves) and when I also said that some people say their tinnitus got worse after using ANC headphones, she immediately said "but daddy, that makes sense as your ears now get double the noise".

Explaining the anti phase aspect was a bridge too far for her, but what if the anti phase isn't quite completely anti phase? What if the tech works unreliably and our ears are exposed to more than we notice?

With ANC on, I did experience a sensation that seemed like some sort of pressure on my ears that seemed odd, especially as my surroundings got so silent.

I hope this doctor can shed some light on the matter, but I don't think he can actually. Well, we'll see.

 

I've used them for 7 years. There's nothing scientific suggesting that could happen specifically from ANC. But doesn't mean there's not some unknown effect.

Do you have any theory as to what could cause that? Or anything you've read that reinforces that?

Do you have the same effect with ONLY ANC on and no sound?

 

I went to the doctor and his diagnosis is tinnitus + hyperacusis. I told him that:

• For the last six years I have kept from listening to Hi-Fi sets or headphones because I was afraid to make my tinnitus tone worse/louder.
• I tend to use foam plugs for the last 6 months to protect my ears in noisy environments. My home qualifies as such with a dachshund's bark and three teenage girls that explore their voices' limits.

His advice is to:

• Stop wearing ear protection in normal environments, even in my home. He explained it's like putting someone in a dark room for some time and then suddenly switch on bright light: it will hurt their eyes and it works similarly with ears.
• Stop overthinking the harsh noise, just expose my ears to the routine of daily life and the hyperacusis will get better.
• Go back to and enjoy music again, not too loud as he would also advise people with healthy ears
• He confirmed that my tone can appear stronger when listening to music "as it will draw more attention to my hearing". I already said that, so far, my tone always returns to the base level when I wake up the next day, or even hours or minutes after putting my music away. He said this is to be expected.

When I brought up the potential risk of using ANC headphones, despite me stating my theory that blocking environmental noise could help me keep the volume down, he thought I was using them to protect my ears in noisy environments, akin to foam plugs. Maybe my initial explanation was inarticulate or he jumped to a conclusion as he may have seen too many cases where people use ANC headphones for ear protection, I don't know.

After explaining again and more thoroughly, he grasped my theory and immediately dismissed the potential risk of increasing my tinnitus by ANC alone. It's a reasonably sized hospital and he and all of his colleagues had never seen such cases and they certainly didn't have a FAQ or general warning about ANC headphones.

So... do I take his word for it? The prospect of getting back to enjoying music again makes me want to. Fiercely. However, I am the kind of person that prefers to stay on the safe side everywhere and to overthink things. Things like health, but I also overthink the purchase of a new car, computer or even a tooth brush. My children must be "girls with kaleidoscope eyes" by now. By doing so, I am certain to have avoided many mistakes, but it has cost me a lot of time.

Anyway, here it is. I am still auditioning some ANC headphones but I haven't pulled the trigger on one yet.

 

Here is my experience. I bought a pair, wore them for two days and they exacerbated my tinnitus. Stopped wearing them and tinnitus returned to baseline. Sold them.

 

You are unlikely to get a definitive answer on this question as it could go either way. It may all help and not only reduce your hyperacusis but settle your reactive tinnitus too.

However, it may also make your tinnitus louder or even add further tones.

It is standard treatment for a doctor/ENT/audiologist to tell you to "open up, stop worrying and listen to everyday sounds." Have you ever heard of a case where someone was instructed to be cautious and use earplugs for the time being? No, it is just not in their vocabulary!

With three female children who can shriek at loud frequencies and a barking dog, likely 90 dB plus, I can see why you have been cautious by wearing earplugs.

My suggestion would be to take an intermediate step and get custom fitted musician's earplugs made. That way, you can try a 18 dB noise reduction (rather than 28 dB reduction with foam earplugs) and see how that goes.

This would certainly reduce the risk of your tinnitus getting worse while at the same time still getting decent sound quality.

