Tinnitus, anyone?

cdawg

Member
just taking an informal poll about hearing loss. i'm 37, been playing since 15, but took a break from loudness for a few years in my 20's. i'm noticing a significant amount of "ringing" when i'm in silence (trying to sleep, outside at night, etc.) i'm not sure it's worse, but i do notice it more. not sure if it's an age thing. i do have good ear plugs (even frequency-cut,) that i use for all playing, except most gigs. i'd suggest you guys do the same. any experiences?
 
29 Years old, Tinnitus since 14 years. Learned to live with it, have my ear plugs with me now, no matter where I go.

Doctors say that drumming is not the reason though. I don't believe any doctor on that subject any more, I went to about 10 different doctors over the years and got around 10 different diagnoses.
 
The thought of developing a permanent tinnitus terrifies me like nothing else. Periods of temporary ringing have me praying that it passes. The number of musicians i've played with who never wear plugs and seem so casual about it astounds me. I sympathise with those who have to live with it.
 
well, i think it's something we all need to take serious. i don't mean to condescend, but young players seem to ignore and joke about it. but when you think about what drives us to do this harm to ourselves, the MUSIC, and the fact that it'll PERMANENTLY DESTROY OUR HEARING, you'd think we'd stop and invest in a stinking $30 pair of plugs!! we play the gear game and dump tons of $$$ on stuff, but this tiny investment would make it worth arguing about birch vs. maple tones and b20 vs. blah blah cymbals, etc. at least we'd be sure what we hear is true.
 
Ears are ringing right now...soon to be 53, way too many years of loud music, loud playing and leaf blowers, lawn mowers, etc. Have had tinitus for many years.
Try to wear protection whenever you can...sometimes it's not easy but your hearing cannot be replaced.
 
See my BIG post in this thread.
Hearing protection and the rest of the band
There's no reason for hearing loss (EDIT: From playing in loud bands). It's YOUR choice, either cure the problem or quit complaining.
I'm obviously not talking about disease or other factors, just music related deafness.

Who DOESN'T know about hearing protection? NOT wearing it is a choice. I certainly don't want to listen to anyone's rationalization about it any more. Whatever excuse you've got, your hearing is WAY more important.

Sorry to be so harsh, but hearing protection is SO DAMNED CHEAP it's ridiculous. So that leaves only TWO reasons why you don't use it.

1) You're just too lazy.
2) You're just too STUPID.

I'm hoping it's just the first one as you can't FIX stupid.
 
Last edited:
There's no reason for hearing loss. It's YOUR choice, either cure the problem or quit complaining.

When it comes to hearing loss due to too much noise: Yes. But there are many many other reasons why you can suffer from Tinnitus / hearing loss and its damn rude to those people to call them stupid.

I started to get Tinnitus when I was 15. I am 29 now and trust me: There not one single person on this planet who wears ear-plugs more often than I do. I even wear them when I go shopping because I think that elevator music is too loud. I acted the exact same way when I was 13 or 14. I always did - I always had super sensitive ears. Unfortunately I still developed Tinnitus.... As I said: There is more than one reason.

Your right though about the importance of wearing plugs. Its absolutely essential. I send students who don't have their plugs with them home if it happens regularly. What I don't understand though is that many times I see people wearing plugs when they play drums but when they don't play drums they listen to their iPod at full volume with in-ear plugs.

Talk about stupidity....
 
As a younger player, I noticed that practicing with sound protection lead to me getting really sloppy with my dynamics... I still wear it at all times, but it was disheartening to hear from my guitarist that where I thought I was playing calmer in part of a song, he actually had to turn his amp up 3 numbers from when we wrote it...

I would never play extended periods or with a full metal band without protection, but I think there is something to be said for hearing the sounds you create as they are created, not through plastic phones all the time.

I am neither stupid nor lazy about it.
 
just taking an informal poll about hearing loss. i'm 37, been playing since 15, but took a break from loudness for a few years in my 20's. i'm noticing a significant amount of "ringing" when i'm in silence (trying to sleep, outside at night, etc.) i'm not sure it's worse, but i do notice it more. not sure if it's an age thing. i do have good ear plugs (even frequency-cut,) that i use for all playing, except most gigs. i'd suggest you guys do the same. any experiences?

Except most gigs?? That's where you need earplugs the most. No wonder you got tinnitus. You have to learn living with it, tinnitus doesn't go away, only the perception changes. And take breaks regularly. Not all earplugs protect perfectly. I prefer isophones. Also, buy a lighter drum set (thinner, darker and smaller cymbals; thinner, smaller drums) and use lighter sticks.

The doctor said I have a hearing destortion of +10dB. That's a plus, not a minus. It means I am ten times as sensitive to noise than regular people. I can "feel" an ambulance coming before it becomes audible. I hear all the lights, fridge and micro wave buzzing. Protect your ears and consider taking a longer break away from thye drums, or you'll go insane some day. The one positive thing about tinnitus is that it improved my willpower considerably.
 
I remember the exact moment my tinnitus kicked in. I was a punter at a gig, and as I walked past the speaker stack I physically felt it, right to my teeth. Usually after gigs the ringing stops by the following morning, but that time it didn't. I still have it now. That was before I played drums, but I wear protection whenever I'm behind the kit or at gig, and even in clubs. I get people commenting on it (especially in clubs), but it's my hearing and I don't want it getting any worse. At the moment it's bearable, but if you havn't got it, don't take the chance. WEAR PLUGS!
 
I have tinnitus. I was at a gig watching from right at the back of a (large) hotel/club.There was a short burst of feedback through the PA and bang. I felt and heard the change that second. That was about 15 years ago (I'm now 45).

