Do you know how to tell if your iPod earbuds are causing tinnitus? One of the most common causes of tinnitus is ear damage from listening to loud music. Test your tinnitus knowledge here and determine if you need to turn down the volume.
Symptoms of tinnitus
Not all people who have tinnitus are aware of it, or even realize that it’s a cited hearing problem. When tinnitus worsens, it can cause chronic symptoms like constant ear ringing or whooshing, ear fullness, hearing loss, and ear pain. For some, tinnitus ear ringing keeps them up nights and interferes with their ability to have conversations, focus on work, or even enjoy a moment of silence.
Tinnitus causes
Tinnitus is often, but not always, caused by old age. Chronic ear infections and ototoxic medications like quinine may cause tinnitus. Noise-induced ear damage is a frequent cause of tinnitus and hearing loss among people under the age of 50.
People who work in loud environments are susceptible to tinnitus. At-risk occupations include the military, road construction, shop machinist, landscapers, pilot, stuntmen, and truck drivers.
Read: 7 Most Harmful Trickle-Down Effects of Noise Pollution
Also, anybody who listens to loud music for an extended period is likely to develop tinnitus. This includes musicians and roadies, but it can also apply to anybody who constantly listens to loud music through an in-ear headphone (earbud).
How loud is too loud?
According to hearing safety standards, any noise over 85 decibels is unsafe for your ears and may eventually cause hearing loss and/or tinnitus.
Read: How Loud is Too Loud? Prevent Tinnitus Now
Tips for tinnitus-free listening
Tip #1: Don’t push the dial to 10.
Your iPod earbuds are capable of reaching ear-shattering 100 decibels. Instead, find a halfway point on your volume controller and keep it set there.
Tip #2: Get safe headphones
If you don’t trust yourself to keep the music down, invest in a pair of volume-controlled headphones that are certified safe for your ears, and not likely to cause tinnitus.
Read: Top 5 Noise Cancelling Headphones
Tip #3: Can you hear me?
Can you hear somebody talking to you while you’re listening to music? If you can’t, then it’s too loud. Turn it down to tune out tinnitus.
Tip #4: What’s that ringing?
If you hear a ringing sound or temporary hearing loss after removing your headphone, then you are probably causing tinnitus.
Tip #5: Limit iPod usage
Keep iPod listening down to one hour at a time, maximum. Anything over that is proven to cause hearing loss and tinnitus.
Read: Are iPods Ruining Your Ears?
Tip #6: Avoid earbuds
Wear over-the-ear headphones, as opposed to the in-ear earbuds that came with your iPod. The over-ear headphones are 5 decibels lower and less likely to cause tinnitus ear damage.
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Read more about tinnitus causes
Drugs that Cause Tinnitus: Ototoxic Medications
21 Things that Cause Tinnitus Ear Ringing
Sources:
Smartphone Applications for Deaf Consumers
It’s a new day and age for those with hearing loss, thanks to Android.
Smartphones, such as the iPhone and Android, have opened up a world of communication possibilities for today’s telecommuter. From Sprint and Think Mobile, now even the hearing-impaired can enjoy the convenience of Android technology, such as Google and chat. Android also offers helpful applications to aid the deaf communities, such as transcriptional voicemail, captioned calls, and updated news information about hearing-loss treatments and awareness.
Coming Soon: iPod Device to Treat Tinnitus
Here are some excellent Android apps to look for:
Sprint Relay ID pack: Sprint has released an Android package aimed at benefiting individuals with partial hearing loss, deafness, and tinnitus. The new bundle includes Google Voice, Captionfish, Video Relay, TuneWiki, a captioned video player, and a handful of devices to notify you of important messages and dates.
ClearCaptions, by Purple Communications, allows people with hearing loss to read their phone calls in a text message, featuring almost-real-time service that’s compatible with web browsers and the iOS platform.
Hamilton Mobile CapTel works with most smartphones and hands-free headsets that are compatible with hearing aids and cochlear implants. With a Hamilton Mobile CapTel account, your cell phone becomes a captioned-enabled device for the deaf. Make and receive calls from any location, and read your incoming conversations on your smartphone screen. Service is available twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week.
Hearing Aids are for Old People, and Other Nontruths
DeafNation is a popular website for the hard of hearing, featuring updated video content, news coverage, social networking, and special events. Now, you can access DeafNation from your Android smartphone.
Evernote picks up where sticky notes left off. Deaf individuals often rely on note taking for quick communication with non-signers. With Evernote, you can keep an updated list of most-often used messages. You’ll never need to rewrite the same memo all over again, and you can forget about frantically searching for a pen or sharpened pencil.