 

First, I am very glad for you that your tinnitus went down to what it was before you tried the active noise-canceling headphones. Your experience could pose a red flag for my aims to get back to enjoying music again. On the other hand, maybe your ears react differently than mine. I have used my pair of AirPods Max for a month without issues. Just very hard to find a good bearing.

 

Thanks!

You are right, it wasn't, at least not initially. But then I suggested I could take the middle road and wear "half" foam earplugs. I use stock ⅔ inch yellow foam earplugs that I also cut in half sometimes when I just want to take the sharp edges off the family sound experience. The doctor then said that could be a "transitional step worth trying" but just that: temporary measure but eventually take away all protection.

Actually I took the plunge and did as the doctor ordered. Done it for a week and my hyperacusis is a lot better now. Let's see how it goes from here...

That is a great suggestion, thanks. Are you also saying I could or should listen to headphones or Hi-Fi sets while wearing those?

Peter

 

I know everyone’s tinnitus is different, but my experience is to 100% not go anywhere near noise-cancelling headphones. I own a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4’s and will not be using them again.

I wore them at our newly refurbished gym 10 days ago - their new music system must have been around (I’m estimating) 80-83 dB depending on where you stood in the gym – quieter than your average pub/bar. It was not overly loud, and I don’t think would normally cause a tinnitus spike.

I used the headphones in noise-cancelling mode and listened to an audiobook on low volume, as I have done a couple of dozen times before. The difference here was the headphones needed to work harder to block the outside sound. They appeared to do this well. I could still hear the external music, but it was quiet. Protecting my ears, I thought.

I left 45 minutes later. I could hear the increased tinnitus straight away, which got louder over the coming days.

I’ve had lots of reactive tinnitus over the last 20 years, i.e. unexpected sound exposure that has caused a temporary spike, but which has then resolved itself over the following 7 days or so.

This latest spike has shown no signs of diminishing so far. If anything, it has increased in volume and it also feels painful – which I don’t normally get.

I understand in a perfect world with perfect science how noise-cancelling headphones should completely cancel the incoming sound, with no additional pressure in the ears. But it’s not perfect science. Lots of areas for errors to creep in, mechanical and digital. Perhaps there are very short timing anomalies that cause issues we can’t hear. Perhaps ultrasonic harmonic sounds are added that we can’t hear, but which can damage the ears.

Whatever it is, if anyone is thinking about using noise-cancelling headphones – certainly in noisy environments, I would say it’s just not worth the risk. You may be fine, you may not. But if you’re in a noisy environment, I’d recommend you just stick to regular ear plugs to protect your ears.

 

Those active noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds do not provide 100% noise cancellation, and in fact, they are not even consistent across the frequency spectrum.

Where I have used them effectively is when riding as a passenger in a car for a longer drive. I find that if I put some good foam earplugs well inserted into my ears, that cancels a lot of the /ow/mid/upper frequency noises, and the noise-cancelling headphones (ANC enabled, no audio input) bring down the lower frequencies significantly more, so combined, I can barely hear any sound from the car except when hitting bumps/cracks in the road. It hasn't been often over the last year, but no change in tinnitus even in the short term.

 

I don't like your doctor's analogy using light and dark. Visual is not audio, and I don't think it works at all like that. If you already have tinnitus and hyperacusis, then you want to keep all volumes as low as necessary, and that includes music. Music means a lot to me too, but not letting my tinnitus get worse means a lot more.

Keep in mind that most people's experience is that our tinnitus will go up and down, even if we can't pinpoint why. But nearly all of us have had it go up when exposed to loud noises. As far as I know, as it stands today, tinnitus is permanent and untreatable. There are always exceptions, but by and large this is our reality.

It tends to get worse as we age too, since aging is associated w/ hearing loss, and the worse our hearing is, the worse the tinnitus will seem to be because it gets harder to mask w/ sound. I can still appreciate music at low to moderate volumes, but prolonged exposure and sudden exposure are best avoided.

 

Dear @Gav,

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. From your story I understand that you used the noise-cancelling technology for "low level listening" (in order to protect your hearing / tinnitus) in noisy environments. I am very sorry to hear that this has caused so severe problems.