Playing drums in a band and listening to music through headphones wouldn't have helped, but tinnitus came to me (sooner I think) by that incident. Now if I'm at a gig, especially an indoor one, as a player or a spectator, I'll have earplugs.
 
Except most gigs?? That's where you need earplugs the most. No wonder you got tinnitus.

Right, i admit it. but when i'm at ANY club, or paracticing with my band or on my own, i wear them. i gig about once a month. my set is about an hour. if i can't hear the other players, i don't wear them. i DO consider my hearing, but i make concessions. i go to my doctor every 6 months and i'm tested every year. i have no more significant loss. how many of you can say this??

on a lighter note, i found a doctor saying that the only cure for tinnitus is sleeping with a fan on, so you don't hear the ringing. that's what i've done for years!!
 
As a younger player, I noticed that practicing with sound protection lead to me getting really sloppy with my dynamics... I still wear it at all times, but it was disheartening to hear from my guitarist that where I thought I was playing calmer in part of a song, he actually had to turn his amp up 3 numbers from when we wrote it...

I would never play extended periods or with a full metal band without protection, but I think there is something to be said for hearing the sounds you create as they are created, not through plastic phones all the time.

I am neither stupid nor lazy about it.

agreed. i do play without, to be sure of the sounds i've worked hard to develop. but there are plugs that have an "even frequency cut" that do a decent job of lowering the volume of all of the frequencies, so it's not too much bottom-end. i bought some for $30, but there are custom-fit ones you can get @ the ear doc that supposedly do a much better job.

anybody have experiences with the custom ones?
 
If you have tinnitus, mega doses of B complex, esp B12 have been shown to reduce the ringing. There is also an over the counter concoction called Lipo-Flavinoid that is a B vitamin and herb remedy. I don't know if it works and it hasn't been approved by the AFDA. Reducing alcohol and caffeine consumption will reduce ringing.
 
When it comes to hearing loss due to too much noise: Yes. But there are many many other reasons why you can suffer from Tinnitus / hearing loss and its damn rude to those people to call them stupid.

I started to get Tinnitus when I was 15. I am 29 now and trust me: There not one single person on this planet who wears ear-plugs more often than I do. I even wear them when I go shopping because I think that elevator music is too loud. I acted the exact same way when I was 13 or 14. I always did - I always had super sensitive ears. Unfortunately I still developed Tinnitus.... As I said: There is more than one reason.

Your right though about the importance of wearing plugs. Its absolutely essential. I send students who don't have their plugs with them home if it happens regularly. What I don't understand though is that many times I see people wearing plugs when they play drums but when they don't play drums they listen to their iPod at full volume with in-ear plugs.

Talk about stupidity....
Good point Rick, I've edited my post to reflect what you've said. I was talking about band volume related deafness, I know nothing of the other things that could get you there, but I know how to curtail it from a musician's standpoint, EARPLUGS!!!
 
on a lighter note, i found a doctor saying that the only cure for tinnitus is sleeping with a fan on, so you don't hear the ringing. that's what i've done for years!!

How can your wife or girlfriend sleep with the fan?
 
When it comes to hearing loss due to too much noise: Yes. But there are many many other reasons why you can suffer from Tinnitus / hearing loss and its damn rude to those people to call them stupid.

I started to get Tinnitus when I was 15. I am 29 now and trust me: There not one single person on this planet who wears ear-plugs more often than I do. I even wear them when I go shopping because I think that elevator music is too loud. I acted the exact same way when I was 13 or 14. I always did - I always had super sensitive ears. Unfortunately I still developed Tinnitus.... As I said: There is more than one reason.

Your right though about the importance of wearing plugs. Its absolutely essential. I send students who don't have their plugs with them home if it happens regularly. What I don't understand though is that many times I see people wearing plugs when they play drums but when they don't play drums they listen to their iPod at full volume with in-ear plugs.

Talk about stupidity....

If you are wearing ear plugs all the time, you may be developing ear sensitivity or just may have very sensitive hearing as do I. I use Vic Firth Isolation headphones and have been using hearing protection for twenty years, and still get ringing in my ears after a few hours of playing. It's an occupational hazard, or maybe it is just that your ears ring and when you are a musician, you become more attune to that. Remember the story about John Cage in the isolation tank when he realized that there was no such thing as silence because he could hear the electricity ring through his ears. That was the inspiration for the piece 4' 33." That is one of several reasons that can cause the ringing.

I think the ringing is always there, it is just that you need to find ways not to "activate it." Wear hearing protection, cut down on stimulants, take vitamins and use ear cleaning remedies.
 
The thought of developing a permanent tinnitus terrifies me like nothing else. Periods of temporary ringing have me praying that it passes. The number of musicians i've played with who never wear plugs and seem so casual about it astounds me. I sympathise with those who have to live with it.

Same here. I was really worried after going to a Rush show last year w/o ear-plugs. I'm sure that I lost at least a little bit of hearing that night but no ringing. I started reading about Tinnitus and other hearing-related problems and have been *extra* paranoid about protecting my ears ever since. It's been known to drive some people completely nuts...chronic depression, etc.

I've always worn plugs while playing and always suggest it to band-mates. I can think of maybe one or two people I've played with that used any kind of hearing protection. Most just don't think about it or care.
 
How can your wife or girlfriend sleep with the fan?

funny you mention that. MAJOR pain!! she currently sleeps on the couch!! but, i snore, too! when she does sleep in bed, she stacks up on the blankies. still bitches, though. the bitching stops, the ringing doesn't.
 
Back
Top