Worried About Hearing Damage After Brief Chainsaw Exposure at 12 Meters While Passing By

[Micheal2025]

Hello everyone, I need some help. About two weeks ago, I was outside riding a golf cart for a few seconds when I heard a chainsaw to my right, across the street, about 12 meters away. I was exposed for a brief moment, then quickly plugged my ears with my fingers by pressing the small ear flaps next to the ear canal.

On the map, the red square shows the source of the chainsaw, and the white circle shows where I was passing by while it was operating for a few seconds.

Will this short exposure to the chainsaw at that distance damage my hearing without protection?

 

[Sonia554]

Highly unlikely, especially in an open space and only for a few seconds. Did you experience any effects after the exposure? If not, it's time to stop worrying about it.

I've only been on these boards a short time, but one thing that stands out to me is the high level of anxiety many posters have around everyday sounds. I wonder if that hypervigilance is a big reason some people don't get better. Part of rebalancing and overcoming tinnitus and hyperacusis is managing stress responses to sound.

You may be unintentionally teaching your brain that sound isn't safe, which could actually create a spike or prolong recovery through the stress response. I developed tinnitus from a loud noise exposure in January, and since then I've been around leaf blowers, chainsaws, construction vehicles, tornado siren testing, loud car engines, and screaming children. None of those exposures caused a new spike. Our ears and brains can handle loud sounds as long as the exposure isn't extended or explosively loud.

But if you overreact, your nervous system interprets the sound as dangerous and tries to protect you. These exposures are going to happen. The best thing to do is leave the area as quickly as possible, then remind yourself that you're safe and shift your focus to other thoughts. Don't ruminate.

 

[Micheal2025]

I've noticed that every time I'm exposed to loud sounds, which isn't very often, I try to talk but my ears get fatigued from the vibrations of my voice. My ears hurt for a while and force me to stop talking. It usually takes me at least a few weeks to recover.

Does anyone else experience this?