I also understand and highly appreciate that you share this to help other people, such as myself. And I must say it really adds to my considerations. I am still in doubt as to what I should do.

1. My tinnitus

Unlike many here, I am in a luxury position where my tinnitus is not severe. I notice the high-frequency tone all the time when I think about it, but when I focus my attention to anything else, it doesn’t bother me intensely. I don’t get up and go to sleep with a tinnitus problem.

My doctor said his tests officially show that I have a mild tinnitus case and he rejected my attempts to wear ear protection in normal everyday environments, even at home in loud scenes where my teenage kids shout at each other or the dog is barking in close proximity. So far, this has actually led to an increase of noise tolerance, i.e. when I open up and expose my hearing to those sounds, after a few days they appear less intrusive. I also haven’t noticed any tinnitus exacerbation. So far, so good.

I do carry stock foam earplugs around in jackets, trousers and bags just so that I have some at hand when I suddenly face a loud, noisy situation such as a party with loud talk or even loud music.

- - - - TL;DR 1 - - - -
To make a long story short, tinnitus doesn’t really rule my life and I don’t need noise-cancelling for day to day ear protection in venues that I regularly visit, I carry foam earplugs for emergencies.

2. Music

I was born an audiophile so I will always be an audiophile. Tough decisions when an audiophile gets tinnitus. I acknowledge that I listened to loud music in the 80s and 90s when I was young (some concerts, all without earplugs) and headphones. My mother was very concerned about those, she thought it could result in hearing damage, and her continuous warnings drove me nuts. So I suppose I have been doing the wrong things for a while.
However, in the last two decades I have been very careful. And it was just around 7-8 years ago that my tinnitus started. But I also want to enjoy the good things in life and in my case that involves music.

- - - - TL;DR 2 - - - -
Listening to music as an audiophile involves turning the volume up to at least medium levels. The great debate in my head is that I want to combine my love for music listening with care for my hearing. It’s a balancing act which involves taking a risk.

3. Headphones

Over the Xmas holidays, I got to use an Apple AirPods Max (full size headphones with ANC) for 7 weeks. I used it almost daily and tried to keep ANC off whenever I didn’t need it. I only turned it on while on the commuter train or sometimes at home when I was in a shared space and needed to focus on work. My tinnitus experience hasn’t changed a bit. Maybe I’ve just been very careful, maybe I’ve been lucky.

I returned the Apple AirPods Max because I didn’t find the sound quality enough audiophile while still at premium cost. At this point I am considering a more expensive set that can play wireless and wired, the latter will provide a better musical experience, without ANC.

My objective is to only use ANC when on the train (2x 25 minutes two times a week) and use it wired otherwise. Then keep a close monitor on how my tinnitus develops.

- - - - TL;DR 3 - - - -
Considering a different set (T+A solitaire T) with wireless and wired options, also ANC, but going to use the latter as little as possible. Obviously the biggest challenge will be to choose playing volume wisely, ANC on and off.

Thanks for that. I think I may have overreacted a bit walking around the living room with protection (foam earplugs, et. al.) just in case the dog would bark. I dropped wearing the earplugs at home and my ears are now exposed to normal family noise. The hyperacusis symptoms are less now: I don’t feel pain in my ears anymore when the dog barks. So it would seem that more exposure lowered my sensitivity. Maybe my hyperacusis is mild though. I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing following his advice.

Yes, this is the balancing act that I mentioned. I believe that for the past couple of years I have been overcautious. And my tinnitus has been low and stable. Lately I have started to wonder if I have some leeway to enjoy life (music) more. There is only one life to live and it’s not much fun living in a cave, music wise.

My original thought was the same as many here: if ANC blocks out background noise, I don’t need to raise the music volume as much to compensate for the noise. However, it seems that however brilliant the ANC principle may be, its implementation could be less so, even posing a threat to our ears.

My teenage daughters want to buy earbuds as most contemporary folk have them. In theory, ANC earbuds like the Apple AirPods Pro should provide some protection against playing too loudly while out in the streets or in school hallways, but I honestly don’t know what to recommend to them based on what’s shared on this board.