Wanting to Go Clubbing — Scared of Damaging My Ears More!

Hi All!

I hope you’re all well and still keeping positive! As I know how hard it can be. I’m officially 4 months into having tinnitus! I am due a night out with the girls but I’m honestly petrified to even go as I’m scared I will damage my ears and make my tinnitus worse!

I try not to let tinnitus take over my life but obviously it can be hard when you hear these horror stories of people’s getting worse after loud exposure to noise!

Does anyone go clubbing and don’t have any problems?
Let me know!

Emily-May x

- No negativity please as that’s not my vibe x

 

Loud sounds/noises are known to hurt your hearing and be causes for tinnitus. They are also known to be present in clubs.

I think you already know the answer to your question... we can't predict how loud it's going to be, whether or not you'll be wearing hearing protection, how well it will protect you, and how long you're going to stay there for. All of this impacts the outcome, so unfortunately you're the only one who can decide if it's worth it to you.

Good luck!

 

Why risk it?

 

Thank you for getting back to me! I’m more than likely not to go as I’ve turned away a lot of nights out because I know that it’s a risk I’m still not ready to take! It can be difficult as being a 20 year old it’s what I did a lot before I got tinnitus. I know not many people like partying but unfortunately I enjoyed it a lot at one point. I still go cinema and pubs without no problem but still haven’t took the risk of going out clubbing!

 

I wouldn't chance it.
Ask yourself, if couple hours of fun at the night club is worth a potential lifetime of brutal, 24/7 torture.

 

You go to pubs and cinemas without earplugs??? Do you spike at least an hour or so???

 

It is good to be positive but you must also be realistic. If your tinnitus was originally caused by "exposure" to loud noise, then I advise you to be very careful of going to clubs so soon. Even after a 6 to 12 month habituation period where one's tinnitus might be relatively low, it can still spike and this can lead to an increase in intensity if one is exposed to high levels of sound for too long. Although earplugs offer some protection they are by no means completely safe. The reason being, if external sound is loud enough, it will pass through your head and be transferred to your inner ear by "bone conduction". This can spike and possibly increase the tinnitus to a new permanent level.

I am not being negative but advising you that tinnitus must not be taken lightly. One can still go out to a club, concert and have a good time. However, they need to careful. The truth of the matter is this: Loud noise and tinnitus to do not go well together. Please click on the links below and read my articles on tinnitus. They are by no means negative, but if you want to know the truth then I suggest you read them.

I wish you well.
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-earplugs-and-nightclubs.18059/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

It does not say of your tinnitus was originally noise induced, which would place you at higher risk for further noise damage. Also, did you get an audiogram and have any hearing loss? Did they test you at higher frequencies where it can show up earlier?

Basically if your tinnitus is healing, I would give it more time to heal, and not expose it to loud sounds like a night club, even with earplugs at this point.

Also, be careful with other loud places, including the gym, subway, restaurants, pubs and cinema. Avoid those that you reasonably can, and wear adequate protection for the rest.

Look around these boards, and accept that once you have tinnitus, it has a lot of potential to get worse. However, this is a problem that needs to be managed, and has potential to improve in less severe cases.

 

One of the biggest regrets in my life was that I got my T from a club. This was made more ironic after years of wearing hearing protection to concerts than disregarding them at a club. If only I didn't go that night or was sick or something would have stopped me from going. Ugh!

Not only should you wear hearing protection if you are to go but do one more thing. Download a loudness app on your phone and check it at the club. There are easy to use and could save your hearing.

 

Yes, many do. They end up with good memories of a couple of hours of fun. Some go clubbing and then end up with a lifetime of torture and regret. There is only one way to find out which type you happen to be.

 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/joycecohen/noise-kills-when-everyday-sound-becomes-torture

 

Hi Emily,
Hope you're doing fine. Take a pass on the club. Be nice to your ears and let them rest for the next 8 months. Once you're feeling confident and strong, you can try with plugs. Listen to everybody's advice, nobody is being negative, just looking out for you. We need to compromise in life sometimes... that’s not a bad thing.

Take care and do the right thing...

 

I wouldn't even step near a night club, even with plugs.

 

Same here bro... 100 percent. Movies are a no go for me as well.
Everybody has different thresholds, was just trying to be nice.
I’ll forget the niceties next time around.

