Tinnitus

[Gin]

In this section regarding music and soundtracks, I thought it might be interesting to speak about this topic.

Well, what is tinnitus exactly? It is basically a constant ringing or buzzing sound in one or both ears, which can be temporary or permanent. It is related to hearing loss and, although it is possible to treat it to a certain extent to stop hearing it, this is usually temporary (speaking of permanent tinnitus). It is also possible, from what I read, that tinnitus comes and goes. Basically, for a while you have it, for a while you don't, repeat.

what does tinnitus sound like? Well, I was able to find this video which is pretty accurate.

Do I have tinnitus? Yes, and it's a... curious story, I guess: I grew up believing that when everything was silent, this ringing sounded the same to everyone. Yes, I was a little kid back then and I don't remember ever having known silence in my 22 years of life. I guess that helped me tolerate this disease, since I didn't think of it as a disease, but as something normal for everyone, until, at some point when I was about 16-18 years old, I read some things and thought "hey, I have this thing!"

I guess this post is more about raising awareness about tinnitus, since, well, it is not restricted to any age.

If you are younger than me, well I remind you that I have had it since I was a little kid, and if you are older than me, well it might even be a little more likely that you will get tinnitus.

So, do you have tinnitus? Do you know anyone who has it? Maybe you'll take better care of yourself now so you don't have tinnitus? I hope that something positive can come out of this for everyone.

and remember, you only have two ears. Take care of them.

 

[RageBurner]

Thanks for this. Thinking back, I never "heard silence" either. No idea why I have this, though, at least as far as hearing loss goes, I always took good care of my ears and never were keen on loud sounds or anything of the sort, so the reason must be different.

 

[Tonberry]

I have had tinnitus in my left ear for several years now. I've done multiple checks though and I have no hearing loss nor any abnormalities, so my personal assumption is that it's to do with either stress or pressure from my neck or a combination of both. I hear it the most when I'm lying in bed (probably due to the change in pressure), which makes falling asleep a hassle sometimes.

Mine is a low metallic droning sound. The only thing I've been able to compare it to is the ambience sound from the map in 'Assassin's Creed: Valhalla', albeit mine is higher pitched.

 

[bjork]

Right ear, here. Never diagnosed as such, but I can constantly hear it in that side. Sometimes I guess you can subconsciously tune it out? Because some days it's more noticeable than others. I'm assuming mine came from years of wearing headphones at work to drown out really loud floor buffers.

 

[fake-kun]

There was a brief period of about two months or so in my life when I would near constantly hear the ringing in my ears. I was worried back then that it was a sign of an ear infection or a hearing loss. Thankfully, it passed a long time ago and it doesn't happen to me anymore.

 

[otogirisou]

What's the difference with normal buzzing? We all hearing buzzing sound when in silence, right?

 

[goregoregoregoregoregore]

I mean, i hear a certain buzzing when everything is completely silence, but not even close to what it is in this video.
This video sounds to me like "CRT noise" that i always heard in my life but no one believes me. I swear i can hear the sound of a CRT turning on from miles and i find it very relaxing for some reason. I think i maybe read somewhere that this might happen to children because of how sensitive their hearing is to high frequencies but to me it never ceased

 

[Tonberry]

I mean, i hear a certain buzzing when everything is completely silence, but not even close to what it is in this video.
This video sounds to me like "CRT noise" that i always heard in my life but no one believes me. I swear i can hear the sound of a CRT turning on from miles and i find it very relaxing for some reason. I think i maybe read somewhere that this might happen to children because of how sensitive their hearing is to high frequencies but to me it never ceased

CRT whine is definitely a real thing. Nowadays I think it’s pretty maddening since I’m not as used to it as I was as a kid.