Related reading:
Top 5 Noise Cancelling Headphones
How Loud is Too Loud? Prevent Tinnitus Now
Sources:
Sprint Launches Bundle of Android Apps for Hearing Loss Applications
Hearing Sparks: The Top 8 Android Apps for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Environmental Noise is bad for your Health
Noise pollution isn’t just annoying- it can be detrimental to your health, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
If you live in an urban area, then chances expose yourself daily to dangerously high levels of noise pollution, described as anything above 55 decibels. Freeway and airport traffic noise, manufacturing plants, and overcrowded public spaces all amount to a lot of environmental noise. Even if you don’t live in a dense population, your chances of suffering the ill effects of noise pollution are high. If you attend indoor events like rock concerts, musical plays, or basketball tournaments, then you are at risk for developing tinnitus and hearing loss, along with a myriad of other symptoms linked with noise pollution. Top 5 Noise Cancelling Headphones
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) quotes, “Problems related to noise include stress related illnesses, high blood pressure, speech interference, hearing loss, sleep disruption, and lost productivity.”
Below are the 7 most common conditions caused by noise pollution:
1- Hearing loss:
Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the most common result of overexposure to noise pollution. Scientists have confirmed that 8-hour exposure to noise levels above 85 dB causes severe ear damage. How loud is 85 decibels? The amount of noise emitted by a large truck driving on the freeway is equivalent to 85 dB. Tinnitus has become a more prominent disorder among teenagers since the popularity of iPod in-ear listening devices. How Loud is Too Loud? Prevent Tinnitus Now
2- Decreased communication skills:
In a study published by the EPA, scientists noted that prolonged noise exposure weakens our ability to communicate effectively, causing symptoms such a difficulty concentrating, indecision, faltering speech, confusion, stress, and impatience. 20 iPad Apps for Hearing Loss
3- Sleep problems:
High levels of noise make it difficult to get a full night’s sleep. Sleep disturbances often lead to insomnia, which creates stress, anxiety, depression, mood swings, and lowers our immunity. Tinnitus Symptoms Making you Turn to Sleeping Pills? Read about Side Effects of Sleep Drugs
4- Heart conditions:
Since noise pollution causes stress, anxiety, and insomnia, then long-term exposure to constant, loud noise eventually creates cardiovascular difficulties. Hypertension, elevated heart rate, and the hormonal flight-or-fight response are common side effects of stress caused by excess noise. Additionally, sudden wakefulness in the middle of the night from a loud noise causes a heart response that could be harmful. Finding Tranquility with Tinnitus, Part I: Relax the Mind
5- Psychiatric disorders:
Noise pollution doesn’t cause psychosis, but it does exacerbate symptoms in the mentally ill. Persistent and loud noise contributes to anxiety, stress, headaches, mood swings, aggressiveness, phobias, and antisocial behavior. In addition, in a report on noise pollution and its effect on general mental health, individuals such as the elderly and young children who lacked the ability to cope with loud noise exposure suffered a weakened sense of well-being. British Singer Frightened by Tinnitus Symptoms
6- Lost productivity:
Noise pollution impairs our cognitive functioning, according to many studies. Whether at work or at school, our ability to complete an assignment efficiently and timely becomes compromised when loud noise is a factor. Noise pollution negatively affects our reading comprehension, learning and problem-solving skills, work performance, ambition, and socio-emotional development. When Children Suffer Tinnitus and Hearing Loss
7- Agitation:
According to some clinical studies, persistent low frequency rumbling noises produced feelings of aggression, discontent, fatigue, despair, anxiety, and distractedness in test participants. While the behavioral changes were subtle, they influenced daily activities and social manners, such as loud slamming of doors, avoidance of neighbors, and proneness to accidents. 6 Anxiety Busting Tricks- Try Them Now!
Related reading:
5 Ways to Deal with Noisy Neighbors
40+ Best Tinnitus and Hearing Loss Sites
Treatments for Severe Hearing Loss
Sources:
Noise Pollution: A Modern Plague: Adverse Health Effects of Noise
Websites, Blogs and Forums for Tinnitus Sufferers and the Hearing-Impaired
Tinnitus ringing in the ears can drive anybody mad. Constant buzzing, shrieking, whooshing, or siren noises that nobody else can hear make it difficult to focus, relax, enjoy music, hear others or get any sleep at night. Tinnitus and hearing loss are both hearing disorders that often come as a pair, but not exclusively. Tinnitus symptoms may vary in frequency, pitch, volume and duration. Tinnitus sufferers experience symptoms in either one ear or both ears at the same time.
