What Can I Do About Ear Noises Or Ringing In The Ears?
Are you hearing strange sounds like ringing, water running or hissing? People have reported many other types of ear noises, so they are not limited to the sounds mentioned here, and some people report more than one sound! How maddening is that? Also, the sounds might be barely heard or drive you crazy with their loudness. Sometimes the ringing in the ears is constant and sometimes only sporadic.
The American Tinnitus Association lists noise as the leading cause of tinnitus (ear noises or ringing in the ears) and loss of hearing can occur if the damage continues. Currently tinnitus is the number-one service-connected disability of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan; loud noise such as bombs, weapon fire and tanks cause immediate hearing damage because these sounds are way beyond 85 decibels (dB).
Tinnitus is not a disease but a symptom of either something wrong or going wrong with your auditory (hearing) system. The first things to consider if you are experiencing ringing in the ears are loud noises. Are you exposed to noisy levels on the job? Do you listen to your iPod or some other MP3 with ear buds? Headphones fitting over or on the ear are an improvement over ear buds but an even better choice is the noise-isolating or sound-canceling earphones. One study found that when background noise increases, listeners will turn up the volume of the music to drown out the noise, but the noise-isolating earphones block the background noise so the volume can be lower, thus helping in saving your ears.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the European Union standards recommends workers in loud environments should not be exposed to sounds over 85 dB in an eight-hour period or your ears can be permanently damaged. For example it is safe to listen for an extended period (up to 8 hours) to a dishwasher, hair dryer or vacuum cleaner noise. But permanent effects to the hair cells can occur after 30 minutes with a sound level at 100 dB or over! This would include things like a gas mower, tractor, leaf blower, rock concert, chainsaw, ambulance, gunshot and fireworks.
People often ignore the exposure levels thinking it won’t happen to me. But when they start hearing ear noises or the ringing in the ears on a constant basis, they will begin to worry. Rightly so since too much damage may already have occurred. Each time you hear a loud noise whether a one-time exposure or hearing loud sounds over time you can be damaging your ears resulting in that annoying ringing and eventually hearing loss. This is because the very tiny ear “hairs” called cilia once damaged cannot become healthy again. Tinnitus and hearing loss from loud noise can be prevented by leaving the area, using earplugs or turning down the volume.
Because these levels are over 85 dB you may want to wear earplugs when you listen to movie trailers, visiting an amusement park or concerts, and even while mowing your lawn. You may want to consider buying a decibel meter if you’re around loud noises on a regular basis. They usually can cost anywhere from $25.00 and up. Worth the price if you can save your hearing or prevent the annoying ringing in the ears! Or simply wear earplugs in a loud situation, they are easy to carry in your pocket or purse.