 

[SLEDGE_DOG]

I got smacked on the ear with a pool noodle in elementary gym class. Absolutely dropped me. Couldn't have imagined so much pain coming from a foam tube. Didn't know it at the time, but I ended up with tinnitus from that hit. Like a high-pitched tone that slowly rises until it's unbearably loud inside my own head. No one believed me when I said something was wrong. Luckily, it went away eventually, but wowee I am not jealous of people who have it permanently.

 

[Antilocal123]

It’s a bitch, that’s why I like having stuff going on at all times so my mind doesn’t focus on it.

Probably my own fault from listening to loud shit lmao

 

[Ian Naxieas]

I have tinnitus in both ears, but it's not as extreme as others, thankfully. But it's enough that I like to always have some sort of noise going, especially while sleeping. There's always a baseline amount I can hear though. I've gotten used to it and don't normally notice, but of course when thinking about it, it's impossible to not notice. x)

As for CRT whine, it's my kryptonite. Weren't we supposed to lose the ability to hear it as we got older? Because it's legitimately painful now. I can tell instantly when walking into a room if a CRT is on, sometimes even from a couple rooms away if there's no door. I used to hate watching TV at my mom's because she was really late in getting anything other than CRT TVs. Her big one was especially bad. I could hear it from the other side of the house and it'd give me a bad headache within minutes. Thankfully that is no longer true, phew. I do wish we had a CRT for older consoles, but I'm also worried I'd never use it if the whine was too noticeable. x) Good CRTs are hard to find and not cheap these days!

 

[Gin]

Thanks for this. Thinking back, I never "heard silence" either. No idea why I have this, though, at least as far as hearing loss goes, I always took good care of my ears and never were keen on loud sounds or anything of the sort, so the reason must be different.

Who knows. Genetics seem to play a role in tinnitus, unfortunately. So for many, that will be there at some point no matter how much you take care of yourself in every way possible. I hope it's not too annoying for you

I have had tinnitus in my left ear for several years now. I've done multiple checks though and I have no hearing loss nor any abnormalities, so my personal assumption is that it's to do with either stress or pressure from my neck or a combination of both. I hear it the most when I'm lying in bed (probably due to the change in pressure), which makes falling asleep a hassle sometimes.

Mine is a low metallic droning sound. The only thing I've been able to compare it to is the ambience sound from the map in 'Assassin's Creed: Valhalla', albeit mine is higher pitched.

It's good to know that you don't have hearing loss. From what I've read, it doesn't necessarily mean that both things happen at the same time. And, oh, a high-pitched metallic sound? I hope it's not too annoying.

Right ear, here. Never diagnosed as such, but I can constantly hear it in that side. Sometimes I guess you can subconsciously tune it out? Because some days it's more noticeable than others. I'm assuming mine came from years of wearing headphones at work to drown out really loud floor buffers.

Yes, it seems to be somewhat controllable. Although in my case I can only make it more of a high-pitched sound. I hope those headphones protected you more than they harmed you, comrade.

There was a brief period of about two months or so in my life when I would near constantly hear the ringing in my ears. I was worried back then that it was a sign of an ear infection or a hearing loss. Thankfully, it passed a long time ago and it doesn't happen to me anymore.

It's good to know that! Although now I'm used to it, it wouldn't be so bad if one day I lose the tinnitus xd it's good that you don't have to get used to this. In any case, when in doubt, go to the doctor!

What's the difference with normal buzzing? We all hearing buzzing sound when in silence, right?

Yes, we all, or so I thought as a child. For some it's like having a fly or mosquito buzzing in their ear, for others, like me, it's like having a flashbang thrown at you, but the beeping never stops. And one above says that for him it is like a metallic but high-pitched sound. It's a more interesting topic than I thought.

I mean, i hear a certain buzzing when everything is completely silence, but not even close to what it is in this video.
This video sounds to me like "CRT noise" that i always heard in my life but no one believes me. I swear i can hear the sound of a CRT turning on from miles and i find it very relaxing for some reason. I think i maybe read somewhere that this might happen to children because of how sensitive their hearing is to high frequencies but to me it never ceased

Maybe? Or maybe you do have tinnitus, but it's not that bothersome. In my case, I hear this sound quite often and at a considerable volume when everything is silent, but, since I always considered it normal, it never bothered me. It's good that what you hear at least relaxes you a little.

