[LoryWiv]

I have tinnitus in my left ear. I blame my Denon AH-D2000 for it I wasn’t really into music at the time mostly just listening in the car at normal volume. Then I got those damn Denons and a portable DAC/AMP and was completely blown away. I had that dial on max. It was so loud I remember times when I would take off the headphones from my bedroom walk two floors down and still be able to hear it playing from my basement. I knew I messed up when one day I was laying down to sleep and suddenly my ear just instantly started ringing LOUD! It was such a pain to sleep that night but I told myself it would go away when I woke up. Well it died down a lot when I woke up but years later it’s still there.

I’m now OBSESSED with my hearing to the point where I measure db levels at places. I went to a wedding back in July and when they started playing music I measured it at 105db and went to sit in the lobby for the rest of the time I was there. People thought I was being ridiculous about it .

I take breaks when listening to music and listen at 75db.

Unfortunately the damage is done all I can do is keep it from getting worse. Rereading what I just wrote it just shows everything is taken for granted until something bad finally happens.

I’ll never know what true silence sounds like again for possibly the rest of my life unless they come up with a cure.

Musician style earplugs work great for concerts / weddings.

 

[fattycheesebeef]

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/best-headphones-for-audiophiles-with-tinnitus-moon-audio.966653/

 

[SilverEars]

Inflammation around the auditory area is a cause of tinnitus. It's caused by bruxism, teeth clinching which causes inflammation. So, you cannot assume hearing damage to be the cause. There are other ways.

So, people with tinnitus should think if they have inflammation due to TMJ. And get that treated to address the tinnitus. You'll often read people post about ringing and TMJ.

 

[SilverEars]

Honestly I've been to ENT and they couldn't find out the root cause of the ringing sound in my ear..

Just because they are ENT doesn't mean much. Finding cause really depends on experience. For example, a TMJ specialist may run into a lot of people talking about ear ringing as symptoms and their area explains the relationship. An ENT is more generalized and may not be exposed to the cause. This is often the case with docs. They need to be exposed to be knowledgeable. A primary for example doen't have specialized knowledge.

This is like anything in life. Experience is knowledge. Which is why older docs are often preferred. Just because they just graduated from meds school reading all the books doesn't help much (although it helps them gain better knowledge if exposed).

 

[Tomm11]

Have had Tinnitus for ages. Sometimes worse than others. I don't let it bother me.
What's new is I now how fluid behind the left eardrum (OME). Just started/noticed a few days ago. Partial loss of hearing in left ear and a hollow, almost echo sound. Went to doc thinking it was wax. Have me on antibiotic (not likely to work). I have an appt. with my primary doc next week so we'll see. I can't listen to music at the moment which is a real bummer.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Inflammation around the auditory area is a cause of tinnitus. It's caused by bruxism, teeth clinching which causes inflammation. So, you cannot assume hearing damage to be the cause. There are other ways.

So, people with tinnitus should think if they have inflammation due to TMJ. And get that treated to address the tinnitus. You'll often read people post about ringing and TMJ.

TMJ?

My tinnitus is getting worse gradually so looking at all possible causes.

 

[Getafix]

Had it in my left ear since military service when I was 18. So the cause was a loud gunshot. Mine gets worse or better depending on neck muscle tightness and bruxism.

And it has made me very sensitive to any anomalies or sound quality problems in the left channel when listening to music. Live music too! I prefer seats on the right side of concert halls and opera houses because reflections from the left wall often sound unpleasant.

 

[megabigeye]

And it has made me very sensitive to any anomalies or sound quality problems in the left channel when listening to music. Live music too! I prefer seats on the right side of concert halls and opera houses because reflections from the left wall often sound unpleasant.

That sounds more like hyperacusis than tinnitus. I find my hyperacusis to be much more bothersome than the ringing in my ears. I can't really go to live music because of it and things like a passing ambulance are painful (and embarrassing since I grimace and cover my ears).

I've had tinnitus since I was 13 or so, I think, when my eardrum ruptured. Come to think of it, that's probably when the hyperacusis started, too.
Both were made worse by an over-long, too-loud concert. But that was nothing compared to getting on a plane with a bad cold. Extremely painful and I could hardly hear for weeks after that and was afraid I'd lost my hearing permanently.
Fortunately my tinnitus is still pretty mild and hasn't gotten noticeably worse in the last twelve years.

 

[fattycheesebeef]

I've not officially known of my ringing in my ear but it's the inflammation of the TMJ caused by bruxism. Even when I open my jaw wide, I can hear some "cracking" in the TMJ

 

[paulrbarnard]

I've not officially known of my ringing in my ear but it's the inflammation of the TMJ caused by bruxism. Even when I open my jaw wide, I can hear some "cracking" in the TMJ

I still have no idea what TMJ stands for. Can someone enlighten me?

 

[shwnwllms]

I still have no idea what TMJ stands for. Can someone enlighten me?

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction

 

[Cheesebuggah]

Still don't know if I have tinnitus or not. I would lean more towards yes. Here is my story: sometimes the noise in my surrounding area would dampen and then the ringing/buzzing can be heard lasting 5-10 seconds. It usually happens centered but it has happened on the left side before. Usually occurs 3-5 times a month but I can control it. The ringing always happens ~1 hour after or during intentionally loud video/music listening.

I heard from some random guy on the internet that it is just a sign to lower the volume and that is isn't tinnitus but I'm not going to trust him. I have seen all the videos about keeping listening volumes down so I will follow that.

 

[SilverEars]

I still have no idea what TMJ stands for. Can someone enlighten me?

Simply put, it's like having arthritis on you jaw joint area. Hence the inflammation. Just imagine inflammation close to the auditory area. Commonsense would tell you it would interact with the auditory system, which can cause ringing. And if the ringing reduces when inflammation reduces, there's correlation there. So when the ringing reduces, it tells you it's not permeant effect, but transitory. Hearing damage as an example is permanent.

Let's say you suffer from the symptoms. And cardio is known to reduce inflammation, and the reduction cause the ringing to reduce. That tells you what is causing it.

 

[megabigeye]

Still don't know if I have tinnitus or not. I would lean more towards yes. Here is my story: sometimes the noise in my surrounding area would dampen and then the ringing/buzzing can be heard lasting 5-10 seconds. It usually happens centered but it has happened on the left side before. Usually occurs 3-5 times a month but I can control it. The ringing always happens ~1 hour after or during intentionally loud video/music listening.

I heard from some random guy on the internet that it is just a sign to lower the volume and that is isn't tinnitus but I'm not going to trust him. I have seen all the videos about keeping listening volumes down so I will follow that.

According to Wikipedia:

Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no corresponding external sound is present.

If you hear a ringing (or buzzing, clicking, roaring or throbbing) in your ears without any external sound, then you are experiencing tinnitus. It can last a few seconds, or it can be perpetual. Temporary tinnitus isn't necessarily something to worry about in and of itself, but it is a sign that you may need to change your behavior (turn down the music, drink less caffeine/alcohol, etc.)
It's a symptom, and like all symptoms, it's there to tell you that something's not right. You're smart to listen less loudly.

Listen to your body! It usually knows what it's talking about!

 

[Getafix]

If you live in a big noisy city and then visit an extremely quiet place, say a recording studio or possibly anechoic chamber, anyone can hear some sort of tinnitus. It may come as a shock.