Tinnitus causes are:
- Age-related hearing loss
- Gradual inner ear damage caused by loud noises
- Chronic ear infections
- Drug interactions
- Meniere’s disease
- Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ)
This Tinnitus Awareness Week, Learn how to Cope with Tinnitus Symptoms
Below is a handy set of links to over 40 websites and blogs to help patients of tinnitus or hearing loss. They provide useful tips, resources, forums, support groups, and hearing-related product information. (* The starred titles are “Must See” favorites.)
Forums:
*Daily Strength Tinnitus Support Group Over 114 pages of forum topics related to tinnitus. Daily Strength is a wonderful resource for all health-related information.
Naked Scientists Discussion Forum Don’t be put off by the title. This forum is one of many interesting and unique science topics covered on this site.
Blogs:
The Healing Music Organization Read about “phantom” tinnitus noises.
Hearing Exchange This blog by Paula Rosenthal is no longer updated, but it has lots of great blog posts and links that are aimed at helping young adults with hearing loss. Worth the look.
I Love Ellie Sweet blog written by the mom of a hearing-impaired girl.
Linda’s Helps for the Hard of Hearing Tips about dealing with cochlear implants from a patient’s perspective.
*Lipreading Mom Shanna Groves manages this inspiring blog about deaf motherhood, hearing aids, and deaf rights.
*SayWhatClub More than a blog, it’s really a global forum for the hearing impaired, chock-full of blog articles, resources and links.
Associations:
Action on Hearing Loss (UK) Lots of helpful tools for British citizens who suffer from hearing loss.
*American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) ASHA is an organization that focuses on raising awareness of communication rights for the hearing impaired.
**American Tinnitus Association (ATA) The American Tinnitus Association just celebrated their 40th anniversary, and for good reason. They are the leading resource on the web for tinnitus information, services and medical support.
Australian Tinnitus Association
*British Tinnitus Association Excellence resource for tinnitus sufferers who require services in the UK.
Collaborative for Communication Access via Captioning
Euro Tinnitus Association (English site)
Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) The HLAA is a website devoted to helping the hearing-impaired find support.
International Federation of Hard of Hearing People (IFHOH)
Tinnitus Association of Canada
Helpful Sites:
ABILITY Jobs Ability aids disabled individuals in finding employment.
Acoustic Simulations Listen to a simulation of music through cochlear implants, in addition to other samples.
*Captionfish Locate movie theaters and blockbusters in your area that provide captioning for the hearing-impaired.
Handspeak Informative site for individuals wishing to learn American sign language.
*Hear It Hear-it has a wide selection of newsworthy articles related to tinnitus and hearing loss.
Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers (H.E.A.R.)
*Listen Up Excellent landing base for hearing loss information, including hundreds of links, articles and resources.
Medline Plus Interactive Health Tutorial on Tinnitus The National Library of Medicine site features this virtual lesson on tinnitus.
Microsoft Guide for Individuals with Hearing Impairments Learn how to access hearing-impaired functional tools from Windows 7, Windows Vista, Internet Explorer 8, and Microsoft Office 10.
New York Times Health Guide: Tinnitus
Useful Services, Products and Gear:
Ability Hub Ability hub displays assistive technology devices for the disabled.
Cochlear Cochlear is the world leader in advanced hearing solutions website, including nucleus cochlear implants and the BAHA system.
*Dogs for the Deaf “Dogs for the Deaf” rescues dogs from animal shelters and trains them to aid deaf and autistic individuals.
Healthy Hearing Healthy Hearing is an inclusive site for information about buying hearing aids for tinnitus or hearing loss.
Hearing Pocket Hearing Pockets are comfortable alternatives to traditional cochlear implant harnessing for children. The 100% cotton shirts and onesies have a convenient pouch for storing cochlear implant devices.
Kidlfyx Kreations Creator of custom designed accessories for bone anchored hearing aids (BAHAs), including a sporty baseball cap and sweet headband. They also have a cute selection of earbud covers.
SleepPhones SleepPhones are soft headphones that are comfortable enough to wear to sleep and plug into any mp3 device. Excellent for accessing white noise tinnitus therapy, the fleece headbands are nonirritating and double as a sleeping mask.
Sound Oasis White noise is an effective therapy for hushing the annoying symptoms of tinnitus. Sound Oasis sells a variety of therapy systems for utilizing environmental background noise in curing tinnitus. White Noise Sound Machines- The 5 Best Reviewed by Customers
Tinnitus: Questions and Answers, Jack A. Vernon (Amazon Books) Frequently asked questions about tinnitus written by the author of “Tinnitus Today” magazine and founder of the Tinnitus Clinic.