CRT whine is definitely a real thing. Nowadays I think it’s pretty maddening since I’m not as used to it as I was as a kid.

Yeah? And now that I think about it, it does sound like a CRT TV. I hope you eventually get a little used to it again.

I got smacked on the ear with a pool noodle in elementary gym class. Absolutely dropped me. Couldn't have imagined so much pain coming from a foam tube. Didn't know it at the time, but I ended up with tinnitus from that hit. Like a high-pitched tone that slowly rises until it's unbearably loud inside my own head. No one believed me when I said something was wrong. Luckily, it went away eventually, but wowee I am not jealous of people who have it permanently.

XD I shouldn't laugh, but it's unexpected that something like that would cause you such pain. But I'm glad to know that it was only temporary for you.

It’s a bitch, that’s why I like having stuff going on at all times so my mind doesn’t focus on it.

Probably my own fault from listening to loud shit lmao

Lmao, maybe, although it would also be a good idea to have soft background noises to calm the tinnitus. In my case, I listen to a lot of music and that helps silence the tinnitus lol.

I have tinnitus in both ears, but it's not as extreme as others, thankfully. But it's enough that I like to always have some sort of noise going, especially while sleeping. There's always a baseline amount I can hear though. I've gotten used to it and don't normally notice, but of course when thinking about it, it's impossible to not notice. x)

As for CRT whine, it's my kryptonite. Weren't we supposed to lose the ability to hear it as we got older? Because it's legitimately painful now. I can tell instantly when walking into a room if a CRT is on, sometimes even from a couple rooms away if there's no door. I used to hate watching TV at my mom's because she was really late in getting anything other than CRT TVs. Her big one was especially bad. I could hear it from the other side of the house and it'd give me a bad headache within minutes. Thankfully that is no longer true, phew. I do wish we had a CRT for older consoles, but I'm also worried I'd never use it if the whine was too noticeable. x) Good CRTs are hard to find and not cheap these days!

Wow, I feel sorry for your situation, and at least for the night, with some ambient sound you can mask the tinnitus, even just having a fan on can be enough for that. I hope you find a good CRT TV.

 

[RageBurner]

Who knows. Genetics seem to play a role in tinnitus, unfortunately. So for many, that will be there at some point no matter how much you take care of yourself in every way possible. I hope it's not too annoying for you

I appreciate the sentiment. I learned to live with it, I guess.

The first night when it became really noticeable I couldn't sleep and was really desperate - I thought for sure I'd never be able to sleep again.

Over time, though, it kind of became background noise (remember those scenes showing streets and power lines in Serial Experiments Lain? I think those are cicadas, right? that's how tinnitus sounds to me, though it's mercifully quieter most of the time).

 

[Gin]

I appreciate the sentiment. I learned to live with it, I guess.

The first night when it became really noticeable I couldn't sleep and was really desperate - I thought for sure I'd never be able to sleep again.

Over time, though, it kind of became background noise (remember those scenes showing streets and power lines in Serial Experiments Lain? I think those are cicadas, right? that's how tinnitus sounds to me, though it's mercifully quieter most of the time).

I'm glad. I guess as background noise it's not that bad in a way xd But, whenever it bothers you, having other background noises, such as a fan on, can help mask the tinnitus. It is good that, at least sometimes, we can know true silence (⁠ ⁠╹⁠▽⁠╹⁠ ⁠)

 

[CardcaptorEd2019]

I got tinnitus about a year and a half ago and unfortunately I went to a concert during the summer and it got slightly worse. For a a year or so I got used to it unless it was super quiet, but recently it's noticeable whenever I'm in bed at night or in the morning. It can get pretty annoying and I get the urge to have some sound to listen to. I've been trying to get used to it, but it certainly sucks that I can never really listen to complete quiet since I've gotten my tinnitus

 

[Parasite_Steve]

Definitely have some tinnitus and a little bit of hearing loss that I’ve amassed over the decades. I protect my ears at concerts or when playing music but when you listen to and play as much music as I do no measure can guarantee full protection. I see it as an inevitability.

