Sound over-exposure causing musicians hearing loss

When I was about six years old I would create instruments with my friends.  Most memorable are the drums we would make from a box or using the tennis racket as a guitar.  Needless to say, today I'm not a rock and roller or musician for that matter, but a listener of nearly any genre of music.  

It's almost frightening to think that over-exposure to something you love with great passion would cause your damage. Especially when that thing you love has the power to create a following, and fill a colosseum of loyal fans.  This rings true for famous hearing-impaired rock and rollers.

Basically, yes, sound exposure is the main factor behind musicians with hearing loss. It also makes sense. Sound during rehearsals can oscillate between 80 and 90 dB. Regular rehearsing under these circumstances is a considerable tinnitus risk.

List of Rockers With Hearing Loss Grows

• Huey Lewis discussed how hearing loss and Menière’s disease cut his singing career short in a recent Starkey Sound Bites podcast. (Harmonica)

• Pete Townshend has talked about his hearing loss for decades, blaming it on studio headphones, not his band’s thunderous live music. (Fender Stratocaster)

• Roger Daltry confessed in a 2018 San Diego Union-Tribune article that he is “very, very deaf.” (flute, harmonica, tambourine, and guitar)

• Danny Elfman switched to composing soundtracks after fronting his band, Oingo Boingo, which left him with hearing loss and tinnitus. (Guitar)

• Mick Fleetwood has gone on record with his hearing loss, even participating in a “quiet” rock concert back in 2005 to raise awareness about hearing loss. (drummer)

• Sting has admitted to dealing with hearing loss, but so far has resisted getting hearing aids to help. (Sting)

• Alice Cooper proudly brags about wearing “clearing aids” to help him overcome the hearing impairment he got from “55 years of blaring loud rock music.” (Guitar)

Musicians are more likely to experience an auditory decline

They’re among a growing number of musicians suffering from hearing loss after decades of exposure to loud music. The problem is especially prevalent in the ranks of boomer rockers, including Pete Townshend of The Who, Neil Young, and Sting.

Achieve Hearing & Rehabilitation is a speech and hearing clinic with locations in Plano and Dallas, Texas. Achieve Hearing offers speech-language pathology and audiological services, as well as hearing aids for children and adults of all ages. The Achieve Hearing staff includes an Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathologists that are licensed in the state of Texas and certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

Achieve Hearing & Rehabilitation has locations in Plano and Dallas.  Get answers to your hearing loss questions by call us at 972-608-0416 or learn more at achievehearing.com

Ringing In The Holidays with Tinnitus

It’s almost impossible to hide hearing loss when you’re surrounded by loved ones during the holidays. Common signs of hearing loss include not being able to hear well in a crowded room, having trouble hearing children and women, and asking family and friends to repeat what they’re saying. These symptoms became more pronounced in my grandpa during the holidays: smiling and nodding during the holiday dinner was a telltale sign that he was not able to follow the conversations.

Source: Hearing Loss and the Holidays

Do you hear a ringing, roaring, clicking or hissing sound in your ears? Do you hear this sound often or all the time? Does the sound bother you? If you answer is yes, you might have tinnitus and should contact our licensed Audiologist, Michael Gehan, M.S., CCC-A.  Michael is licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services.  Tinnitus is the number one disability among Veterans returning from war and it affects a minimum of 1 in every 10 American adults.

The NIH (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders):

• Roughly 10 percent of the U.S. adult population, or about 25 million Americans, has experienced tinnitus lasting at least five minutes in the past year.

• Nearly 25 percent of those aged 65 to 74 and 50 percent of those who are 75 and older have disabling hearing loss.

• Tinnitus treatment depends on the cause. Treatments may include hearing aids, sound-masking devices, medicines and ways to learn how to cope with the noise.

Google Trends Tinnitus Interest for Dallas - Ft. Worth, Texas

Studies show up to 50% of all veterans returning from war suffer from tinnitus.  It’s an invisible injury often linked to repetitive loud noises.  “Sometimes it’s so overwhelming you can’t focus or you can’t communicate, you can’t sleep,” Vaught said after enduring the explosive sounds of war in Iraq, Allen Vaught may have been looking forward to silence.

Achieve Hearing & Rehabilitation helps patients who suffer from tinnitus. If you or someone you know demonstrates any signs and symptoms of tinnitus please call us at 972-608-0416 to discuss how Achieve can help.

Achieve Hearing & Rehabilitation is a speech and hearing clinic in Plano, Texas. We offer speech-language pathology and audiological services for children and adults of all ages. Achieve is in-network with Aetna, Cigna, BlueCross BlueShield, Medicare, and United Healthcare. We can help obtain information about your policy to determine if services are covered under. Please call us at 972-608-0416.

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How loud is it?

In recent years, paper towels and inefficient hot-air hand dryers in many public restrooms have been replaced by cool-air hand dryers that are intended to dry hands in less than 15 seconds and cut down on the cost and waste of paper towels. Unfortunately, the more efficient, modern hand dryers produce extreme noise levels, especially when people lower their hands into the dryers’ high-speed jets of cool air.  With some high-speed hand dryers cranking out as much as 100 decibels, public restrooms can sometimes sound like a Megadeth concert. And that’s not exactly music to the ears for those with hearing-related issues including tinnitus

Source: Dallas Morning News / Arts & Life / Health & Fitness / Health

Did you know?

Tinnitus refers to "ringing in the ears" when no other sound is present. Tinnitus can sound like hissing, roaring, pulsing, whooshing, chirping, whistling, or clicking.

According to The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), almost everyone at one time or another has experienced brief periods of mild ringing or other sounds in the ear. Some people have more annoying and constant types of tinnitus. One third of all adults experience tinnitus at some time in their lives. About 10%–15% of adults have prolonged tinnitus requiring medical evaluation. The exact cause of tinnitus is often not known. One thing is certain: Tinnitus is not imaginary.

Achieve Hearing & Rehabilitation is a speech and hearing clinic in Plano, Texas. We offer speech language pathology and audiological services for children and adults of all ages. Achieve is in-network with Aetna, Cigna, BlueCrossBlueShield, Medicare, and United Healthcare. We can help obtain information about your policy to determine if services are covered under. Please call us at 972-608-0416.

Achieve a Balanced Life