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Loud Music Causes Ringing in the Ears
Most folks don’t know they’re getting tinnitus until it’s too late; tinnitus symptoms such as ear ringing and hearing loss don’t show themselves until the ear damage is done.
Causes of tinnitus vary, but one of the most common culprits is noise. If you’re in the habit of sticking in your earbuds, clicking on your iTunes playlist and turning up the volume to 10, you may pay for it later. Excessively loud music has been known to cause severe inner ear damage, which leads to tinnitus and hearing loss. And while there are some effective treatments for tinnitus, a tinnitus cure is still far off on the horizon. Celebrities Raise Tinnitus Awareness
How do you know if the volume’s too high?
So, what’s considered a healthy volume for listening to your iPod? The median point on the volume knob is usually the safest. Between 1 and 10, you should limit yourself to 5, which, for most MP3 players, equals about 80 decibels. Anything louder than that, and you’re likely to permanently injure the delicate cells of the cochlea, which are located deep inside the inner ear, and is crucial for proper sound perception. Are iPods Ruining Your Ears?
A good test to see if you’re listening to your music too loud is this: have a friend speak to you in a normal voice while you’re listening to music on your headphones. If you are able to clearly hear and comprehend what your friend is saying, then you’re in the clear. If your friend has to scream in order to be heard (isn’t that usually the case?) then you need to tone it down.
Give your ears a break
According to some research, the amount of time you spend listening to music on headphones is also important. People who listen to MP3 players for over an hour per day usually suffer some form of irreversible hearing loss, over the course of 5 years. So limit the amount of time you spend listening to tunes through headphones, even if the volume is at a healthy limit. Phil Collins Calling it Quits Due to Hearing Loss
Still not convinced?
For a brief demonstration of what hearing loss really sounds like, watch this YouTube video:
More good reads about tinnitus and hearing loss:
Noise ‘n Toys: Can they Cause Hearing Loss in Children?
British Singer Frightened by Tinnitus Symptoms
Coming Soon: iPod Device to Treat Tinnitus
Gear Up to Prevent Hearing Loss: Five Things you Should Buy Now
Sources:
Twenty-seven million US citizens have some degree of hearing loss, but most people who need hearing aids are likely not to get them. 
According to a study published in the American Journal of Audiology, sufferers of tinnitus and hearing loss are often reluctant to make the decision to purchase hearing aids because of the stigma involved; they think only the elderly need hearing aid devices, or they worry that people will begin to treat them differently. Only 2% of people who would benefit from hearing assistance will ever put on a pair of hearing aids.
Tinnitus Maskers: Relief is on the Way
Below are some common myths and attitudes surrounding hearing aids. See for yourself if Bluetooth hearing aids or tinnitus masker hearing aids are for you:
Myth #1: Hearing aids are large and clunky.
Today’s hearing aids are nothing like the heavy, cumbersome hearing aid apparatuses of the old ages. Just as the revolutionary iPod changed the way Americans purchase and listen to music, so have digital and wireless technology transformed yesterday’s hearing aid devices into sleek, comfortable, custom-designed mini sound systems for your ears, providing better volume control and more discretion than ever before. For more information about hearing aid technology, read Europe Approved Dental Hearing Aid.
Hear are some of the types of hearing aids available to individuals suffering from hearing loss and tinnitus:
- Open-fit behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids: This invisible hearing aid sits behind the ear and transmits sound via a small, clear transparent tube. BTE hearing aids are lightweight- you’ll hardly know it’s there. Many brands come in a wide variety of colors.
- Receiver in canal (RIC) hearing aids: Similar to the BTE, the RIC hearing aids are also compact, natural-feeling and customizable. While the hearing unit sits behind the ear, the device’s receiver nestles snugly inside the ear canal, allowing better sound amplification while still providing comfort and discretion.
- In-ear hearing aid devices: These hearing aid devices are custom made; a mold is made of the ear canal in order to insure proper fit and comfort. With in-ear devices, the entire unit is inside the ear canal.
Myth #2: Hearing aids don’t really work.
The severity of your hearing loss or tinnitus symptoms determine how effectively hearing aids will restore your hearing. Modern hearing aids are technologically superior to yesterday’s hearing devices, but no piece of machinery will give you 100% perfect hearing. Still, hearing aids, if used properly and regularly, will restore enough hearing to carry conversations easier, understand without “lip reading” and separate competing sounds in a crowd. Most people who make “the leap” in agreeing to get fitted for a hearing aid have no regrets, and have found their living quality greatly improved by their decision. Also read Gear Up to Prevent Hearing Loss: Five Things you Should Buy Now.
Myth #3: Hearing aids hurt your ears.
