Ringin/buzzing in ears

[audio amateur]

It's been 4 days and it hasn't gone away. I went clubbing friday night and forgot my ear plugs. The music was pretty loud and the highs sounded simply nasty. Anyway, i came out ears were ringing and sound was compressed. The ringing continued on saturday, at a lesser intensity, and so on up till today. I can only notice it when it's silent around, so i'm wondering if it's not normal. I seem to remember that in a silent atmosphere I couldn't hear a thing, but I'm having doubts. Either way I'm a little concerned.
Do you guys in general have a very slight buzz/ringing when you're in total silence or is there nothing at all?
If it ain't gone tomorrow I figure I should probably see someone about it. Is there anything I can do about it? Should I wait some more?

[Kevio]

Tinnitus

[GMichael]

You should make an appointment to have your ears checked. Better safe than sorry.

[TheHills44060]

i get that all the time after concerts...the longest it ever took to fully go away was a week after a Pantera/Slayer show. I really started to get worried because i couldn't use a phone for the first 2 days but eventually the ringing and buzzing subsided by the next week.

[Feanor]

...
Do you guys in general have a very slight buzz/ringing when you're in total silence or is there nothing at all?
If it ain't gone tomorrow I figure I should probably see someone about it. Is there anything I can do about it? Should I wait some more?

The condition is call "tinnitis" as Kevio mentioned. If caused by a single episode of loud ambient sound, it will probably go away in a more days. By all means consult your doctor but it's like he won't be able to do anything.

However the condition can also be permanent. I have had it continuously for 40 years or longer. It has very gradually worstened over that time. Originally I could hear a slight, high-pitched buzzing when in almost complete silence. Today I can hear it unless it is quite noisy around me. In my case it might possibly have been caused by shooting .22 rifle in an indoor range without ear protection over several years.

A condition like mine is incurable. The good news is that it doesn't much affect my ability to hear external sounds; it's just annoying at times.

[Kevio]

i get that all the time after concerts...the longest it ever took to fully go away was a week after a Pantera/Slayer show. I really started to get worried because i couldn't use a phone for the first 2 days but eventually the ringing and buzzing subsided by the next week.

Each time you do that, you're taking some of your hearing away.
Totally not worth it. Get some of these.

[kelsci]

Hopefully, it will go away after some time. I developed it in my right ear a few years back but I was in my 50s. As I am typing this reply I am hearing it right now. I read something recently that Willam Shatner and Lenord Nemoy are each plagued by it in one particular ear due to a loud noise mishap on a STAR TREK episode set during the 1960s; one has it in the left ear, the other in the right.

[audio amateur]

I'm starting to think this is how it's always been. It's ever so low now, I have to be in a relatively quiet area and think about it, so it's not bad. I don't know.. hopefully it'll subside a little more. There's probably not much that can be done anyways. I've learnt my lesson. I think my ears are more sensitive than others, my friends ringing subsided very quickly. Perhaps it's a question of habit.

Feanor, I'm sorry to hear that you have to live with it. I knew you had something of the sort. Is it not distracting when you're listening to quiet music? Also, I would've thought it would improve over the years..

Shodulik, as Kevio suggested, i'd be careful at those concerts. Chances are you're damaging your ears without any protection. I don't want to scare you but this is the type of stuff that leads to hearing aids when you're older, and who wants that.

[Feanor]

...
Feanor, I'm sorry to hear that you have to live with it. I knew you had something of the sort. Is it not distracting when you're listening to quiet music? Also, I would've thought it would improve over the years..
...

Yes, it can be slightly distracting but it really depends on my mood. If I'm interested in and enjoying the music, even at low levels, it becomes subconcious.

Unfortunately it has become gradually worse over the years, but I suspect it is still much less bad than for some people.

[bfalls]

According to Industrial OSHA training I took, exposure to 80+db for more than 30 minutes can cause potential permanent hearing damage. Tinnitus is one form with noticeable ringing.

I have a slight case of it myself. I hear a constant low level ringing when it's quiet. It isn't annoying yet, just noticeable. Mine is a result of working in several manufacturing facilities over the years. I was always careful and routinely used earplugs. I'm more into quality than quantity, so I know it wasn't caused by overly loud music or HT movie playback.

If the ringing hasn't gone within a few days, it probably won't. Your ears are forgiving to a point, but frequent or long sessions of exposure will result in permanent loss. I wish you luck.

[audio amateur]

According to Industrial OSHA training I took, exposure to 80+db for more than 30 minutes can cause potential permanent hearing damage. Tinnitus is one form with noticeable ringing.

