In a 2006 survey commissioned by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), more than half of high school students had symptoms of hearing loss, such as ringing in the ears and trouble following conversations.

Causes of hearing loss

Hearing loss has many causes, including genes, birth defects, and side effects from medication, but the cause of about one-third of cases of hearing loss is avoidable: routine exposure to very loud noise. Jackhammers, lawn mowers, and airplanes are obvious sources, but other culprits are hair dryers, portable music players, and other gadgets that have become part of the fabric of everyday life. In ASHA’s survey, 13% of the high school students said they set the volume of their MP3 players very loud, a habit that may lead to permanent hearing loss. Loud noise degrades the sensory cells in the ear, cells that don’t grow back. Similarly, if you loved to blast the rock ’n’ roll decades back, you may now be experiencing the effects of that damage.

The recent discovery of genes that prevent hair cell regeneration has spurred experiments with gene therapy techniques that regrow hair cells. These techniques may one day be able to reverse hearing loss.

Of course, it’s best to prevent hearing loss from occurring in the first place. But even if you already have some hearing loss, it’s not too late to prevent further damage. Wear earplugs when using noisy equipment. Moderate the volume on your stereo. And pass along this information to your children and grandchildren to help keep their world sounding crisp and clear.

Reference: Harvard Healthbeat Newsletter (http://clicks.health.harvard.edu/dm?id=CEBADACC3789B67C407CF1F756AEFB1819C226588AA0 8D5B)
January 24, 2008

I lie to myself

I don't but my husband has. Too many years listening to loud music on headphones.

I don't but my husband has. Too many years listening to loud music on headphones.

That does real damage... he should stop that.

At age 42, having been careless about protecting my hearing from loud experiences, I have discovered the tinnitus experience. Meanwhile, I also misplaced some of my hearing, which I still remember is unusually good.

So I'm lately carrying a constant reminder- a tone in my head reminding me that silence, and keen hearing, is golden. Be careful, ya hear? But even if you haven't been, don't listen to any pronouncements of permanent loss. Sense is perception, and we all are gifted with the unlimited potential to modify both with innate powers crudely described with words like autosuggestion and biofeedback.

I have "selective" hearing loss. I only listen to what I want to hear and tune out all the rest! :p;)

I have "selective" hearing loss. I only listen to what I want to hear and tune out all the rest! :p;)

My mom used to say that about my dad.......

She said he didn't hear anything until the words money and sex were said LOL

That does real damage... he should stop that.

Its what I keep yelling at him over the music he is listening to. You can be in another room and you know he has them on. Not only cuz you can hear the music, you can hear him catterwalling

Its what I keep yelling at him over the music he is listening to. You can be in another room and you know he has them on. Not only cuz you can hear the music, you can hear him catterwalling

LMAO :roflmao:

I didn't know the word 'caterwalling' so I looked it up (it's caterwauling apparently btw):

cat·er·waul
–verb (used without object)
1. to utter long wailing cries, as cats in rutting time.
2. to utter a similar sound; howl or screech.
3. to quarrel like cats.
–noun Also, cat·er·waul·ing.
4. the cry of a cat in rutting time.
5. any similar sound.

lol ;)

I propose the poll have a fifth option...What?!?!?!


=p

LMAO :roflmao:

I didn't know the word 'caterwalling' so I looked it up (it's caterwauling apparently btw):....

You cal see examples of catterwalling on the American Idol tryouts. ;)

I have slight high frequency loss due to working in a factory. I am trying to find something that reduces Plaque in the blood vessels reasoning that clean pipes will keep the cells healthy.

Try wheat grass therapy.

I would guess a lot of the loss is from the headsets. When I'm working out in the gym I can hear people's headsets blaring/booming/ hissing up to 10 feet away. Can't possibly be good for their ears.

Huh?

Maybe. Metal concerts when frequently standing close to a wall of speakers has impacted my hearing, but I don't know how much.

Well, if my hearing's not getting better, then it must be getting worse. And I doubt it's getting better.

I found this site very helpful in determining my hearings well being. Do the test and see for yourself if your hearing is doing OK or not. The test is free and takes only a few minutes, you won't be disappointed. :)

http://www.camrey.com/cool10.php?source=hearingtest

I've been listening to music for about 7 years now, feel deaf sometimes, Don't really know. Mostly people speak too softly..

I found this site very helpful in determining my hearings well being. Do the test and see for yourself if your hearing is doing OK or not. The test is free and takes only a few minutes, you won't be disappointed. :)

http://www.camrey.com/cool10.php?source=hearingtest

I sure wasn't, Thanks for the link cosmic...

I have a 20dB dropoff in the midrange. I've always loved headphones but I never turned them up loud. I went to a lot of concerts in the 1960s, when they'd bring 200-watt guitar amps and mike the drums, just to play club gigs. Then in the 1970s they kept upping the volume in arena concerts until it was that loud all the way in the back row. We thought just sticking wadded-up napkins in our ears would help, but it didn't.