Obviously, wearing nothing behind or inside your ear would be most comfortable, but today’s hearing aid units are a lot easier to get used to than ever before. With pricing ranging from the hundreds to the thousands, hearing aid manufacturers are competing to provide consumers the most innovative, comfortable, convenient, attractive-looking and effective hearing aid devices on the market.
Myth #4: Only old people wear hearing aids.
Actually, about 50% of hearing-impaired people are adolescents and young adults. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), 15% of Americans between the ages of 20 and 69 have severe hearing loss due to ear damage caused by loud noised in the workplace or at home. Also, over 41 thousand adults and 25 thousand children in the US have received cochlear implants to improve their hearing. For more information on hearing loss among young people, read Hearing Loss in the Younger Generation.
Myth #5: Young people who wear hearing aids are either stupid or mentally ill.
There is no correlation between hearing impairment and intelligence or mental health. There are a few factors which might contribute to this myth, including:
- Exhaustion: Wearing a hearing aid can be tiring at times; hearing-impaired people have to concentrate more to separate voices in a crowded room and to focus on people are saying to them. It’s no wonder that people who wear hearing aids sometimes seem fatigued and distracted, but that does not mean they are slow or mentally impaired.
- Reluctance to confide: Deaf people in the workplace often worry about prejudices towards the hearing impaired, so they’re not likely to come out in the open about their disability. Some younger hearing-impaired individuals deny having hearing loss, insisting that only the elderly need hearing assistance. Conversely, no special allowances are made in the workplace to help employees who have hearing loss because the issue is just never discussed. In order to raise hearing loss awareness in the workplace, both parties, the hearing-impaired and their employers, have to be able to open the lines of communication.
Also read:
When Children Suffer Tinnitus and Hearing Loss
Hearing Loss and Baby Boomers: Is Anybody Listening?
Sources:
American Journal of Audiology, HealthyHearing.com, Hear-it.org, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD
One of the primary causes of tinnitus is hearing loss, which is damage to inner ear from loud noises. The brain tries to compensate for the lack of stimulation to the nerves of the ear by creating its own sounds, hence the tinnitus. Tinnitus may be perceived as ringing, buzzing, hissing, whooshing, clicking or other sounds.
There are many people who have a loss of hearing and don’t know it. Some signs of hearing loss include:
- You find that you are missing out on bits of conversations when people talk
- You find the need to ask people to repeat things
- Your friends or relatives complain that the volume on your television/radio is very high
- You have a hard time hearing people speak on the telephone
- You try to avoid group conversations because you can’t hear everyone
If any of the above is relevant to you, it is recommended that you see an audiologist to test your hearing.
If you hear noises in your ears that others don’t, then you are also suffering from tinnitus.
In general, you should use hearing protection when exposed to loud noises, as well as lower the volume of radios, MP3 players, and the like in order to prevent hearing loss and tinnitus. If you already suffer from hearing loss and tinnitus, you can prevent further damage to your ears.
Construction equipment and music have been clinically proven to cause hearing loss and tinnitus. If you work in a place where you are exposed to loud noises, you should purchase ear plugs if your employer doesn’t want to provide them for you.
If you are exposed to a loud noise and do not have hearing protection on hand, try to get as far away from the source as possible. The further away you move, the less likely the sound will damage your ears.
Taking steps to protect your ears at home and in the workplace will help you have a better quality of life.
There are many people who have experienced hearing loss and tinnitus and are not aware of it. Top five signs of hearing loss include:
- You find that you are missing out on parts of conversations when people talk
- You need to ask people to repeat things
- Your friends or relatives complain that your television/radio is too loud
- When you speak on the telephone, you can’t hear the person clearly
- You find yourself participating in group conversations less often because you won’t be able to follow them
If any of the above applies to you, it is recommended that you see an audiologist to assess your hearing.
If you hear noises in your ears that don’t exist, then you are also suffering from tinnitus. It may be a ringing, hissing, or whooshing sound.
Both hearing loss and tinnitus can be prevented by using hearing protection when exposed to loud noises, as well as lowering the volume of music generating devices. Both noises from construction equipment and music have been clinically proven to cause hearing loss and tinnitus.
If you are exposed to a loud noise and has no hearing protection on hand, you should move as far away from the source as possible. The further away you move, the less likely the sound will damage your ears.
It is also advised that you should not insert foreign objects into your ears, such as toothpicks, when trying to clean the ears. This can accidentally destroy the lining of the ear canal or perforate the eardrum, which will cause hearing loss.
If you suffer from tinnitus, you may want to try Tinnitus DX, a homeopathic remedy for tinnitus.