The tinnitus comes and goes though and is mostly psychosomatic or due to physical stress and exhaustion.

Over time, though, it kind of became background noise (remember those scenes showing streets and power lines in Serial Experiments Lain?

Got you covered:

Mine is much more high pitched

 

[RageBurner]

I'm not clicking that or it will trigger a high pitched episode, haha.

 

[SolemnlyDoc]

I got it around age 8, I started hunting at age 6 and my dad didn't have the foresight to give me ear protection, it's been around ever since. It is very tolerable most of the time and I forget I even have it unless things go silent in a room, but occasionally it will flair up and be painful for a minute or two.

During those flair ups I've learned you can place your palms over your ears and drum on the soft spot on the back of your head here (image below) with your middle fingers rapidly for about 10 seconds to make it quiet down. Hope that helps somebody.

 

[RageBurner]

I got it around age 8, I started hunting at age 6 and my dad didn't have the foresight to give me ear protection, it's been around ever since. It is very tolerable most of the time and I forget I even have it unless things go silent in a room, but occasionally it will flair up and be painful for a minute or two.

During those flair ups I've learned you can place your palms over your ears and drum on the soft spot on the back of your head here (image below) with your middle fingers rapidly for about 10 seconds to make it quiet down. Hope that helps somebody.
View attachment 32409

Thank you, I will try this.

 

[chxshire22]

i have this because i took my hearing for granted and kept on blasting music... i need ambient noise to stay sane

 

[RageBurner]

i have this because i took my hearing for granted and kept on blasting music... i need ambient noise to stay sane

I know the feeling, though in my case I probably rolled a zero or one when creating my character on the sheet of the greater cosmos when it came to genetic quirks.

 

[King Koopa's iconKing Koopa]

I've had it my whole life likely due to chronic allergies. Sometimes I can ignore it and other times it's so loud it keeps me from sleeping. I need constant background noise to easily ignore it.

 

[Gin]

I got it around age 8, I started hunting at age 6 and my dad didn't have the foresight to give me ear protection, it's been around ever since. It is very tolerable most of the time and I forget I even have it unless things go silent in a room, but occasionally it will flair up and be painful for a minute or two.

I guess I can't be surprised. A father is not always cautious or simply unaware of many things... Or maybe he doesn't care. I hope it's not so painful.

i have this because i took my hearing for granted and kept on blasting music... i need ambient noise to stay sane

Hopefully this will become less common among younger people. What is it like for you when you don't have ambient noise? Is it that bad for you?

I've had it my whole life likely due to chronic allergies. Sometimes I can ignore it and other times it's so loud it keeps me from sleeping. I need constant background noise to easily ignore it.

What torture. Thank goodness I got used to this with astonishing ease, even though I had it for most of my life.

Post automatically merged: Feb 25, 2025

I know the feeling, though in my case I probably rolled a zero or one when creating my character on the sheet of the greater cosmos when it came to genetic quirks.

 

[King Koopa's iconKing Koopa]

I guess I can't be surprised. A father is not always cautious or simply unaware of many things... Or maybe he doesn't care. I hope it's not so painful.

Hopefully this will become less common among younger people. What is it like for you when you don't have ambient noise? Is it that bad for you?

What torture. Thank goodness I got used to this with astonishing ease, even though I had it for most of my life.

Post automatically merged: Feb 25, 2025

View attachment 32657

It's not too bad just mostly annoying

 

[NatalieZaki]

reminds me of that one Animal Collective album people hate because it just has high pitched noises the entire time