Somewhere along the way I learned to use real earplugs. It's too late to reverse what's already happened, but concerts are still that loud (and some club gigs are insane) so at least it won't get any worse.

A good rule of thumb: If you feel slightly deaf after a concert or your ears are ringing, it was much too loud. Wear earplugs next time. Many bar bands play way too loud. Sit in the back and put in earplugs when you're dancing. (Many of the performers do!) And if somebody else can hear YOUR headphones, it is WAY too loud.

They're your ears, so do what you want. But if you like music you'll be really pissed off if you lose your hearing, or if you've got tinnitis so loud that it interferes with everything else.

They say that tinnitis acts as your own personal blood pressure gauge. If your pressure goes up, the ringing gets louder and/or changes tone.

* dont go to concerts
* make sure to not turn on volume high on headphones
* listen to music in moderation...allow your ears to rest just like eyes rest...
* practice good ear hygiene, wash your ears everyday...and make sure to put some oil like eucalyptus oil for disinfection

At 42, with some loud experiences, I'm sure I've lost a little high frequency hearing. But I've known about high decibels leading to permanent hearing loss since I was in my early teens. My friends used to give me a hard time when I would insist they turn the car stereo down. Within the next ten years they managed to figure out I wasn't full of it. Having a hearing test that reveals your loss tends to make you much more cautious about causing any further damage.

One that probably did the most damage was one I didn't really expect. Riding a motorcycle, even when wearing a full face helmet (http://www.freehearingtest.com/hia_motorcyclefacts.shtml) will lead to permanent hearing loss if hearing protection isn't worn. I used to wonder about it back in the late '80s when I would go for long rides, and I would sometimes make an ear plug out of tissue paper for my right ear (the side the pipe is on) for very long rides. I post this on motorcycle forums regularly, but the young guys just ignore it. Some people have to learn things the hard way. I never ride without ear plugs now.

I found this site very helpful in determining my hearings well being. Do the test and see for yourself if your hearing is doing OK or not. The test is free and takes only a few minutes, you won't be disappointed. :)

http://www.camrey.com/cool10.php?source=hearingtest

Yay, I can hear!..in fact, a little too well...

I used to keep my mp3 down really low, and berate others for not doing the same. Then I stopped. I don't know why, but now my music is always loud, mp3 or on the streo. Bothers my parents. So I'm probably doing damage.

Repo...motorcycle is nothing compared to how deaf the helicopter pilots become...

http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/6A674261-943E-43E3-A73A-17980E3C49ED/0/CAGLSNFH.jpg

Repo...motorcycle is nothing compared to how deaf the helicopter pilots become...

Hearing is no doubt a casualty of military service. I'm sure that most of the returning Iraq vets will have varying degrees of lost hearing on returning. But that is the least of their worries. Just as it is probably hard to work up too much concern over the possible long term consequences of tobacco use when you are in combat. Being a deaf old man with emphysema isn't foremost on your mind when people are trying to blow you up with IEDs I'm sure.

Being a deaf old man with emphysema isn't foremost on your mind when people are trying to blow you up with IEDs I'm sure.

lol...(i feel ashamed for laughing about this thou...)

I think you can give your ear rest too, if you sleep with ear plugs. Make sure you clean them with alcohol every time.

I think you can give your ear rest too, if you sleep with ear plugs. Make sure you clean them with alcohol every time.

well I will do that...but I dont have alcohol...I just use eucalyptus cream...smells nice and disinfects. :p

[QUOTE=S.A.M.;1724932]In a 2006 survey commissioned by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), more than half of high school students had symptoms of hearing loss, such as ringing in the ears and trouble following conversations.

Causes of hearing loss

Hearing loss has many causes, including genes, birth defects, and side effects from medication, but the cause of about one-third of cases of hearing loss is avoidable: routine exposure to very loud noise. Jackhammers, lawn mowers, and airplanes are obvious sources, but other culprits are hair dryers, portable music players, and other gadgets that have become part of the fabric of everyday life. In ASHA’s survey, 13% of the high school students said they set the volume of their MP3 players very loud, a habit that may lead to permanent hearing loss. Loud noise degrades the sensory cells in the ear, cells that don’t grow back. Similarly, if you loved to blast the rock ’n’ roll decades back, you may now be experiencing the effects of that damage.

The recent discovery of genes that prevent hair cell regeneration has spurred experiments with gene therapy techniques that regrow hair cells. These techniques may one day be able to reverse hearing loss.
Of course, it’s best to prevent hearing loss from occurring in the first place. But even if you already have some hearing loss, it’s not too late to prevent further damage. Wear earplugs when using noisy equipment. Moderate the volume on your stereo. And pass along this information to your children and grandchildren to help keep their world sounding crisp and clear.

