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Is it possible that singing [even at a low level ] could cause a persons tinnitus to get worse.I've tried to protect myself by wearing hearing protection in my left ear but even with that I'm starting to think that singing is causing vibrations that are agitating my inner ear and making my tinnitus worse.Is this possible?
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Hi Robin,
Welcome to the forum.
I haven't specifically heard about the singing problem yet, but in principle I would say that it shouldn't matter much how the sound originates. Certain kinds of sounds could always irritate the tinnitus. But I would think that this is only a temporary sensitivity ('hyperacusis') which many people who suffer from tinnitus have for a certain phase, and which eventually will disappear again.
Thomas
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Thanks Thomas ,But I think I need to be a little clearer:When a person is singing ,even at low levels,and has ear plugs in their ears [In my case a musicians ear plug with a -15db or -25db filter in my left ear]could the act of singing cause distress on the ear nerves "from within" as opposed to sound entering from outside and into your ear?
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Hi Robin,
Unless you listen to your voice over an amplifier and loudspeaker, the sound will be largely entering the ear from the inside anyway (this is why you hardly recognize your own voice if you hear it from a recording system). In the absence of a sound system, the only sound entering your ear from the outside is that reflected from the walls of the room, and the volume of that should be rather small. So unless you want to shield external sounds from sound systems or other people, ear plugs should be pretty pointless here, maybe even counter-productive (as the ear-plugs may prevent the normal equalization of the sound pressure in your ear).
Thomas
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Thanks again Thomas,yes that makes sense.I,ve had tinnitus for over 10 years but up until now it's only been a minor problem.Recently[the past few weeks]the ringing in my left ear has increased to a more noticible and very irritating level.I believe this to be a result of my playing music in a band [even with the steps I've taken to protect my ears]and I am starting to think my singing days may be over.That is the reason for my question as I,m realizing that no matter how much I protect my ears singing in a band is only going to make the situation worse.Anyway thanks for your help.
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This is exactly the same issue I have been dealing with. The vibration from my voice while singing and talking causes a big jump in the tinnitus in my left ear. This condition has stumped even doctors who specialize in working with musicians that have tinnitus. Would be interested in any new info you may have come across in the years since this post. Thx!
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Transform, robinc & Thomas,
I was a musician from age 5.
My tinnitus started 20 years ago during singing training i.e. listening to the music in a 'walkman' and singing or doing vocal exercises.
When I was young and got temporary 'ringing' in my ears, it disappeared maybe because I was 'young'.
As we get older our body degenerates, still regeneration occurs, healing etc, but the stereocilia ( tiny hairs ) are probably the most fragile of all our body parts.
Tinnitus also occurs from within, stress, caffeine and other stimulants increase the electrical activity in out brain, in particular the temporal lobe.
There is anecdotal evidence where tinnitus occurs after a mild seizure then disappears. There are many schools of thought regarding this phenomenon.
My personal belief is that the temporary tinnitus experience means the stereocilia are only in shock.
Continued tinnitus can mean damaged stereocilia (to date I don't believe they can be repaired) or it means that something else is stimulating the sensory cell within the stereocilia, like partial or complex seizures, among other things. Once the cause is found the tinnitus may then subside.
I am however researching my hypothesis in the form of sonic and subsonic experiments which I hope will eradicate tinnitus.
I'll keep you posted.
Last edited by Harvest King (27-12-2013 07:13:53)
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Hi Harvest King,
Welcome to the forum.
The sterocilia (i.e. the hairs in the inner hair) have in most cases nothing to do with the tinnitus. The latter is caused by over-active nerve cells in the brain stem (where the hearing nerve feeds into the brain).
See the research article discussed here http://forum.mytinnitus.de/en/viewtopic.php?id=511
Thomas
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Thomas,
Sorry I disagree go to - http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/09/ … e-ringing/ . . . .'Loud noises kill hair cells'
From your article . . . "scientists have 'speculated' that it results from damage to nerve cells connected to the ears."
Also look for - Science@Berkeley Lab Across the Resolution Gap - Electron Microscope Tomography Reveals Secrets of Molecular Machines.pdf
Also Google this - 'Discovery Health Why do loud noises cause your ears to ring.pdf
However people get tinnitus even when 'not' exposed to loud noise.
All over the world great minds are working on this problem, but it is all still just 'conjecture' . . . 'speculation' . . . . guess work. If it wasn't then we would have the answer and this forum would not have been created.
I have completed my hypothesis but still need to finalize it in a formal written document and register my copyright . . . . then with your permission, post it here.
Harvest King
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Harvest King wrote:
However people get tinnitus even when 'not' exposed to loud noise.
Yes, only about 25% of tinnitus cases are caused by noise. About 5% by drugs, These are the only causes that could damage the hair cells in the inner ear. So in 70% of all cases the hair cells are certainly not damaged. Even if caused by noise or drugs, in many cases there is no damage, as hearing tests show. Yet in all these cases people experience tinnitus. Why? Because some nerve cells in the auditory cortex in the brain have been thrown out of balance by something and become over-active. The article you linked to says it as well "Experiments in the past few years have shown that the ringing doesn’t originate in the inner ear, though, but rather in regions of the brain – including the auditory cortex – that receives input from the ear". The problem lies solely with the nerve cells in the auditory cortex. They are the weakest link in the hearing system and responsible for the tinnitus. The hair cell damage (if any) only may appear as an additional consequence in some cases.
Thomas
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