 

No I don’t have any spikes whatsoever it always stays the same level and only ever hear my T is at night when I’m trying to sleep but even that doesn’t me anymore!

 

At night try using "sound enrichment" by placing a sound machine by your bedside. The idea isn't to help you sleep but to supply sound enrichment to your brain and auditory system. The brain is always active even while we sleep. If it hears silence, it has the ability to increase it's background activity and in the process the tinnitus will increase too. This will make it more intrusive during waking hours.

Sound enrichment is explained in my detail in the link that I have given you: Tinnitus, A Personal View.

Michael.

PS: It takes at least 8 weeks to get used to sound enrichment so give it time. Keep the sound below your tinnitus and not to mask or cover it up. It should be at a level where you can comfortably ignore it.

 

Hi Emily. It must be really tough being 20 and having this because obviously your friends want to do stuff like clubbing. Easier in your 30s in that sense. I know it's a downer but I feel I have to say - my partner got tinnitus when he was 18 from listening to loud music through headphones................then he thinks it went away for a few years, and came back when he was about 20 after visiting loud clubs.

He didn't wear headphones though. If you do go, make sure you get the best headphones you possibly can. But unless it's gonna really spoil your friendships, I'd maybe avoid it. At least for the 1st year.

 

It depends on the nightclub. Some are 80-ish db loud. With plugs this is OK for most of us.

Hello Emily, I know it's hard to turn down those kind of events. I also had tinnitus at a young age (onset at 19). I went to some nightclubs in the early years of my tinnitus, with plugs. Although it did not change anything for me fortunately, I think these were bad decisions.

I became more careful with time and I prefer to totally avoid it now. Some nightclubs can be very loud (generally you can't really tell before you're inside so you can be kind of trapped in those venues...) and I believe going there would be a risky behaviour. A risk that is not worth taking from my point of view. Plus, I don't know if you drink, but you are more vulnerable to damage when your blood is full of alcohol.
And honestly, I do not really miss that. It's hard to really have fun and relax when you worry about the sound level anyway.

 

Just dont.

 

When you get tinnitus, you will have to do some life adjustments.
In your case, just avoid night clubs, stick to lounges and bars, since they dont spike your tinnitus
its a small life adjustent in your case, not huge as some tinnitus people cant even tolerate traffic noise.

 

Not gonna tell you what to do, because I love music to damn much.

However... I did alot of stupid stuff when I was 20 (not saying that you are though), and knowing what I know now, I sure hope they'll never invent the timemachine, because I'd go back in time and woop.my.ass! Smash my face in hard. Those nights out were not worth this daily struggle. I'd give alot for an hour or two of total silence.

 

@EmilyHart Only 20. Do you have hearing loss? You'll have many years of accidentally expose your ears to noise trauma and drug ototoxicity skip the clubs.

 

I really do feel sorry for those starting their social journeys when most of us on this forum is coming to end of theirs. There is temptation from peers and must be difficult to decline invitations and be left out. Don’t think many would understand the impact tinnitus has on our daily life’s

Yes rest your ears during the initial stages.Nightclubs are worst for your ears. Low ceilings, sound bouncing off walls, dodgy speakers and speakers all around.

If you have to go then big room events or festivals preferably outside would be better but taking precautions stay at the back, decent ear plugs and take regularly breaks. Also don’t go regularly

 

Don't think you mean headphones, but rather ear muffs.

 

Many don't have any problems if appropriate measures are taken, though unfortunately some have taken these measures and haven't been as lucky.

At 20 years old you will realistically find yourself in a club at some point so:

• Get some decent musicians earplugs (protecting your hearing is cool / popular now at events, especially in mainland Europe)
• Don't stand near the speakers
• Try and limit yourself to a few hours and take lots of breaks
• Take some NAC or similar before and after the event
• If you think it's too loud, it probably is - LEAVE!

 

Go, go, go, go go, go, go, shawty
It's your birthday
We gon' party like it's yo birthday
We gon' sip Bacardi like it's your birthday
And you know we don't give a fuck
It's not your birthday!

50 Cent - In Da Club (Int'l Version)...

 

Indeed.

 

Have you still never been to a club? If you have, how did it go?