Tinnitus: the alarm bells are ringing (From The Argus)
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Tinnitus: the alarm bells are ringing
2:30pm Monday 23rd January 2012 in Comment and Analysis By Adrian Imms
After ten years of noisy rehearsals, bustling pubs and skull-crushingly loud live gigs, I was waking up most mornings with ringing in my ears.
The real problem came when, after three “nights off”, I woke to find my ears were still ringing.
I had damaged my hearing permanently. I had tinnitus.
About six million people in the UK have mild tinnitus all the time (10% of the population) while about 60,000 have tinnitus that affects their quality of life.
It is generally defined as a ringing or hissing sound in the head caused by prolonged exposure to loud noises, but can also be brought on by stress, anxiety and the onset of old age.
However, it’s not limited to an older generation. In Brighton, I've encountered a growing faction of people in their mid-20s who suffer from the condition.
I first realised mine was permanent, and steadily audible, when I was 24. And there is no cure.
On Friday, January 20, The Argus reported the case of Sue and Tony Burgess, who say years of gigs have damaged their hearing.
Andy Glyde, a senior campaigner for Action On Hearing Loss (formerly RNID) believes not enough younger people who listen to loud music understand it can damage their hearing.
He said: “We know that nine out of ten young people have experienced ringing in their ears after listening to loud music, which is the first warning sign that permanent damage could be caused. Of those who have experienced temporary ringing in their ears, only 58% understand this is a warning sign, and even fewer do anything to protect themselves.”
Brighton and Hove has plenty of music venues, clubs and bars. To go out on a Friday or Saturday night is likely to involve ending up in one.
What never ceases to amaze me is just how (unnecessarily) loud many venues in the city are. While venues frequently play music at volume levels in excess of 100 decibels (db), European guidelines state you should not expose your ears to 100db for more than two or three minutes – or risk the chance of permanent hearing damage.
It sounds a tad extreme, but put it into perspective: an office environment operates at roughly 30-40db while your standard pub kicks out about 50-60. Upping the ante, a pneumatic road drill hits on 100db. An iPod goes up to 104db.
A loud rock gig packs a punch of about 140db, which is tantamount to a jet airliner during take-off. The thing is, your favourite band will probably play for at least an hour.
A regular on the city’s lively arts scene and no stranger to loud music, Source magazine editor James Kendall also has tinnitus.
He said: “I don’t really know anything about sound levels and safety in Brighton and I think that speaks volumes. I believe the biggest danger is sound systems that aren't set up properly. I think people know they should be careful but don’t know how or think that they’ll get away with it.”
So what’s the solution? Preferably, music venues should turn down the volume. In my experience, though, this won’t happen.
Why do venues persist in playing music so loud?
A rational reason for doing so is that people want to “feel” the music through air conduction. This partly explains why bass frequencies are prominent at gigs; people want to hear them loud.
The realistic alternative is to wear earplugs, which can range from the price of a pint up to £200, depending on how seriously you take your hearing.
It’s not just live gigs and clubs kicking out the decibels. More worryingly, pubs seem intent on playing “background” music at ear-splitting volumes. But can we seriously expect everyone to wear earplugs when they go to the pub with their friends?
Ray Slinn, a hearing aid audiologist at the Specsavers Hearcare Centre in Queen’s Road, Brighton, thinks so.
He said: “Some pubs in Brighton are fairly noisy. After a while I think ‘I don’t want to be in here anymore’. A lot of people in the city are exposing themselves to high noise levels all the time. It’s a growing phenomenon in the Western world.
“It’s heavy clubbers, those who go out two or three times a week, who suffer the most. But it’s also engineering staff and bar staff, because their environments are noisier. I’m seeing people now who are more aware and who, if they want to go clubbing, wear ear defenders.”
The name tinnitus is Latin and means “tiny bells”. Startlingly, though, the condition takes on all sorts of sounds, including shrieking, screaming and roaring.
Mr Slinn added: “I saw someone who hears nursery rhymes. In extreme cases I've heard of people jumping off Beachy Head.
“Tinnitus is creeping down the ages. I believe you are what you eat – you are what you hear? Quite possibly.”
Since developing the condition, I wear earplugs when I go out.
My main problem now is the social stigma: more than one stranger has asked me incredulously through the din: “Why are you wearing earplugs?”
Hotbeans says...
7:09am Wed 25 Jan 12