Q. As I have tinnitus and noise induced hearing loss, can natural sounds make my hearing worse?
Hi doctor,
I am a 21-year-old male. I have tinnitus and some hearing loss on the very high frequencies for the past one year. However, my hearing is within a reasonable range of 8 kHz. I can hear up to 16 kHz. But it is much quieter than before. When we have tinnitus and noise-induced hearing loss, can natural sounds make it worse? I am feared that I make my hearing worst, so I wear earplugs 24 by 24. When I take my car, I wear my earplugs. When someone speaks a bit loudly, I wear earplugs. When I am going to a commercial center or supermarket, I wear it too. Can these kinds of sounds hurt my hearing? I stopped hearing loud noises like a music festival. Is it enough? Can I live my life as everyone without losing my hearing? How should I manage my life without making my hearing worst?
Hi,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
It is a combination of intensity and duration that causes acoustic trauma or noise-induced hearing loss. If you subject your ears to high-intensity sounds for long durations, then, you are hurting them more. Ideally, you should not submit the ears to more than 90 dB for eight hours continuously. With every 5 dB increase in intensity, the time gets halved. In the case of impulse noises, you should limit the number of times you expose yourself to such sounds like blasts, fireworks, and thuds. You need not wear plugs everywhere you go out or talk to someone. Just keep away from loud noises. Eat a healthy diet. Listen to calm music if you can. The super high-frequency hearing deficit that you have will not affect your day to day life. It is picked up by the audiometry. Tinnitus is a different entity. It requires habituation. You will need to train your ears to accept it and mask it gradually. There are techniques for it. You can listen to white band noise. Listening to calming music and reducing your worries also help a lot in achieving relief from tinnitus.
Thank you doctor,
I do not expose myself to loud sounds. Can I live my life like everyone else? I want to do the best to protect my ears. So, I should not expect any reduction of hearing for a long time because of exposure to normal sounds. In a supermarket, I find the sound a bit noisy. People are talking, many background noise, and music. I do not hear it loud, but I am very anxious that it should not cause any impact in the future. Is it possible to get any hearing reduction from that kind of sound?
Hi,
Welcome back to icliniq.com.
You do not have to worry about the ordinary sounds. The background noise or music played in the supermarket, or the noise of people talking or chit-chatting will not cause any deterioration in the hearing unless they exceed specific intensities and are loud. But, if you are bothered or irritated by such sounds, you can keep ear plugs but not because they will cause hearing loss to you. To protect your hearing, you should take a healthy diet and do regular exercises. Avoid loud sounds and acoustic trauma. Avoid ototoxic medications. If you have a genetic predisposition to hearing loss with age, you may still get hearing loss with age. Everyday sounds will not cause any deterioration in your hearing. You can live your life like everyone.
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