Worse Tinnitus After Going to Nightclub

Hi all,

So I turned 21 at the end of last month and went to a nightclub with my friends on the 9th of this month to celebrate. Long story short, it was insanely loud inside the club. Not only was there a DJ, but they were blasting cold air every so often which was super loud.

I have had tinnitus for quite some time but, before this, I was finally able to adjust to it and learn to study and sleep with it. Now, however, there is a very loud ringing in my left ear that definitely wasn’t there before. I think the only thing that could’ve caused it was the noise exposure while in the club (and I was there for about 4 hours).

I’m hoping that this is a temporary spike, but I feel like it’s getting worse. I have been able to lay down after school and nap for the past couple of days, but as I am laying in bed now it’s just super loud and much worse than I had thought. It’s also medium-pitched, which kind of makes it harder to ignore. Now I am having all kinds of anxiety and dread that this is going to be a permanent thing that I won’t be able to get used to, and that I’ll have to go through countless months of sleep deprivation, anxiety, and inability to focus in school and study because of it.

I guess I’m just seeking reassurance that this is temporary and will go away. I have dealt with tinnitus spikes before but certainly nothing this bad. I just wish I could be normal and go out with my friends and have fun, especially since I just turned 21, but I can’t because of my ears

 

You realise that having tinnitus means we sufferers have to be careful about levels of sound we expose our ears to - more so than people who don't have tinnitus? I mean - diabetics need to take care with sugar - people with IBS need to watch what they eat.
I went into a nightclub in my 20s and came out with ringing ears. This ringing had vanished when I woke in the morning but it did scare me enough to avoid night clubs in the future. I got tinnitus at 57 and am super careful about noise.

I don't know if your condition will improve - you are young and hopefully it is just a temporary spike. Obviously take care with your ears in future and I suppose you should probably for now go to see an ENT and also use this board for tips on things to try to manage your tinnitus.

 

I’m so sorry this is happening to you. Having tinnitus does make life a lot more difficult in terms of choosing what you can and cannot do. I do think you have a very good shot of recovering. Most important thing right now is rest your ears. Do not go to any clubs, cinema etc. Anywhere where music / sound is loud.

I am meticulous about taking care of my ears and I made a terrible mistake last week by going to a concert to celebrate my son’s 18th birthday. I had planned to use double ear protection but due to the percussion, I knew that I was going to suffer bone conduction hearing loss as I could feel it in my bones. So I had to remove my over the ear defenders and rely solely on the my custom earplugs, which have 30+ dB rating. The show was relatively short. Like an hour and a half. It was also outdoors. Decibel meter didn’t have it rocking over 100 dB. It basically ran between mid to high 70s to low 90s. I tried to take breaks but it was an outdoor venue so there really weren’t many places to go to get away from the noise. Anyway, my point is that I had what I thought was a very good plan. And then it didn’t work out the way that I had planned.

And now I’m here praying the same thing that you’re praying for, although I’m 56 not 21. I strongly suspect, given your youth, that you will recover.

I first developed tinnitus after a loud concert during which I wore no ear protection seven years ago. Thankfully it was in the lower to mid range so I could mask it. What I have now is high-pitched and there’s no masking it. Fortunately over a period of about two years it dissipated completely. And I was tinnitus free. And ever since I got tinnitus in 2015, I have meticulously protected my ears. So I offer you that to let you know that it can happen. I also suffered some hearing loss in my left ear two years ago due to a virus and it eventually recovered and my tinnitus associated with it resolved. So it does happen. It’s happened for me twice. I’ve had fluctuating bilateral tinnitus over the last two years. I suspect it’s related to high frequency hearing loss they don’t measure on an audiogram. However, I would go through periods where it was really good like months where I barely noticed it and then I would have times when and it was worse. Hoping mine will at least go back to baseline. That’s all I can hope for, but my left ear has been consistently ringing and that is unusual.

I can tell you that prior to the resolution of my tinnitus I did habituate both times and if for some reason yours doesn’t resolve, you will habituate too. But it takes time.

I think it’s very important that you get in to see an ENT as soon as possible and get your hearing checked. Also, take NAC. People on here rave about it, particularly after an acoustic assault. It’s been a week out yet so I don’t know if steroids would benefit you but it’s probably worth asking an ENT. They usually don’t prescribe it unless you have measurable hearing loss, but it has to be started very soon after the event.

Lastly I would still invest in a really good set of custom earplugs. But don’t let that lull you into thinking that you are always protected. Because I was lulled into believing that and look where I am now? My plan for the concert was sanctioned by my ENT, who also have tinnitus herself. So even the professionals don’t know how anyone is going to be affected.

Good luck and hang in there.

 

Thank you so much for your response, I definitely feel better after reading this!

I am hoping that this just goes away or that I will be able to get used to it as I have before. I also am recovering from what I think was the flu and I do still have some congestion, so I’m not sure if that might be affecting it as well. I am trying to remain calm and not let my anxiety take over, but it’s becoming difficult, especially since I am not getting enough sleep.

I am so sorry that you are going through this, and that your ears were still affected even after taking the necessary precautions for your son’s party. I am no expert and definitely have less experience with tinnitus and hearing loss, but if you were able to fully recover (and if not, then at least habituate) before, then hopefully you will be able to again? I suppose all we can do is remain hopeful and maintain a positive attitude, even though it’s difficult.

 

Hi @Forever hopeful, can you please explain futher what this means - because of the percussion (drums?) you had to remove the ear defenders? I don't understand why. I am considering using double protection for a sport event soon. Thanks.

 

Yes. I had to remove my ear defenders because the percussion was going right through my bones literally. I have used the double ear protection method for other events. You’re probably fine at sporting event. I’ve been to Broadway plays and other events where it has worked perfectly for me. That is the only reason I even considered going to the concert. I think the difference is when I went to an amplified concert, the percussion just overwhelmed my entire body with the occlusion effect. I didn’t want to get bone conduction hearing loss. I regret greatly not leaving the concert. I thought my custom earplugs would be sufficient but they weren’t. I didn’t lose any hearing. I just had it tested, it is excellent but my tinnitus is worse. I will regret going to the concert til the day I die. My tinnitus is high-pitched. I hear it over everything. When I first got tinnitus, I had actually gone to an AC/DC concert without any ear protection. That tinnitus went away and was easy to mask. This is a whole other ball game.

 

Hi @Forever hopeful, thank you for explaining. That's shocking especially as the concert was outdoors. So sorry. Praying for you that it reduces. High-pitched tinnitus is the worst.

I may not attend this sporting event and get the person to sell my ticket online. it's not worth the risk.