I have a slight case of it myself. I hear a constant low level ringing when it's quiet. It isn't annoying yet, just noticeable. Mine is a result of working in several manufacturing facilities over the years. I was always careful and routinely used earplugs. I'm more into quality than quantity, so I know it wasn't caused by overly loud music or HT movie playback.

If the ringing hasn't gone within a few days, it probably won't. Your ears are forgiving to a point, but frequent or long sessions of exposure will result in permanent loss. I wish you luck.

That seems a little over the top. In my acoustics class, I was told 8 hours+ exposure to 90dB could be harmful. Either way, long exposure to loud sounds isn't good.

It has subsided quite a bit to the point where can't really call it 'ringing'. It's not drawing my attention most of the time so I'm not too worried anymore. Thanks

[f0rge]

personally i've never had longer than a day or 2 after a really loud concert/club.

either way i'm going to order some of those cool ear plugs...for concerts anyway... might be hard to meet some ladies with antennas sticking out of my ears.

[bfalls]

That seems a little over the top. In my acoustics class, I was told 8 hours+ exposure to 90dB could be harmful. Either way, long exposure to loud sounds isn't good.

It has subsided quite a bit to the point where can't really call it 'ringing'. It's not drawing my attention most of the time so I'm not too worried anymore. Thanks

I didn't say "total" permanent hearing loss. We had to take the power point test every year as part of an awareness program. I'm sure the level and time is the minimum and the loss could be in the form of a reduction at some but not all frequencies. BTW the answer was 'C' on the test. Isn't the answer almost always 'C'?

Things that make you go Hmmmmm.

[audio amateur]

I didn't say "total" permanent hearing loss. We had to take the power point test every year as part of an awareness program. I'm sure the level and time is the minimum and the loss could be in the form of a reduction at some but not all frequencies. BTW the answer was 'C' on the test. Isn't the answer almost always 'C'?

Things that make you go Hmmmmm.

I'm a little tired so bare with me, what do you mean by 'C'?

[blackraven]

You will have some permanent hearing loss. Go see an ENT physician and have your hearing checked. Avoid loud music for a few weeks. You will find that part of your high frequency hearing is lost.

[audio amateur]

You will have some permanent hearing loss. Go see an ENT physician and have your hearing checked. Avoid loud music for a few weeks. You will find that part of your high frequency hearing is lost.

It's gotten better. I think I'm almost back to a 'normal' state. I'll probably get them checked this summer when I'm home. I do tend to avoid loud music and wear earplugs when i do. Only this time I forgot..

[Auricauricle]

Glad all is well, aa....Oh, GLAD ALL IS WELL! GLAD....

[Screefer]

Glad your better,but, BE CAREFUL . Take it from someone who deals with it everyday. Iv`e had tinnitis for about 8 years. Mine is quite a loud high pitched tone , I hear it over normal talking volumes and television or music. Its annoying to say the least. I try to avoid loud music ,even though I love it. The only thing that I have found that helps is to take Ginkgo Biloba daily, if I don`t the volume goes up considerably.

It does save money on hi-end audio equipment though!

PS I run heavy equipment and always wear hearing protection.

[audio amateur]

Glad all is well, aa....Oh, GLAD ALL IS WELL! GLAD....

ummm.. yes.. thanks

[E-Stat]

It's gotten better. I think I'm almost back to a 'normal' state. I'll probably get them checked this summer when I'm home. I do tend to avoid loud music and wear earplugs when i do. Only this time I forgot..

I had the same thing happen to me at a Chicago concert when I was 17. My seating position was extremely close to one of the speaker bins. I couldn't hear a door slam the next day. The problem went away, but fortunately the memory didn't. Never did go to many high level concerts after that...

Good luck and remember the ear plugs. At 52, I'm still hearing up to about 14 kHz.

rw

[emesbee]

I've had that happen a few times in my younger days after attending loud concerts (notably Status Quo, man they were loud!). Each time it returned to normal after a day or two. Was rather worrying though. I've been careful to avoid it happening ever since.

I suspect that I might have a bit of mild tinnitus. Sometimes I can detect it during silence, but not otherwise. I only notice it if I focus on it though. Maybe my brain is tuning it out.

[RoadRunner6]

Only this time I forgot..

AA, now that is the sign of another medical problem with the initials AA. (at your age it is Adolescent Alzheimer's)

RR6

[bfalls]

I'm a little tired so bare with me, what do you mean by 'C'?

I was always told if you don't know the answer to a multiple choice question to choose 'C' because because it's correct most of the time.