After playing violin in the Pittsburgh Symphony from 1931 through 1979, and seriously studying it for the decade before then, Dad developed tinnitus so severe he had to retire. He couldn't even enjoy playing records. This is a known hazard of playing violins and violas in symphony orchestras, and I'm sure it affects the other musicians as well.

I've heard these work pretty well. If you want better than these, you'll have to look at electronic hearing protection like from Walker's for competitive shooters.

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

I have tinnitus in both ears. My right ear is the worst and it also has significant hearing loss - I can't hear any highs with it.

My tinnitus is a constant white noise sound and the right ear also has a whistling sound that comes and goes.

I've learned to live with it although I'm always aware of it especially at night. I don't use a radio or other noise source while asleep, I think it's better to give the ears a rest.

I only really started to notice it in my 40's (I'm 72 now) and that's when I started wearing ear plugs in band situations.

Nowadays I like quiet surroundings. I don't have music playing unless I'm actively listening to it. I've learned to accept the tinnitus and don't use distractions to help deal with it.I always wear hearing protection in noisy environments - even if it's just going for a walk.

When I listen to music I listen at a low volume and don't use headphones or ear buds, same with playing guitar (very low volume or even acoustically).

Tinnitus was never talked about when I played in bands. I used to get music magazines and I don't recall reading about it. If it was mentioned, I never took any notice of it.

I think that was a common attitude back then. When I started wearing ear plugs in the band I was in in the 90's, the bassist/vocalist scoffed at it, he thought it was hilarious (they did stick out so they were noticeable).

When you're not experiencing the reality of tinnitus, hearing protection can be easily dismissed as unimportant, so videos like the Mary Spender one are very important for helping to raise awareness of the problem.

Thanks for bringing it up.
Archie

DaveF wrote:

Does anyone here suffer from tinnitus ? How do you combat it ?

Yes, quite a lot.

I've had trouble with my ears since I was little, even going deaf for a period of time around 4 years old. When I started playing in a band as a teenage, I stood with the drums on my left, right next to the cymbals, and it not only started my journey with tinnitus, it exacerbated my hearing loss, specifically wrecking my high frequency response. Not long after I started playing guitar, I started riding motorcycles and wind noise just made things worse.

At a routine audiologist checkup, my doctor asked if I knew any American Sign Language (ASL); I said no and asked why. She recommended I start learning, because at the rate I was going back then, she estimated I'd be functionally deaf within 10 years. I started using ear plugs the next day for anything with a high noise floor - including driving in the car with the windows down! Every band practice, every show or concert I attended or played, every time I got on the motorcycle, even sometimes at outdoor events on windy days. Doing so stopped my hearing loss in its tracks, and since the early '90s my hearing has only deteriorated another 2% or so.

The tinnitus though ... it's incessant. I listen to music all day long while I work to drown it out. I have a noise generator at night to help me sleep. About 10 years ago I drastically reduced my caffeine intake - that helped me a lot - and 2 years ago I reduced my sugar intake, which has also helped. Increasing green, leafy vegetables helped as well. I closely monitor alcohol intake and try to get as much sleep as possible, both of which have measurable effects on my tinnitus. Mine sounds like a radio tuned between stations - static - punctuated with piercing tones on occasion.

I've participated in a few studies to try things they thought would "cure" tinnitus - including one using a magnetic headpiece I had to wear 6+ hours a day. None of those things helped much, if it all. Watching my caffeine/sugar/alcohol and getting as much sleep as I can every night have helped more.

Good luck with it. See an audiologist. Use ear plugs - mine are custom-made through my audiologist's office (they don't make them in-house, but that's where I order them) but I don't hesitate to use the little foam plugs if/when I need to. (I find them more comfortable if I'm sick or riding more than 8-10 hours.) Just a few weeks ago I lost the hearing in my right ear due to an ear infection and my tinnitus skyrocketed immediately. 10 days of antibiotics cleared up the infection and calmed the tinnitus. It's a daily struggle.

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I am fully vaccinated and boosted and would not change anything during the pandemic as I am in the high risk group. My tinnitus started right after my first Moderna shot. I asked my primary care physician about this and he said there are some studies that link the vaccines to tinnitus but much more work needs to be done to make the connection.

Happy Sunsets!

Interestingly enough, I also got the Moderna and have had a significant increase and regularity to my tinnitus.

Surfcat

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