Reference: Harvard Healthbeat Newsletter (http://clicks.health.harvard.edu/dm?id=CEBADACC3789B67C407CF1F756AEFB1819C226588AA0 8D5B)
January 24, 2008

That explains why my hearing is so good. I'm bald but I have hair in my ears

I have better hearing in my left ear than in my right.

about tinnitus (high pitched whine sound) is that the ear or the brain?

about tinnitus (high pitched whine sound) is that the ear or the brain?

WIKI...

Tinnitus is not itself a disease but a symptom resulting from a range of underlying causes, including ear infections, foreign objects or wax in the ear, and injury from loud noises. Tinnitus is also a side-effect of some oral medications, such as aspirin, and may also result from an abnormally low level of serotonin activity.

isn't serotonin a happy thing? so sad people get it more than happy people?

isn't serotonin a happy thing? so sad people get it more than happy people?

WIKI....

In the central nervous system, serotonin is believed to play an important role as a neurotransmitter, in the inhibition of anger, aggression, body temperature, mood, sleep, vomiting, sexuality, and appetite.

In addition, serotonin is also a peripheral signal mediator. For instance, serotonin is found extensively in the human gastrointestinal tract (about 90%),[1] and the major storage place is platelets in the blood stream.


Neurotransmission
As with all neurotransmitters, the effects of 5-HT on the human mood and state of mind and its role in consciousness are very difficult to ascertain.

Why is there no What?!!?!? Option?

* dont go to concertsYou can go to concerts if you use the serious (30dB) earplugs.about tinnitus (high pitched whine sound) is that the ear or the brain?It often correlates with death of the little hairs that are the sound sensors. The nerves that end in those hairs don't receive their usual stimulus. Somehow the brain or the nerves themselves replace it with a constant signal that the brain interprets as sound. It's not well understood but from what I've been told (I know a lot of rock musicians) I'm voting for the nerves.

It is not always a whine. Some people experience a sound like waves crashing, others like the insects in the woods on a summer evening. They prefer environments that are not terribly quiet, so their tinnitus blends with the background sound. A common effect is for the pitch to be low and indistinct like the above examples when blood pressure is low, and rise to a whine or whistle with a more distinct (and louder) pitch when blood pressure rises. Some people say it's a pretty reliable internal blood pressure meter.

Whatever it is, even at its most benign it's something you don't want. Take care of your hearing, starting now.

Despite having been a fan of heavy metal for a long time, and attending hundreds of gigs, my hearing is still pretty good. I can still hear high tones, and some very faint stuff, that my partner misses.

I've never used loud headphones though, I think that is far more of a danger than concerts, because it's a habit, and people expose themselves to loud music repeatedly.

I've never used loud headphones though, I think that is far more of a danger than concerts, because it's a habit, and people expose themselves to loud music repeatedly.People use headphones to drown out ambient sounds. I can't blame them. However, they make very good noise-canceling headphones now. Mine are ProTech NoiseBusters and they do a fine job of letting me listen to my music at a normal level--unless I'm at a construction site or an airport runway and I just stay away from places like that. There's no reason any more to blow your ears out just to block out the sounds around you.

....It often correlates with death of the little hairs that are the sound sensors. The nerves that end in those hairs don't receive their usual stimulus. Somehow the brain or the nerves themselves replace it with a constant signal that the brain interprets as sound. .....

so its like a phantom pain them? Just like what amputees have?

i have a bit of heaing loss, mostly due to the loud music i listen to like every hour of every day (exaggeration but you get the idea) i try not to listen to it as loud when im using headphones, but it usually just ends up just as loud. not good, i know, but the music's gotta be loud. if its too loud, youre too old haha

so its like a phantom pain them? Just like what amputees have?I guess it must be something similar. But it's constant and never goes away.i have a bit of heaing loss, mostly due to the loud music i listen to like every hour of every day (exaggeration but you get the idea) i try not to listen to it as loud when im using headphones, but it usually just ends up just as loud. not good, i know, but the music's gotta be loud. if its too loud, youre too old hahaIt won't be so haha when you can't enjoy your music because A. the ringing in your ears is competing with it and B. you have to listen through a hearing aid that distorts it.

My love of music is probably the main reason I've always been cautious about prolonged exposure to loud noises.

...However, they make very good noise-canceling headphones now. Mine are ProTech NoiseBusters and they do a fine job of letting me listen to my music at a normal level--..


I nearly bought some of those myself, when I used to have a fairly long daily commute to work, but didn't decide which pair to get, before being allowed to work from home, so the need vanished. From the reviews I read though, the technology was looking pretty sound (pun intended!), and it's nice to see something once featured on 'Tomorrow's World' (BBC science and technology program, if you aren't familiar) in the early 80's as a 'new feature' for helicopters, filtering down to the consumer market.