Hearing loss...

[soccerballtux]

I noticed I've lost some hearing lately. It used to hurt my ears to listen to my stereo in my old 88 camry. The speakers are decent, but with the radio and especially my Creative Zen Touch + tape deck converter, I believe some of the high treble problems of MP3s were coming out...causing hearing fatigue even when the volume is turned way down.

So I've gotten into DDR Extreme at the arcade...which is a loud game...speakers 3 feet in front of you at best. After playing a few days, I don't notice this hearing fatigue from my car stereo anymore like I used to.

So I've split some of those hairs that detect the fluid vibrations in my inner ear.



Are there specific hairs for specific frequencies (I hurt the high freq. hairs playing ddr, thats why I don't notice the constant high treble) and so I most likely won't be listening to my stereo/headphones turned up too loud? Or are the hairs all the same thickness (I seem to recall this isn't the case), thus I _would_ be turning up my volume to get the same level of electrical signal in my brain?

If its the latter case, then I should try to keep the volume on my Shure E3c's a bit lower than what I used to have it at (I don't think I've had to chance the level any; which makes me think it is case 1).

so do you think its just high fluid frequency receptive hairs I've damaged or they are all the same thickness?

 

[MadMan2k]

Recording levels, ambient noise, amount of fluid/wax in your ears all come into play there. You can't really duplicate a sound level in that environment.

As to raising the volume to counteract hearing loss, that's a really good question that I don't have an answer to...
Seems to me it would make you lose more hearing because the sound pressure is a little greater even if you don't percieve it as much.

 

[soccerballtux]

Yes thats exactly what I was thinking about raising the sound level...

and about duplicating, I've got some Shure E3c in ear/earplug headphones, so ambient noise isn't a problem. For the recording level, I know what you are talking about but thats not a problem because I know the # (sound setting) at which I usually listen to certain songs, the songs I'm using as a reference. Good point about the fluid and wax stuff. I guess if I'm not sick and recently cleaned my ears out then I should be ok.

Does anyone else have any ideas?

 

[Matthias99]

If a volume level of X decibles is slowly damaging your hearing, certainly I would expect that a higher volume level would also be damaging your hearing, even if it "sounds" the same to you because your hearing has already been damaged. I'm not a medical person, though... any ENT docs hiding in here?

 

[DrPizza]

I'm not a Dr. (although, some Middle Easterners and Asians apparently think so from my nic)
But, IIRC from health class, certain hairs are responsible for certain frequencies of sound.

Here... I googled:

Many people, especially when young, can hear sounds with frequencies (pitches) from as low as 16 to as high as 20,000 hertz (cycles per second). Detection of a given frequency is a function of the location of the hair cells along the organ of Corti with the highest frequencies detected near the base of the cochlea, and the remainder of the sound spectrum detected in a progressive fashion with the lowest frequencies detected by hair cells near the tip.

Acquired deafness

If a laboratory animal is exposed to very intense, pure tones, it eventually becomes deaf to those frequencies, but its ability to hear other pitches is unimpaired. Examination of its organ of Corti reveals destroyed hair cells in a single area whose location can be easily correlated with the pitch of the destructive sound.
Similar deficits occur in humans who are exposed to intense noises for long periods. (A trained audiologist can tell by looking at the frequency response whether a patient flies private aircraft.)

And, if my physics books are correct, the most common frequencies of deafness are those related to resonance in the ear canal

 

[Teetu]

i'm not an MD yet, but I do research in otolaryngology.

I see a lot of audiograms from people with occupational hearing loss, and as you probably would guess, it's mostly people in construction. Their hearing loss is usually bilateral and somewhat isolated (i think in the 1000-4000 range).

The doctors are always talking about how us "kids" are setting ourselves up down the road for some serious hearing loss, with our subwoofers and all (mostly car stereos). I think they say the lower frequencies are more damaging than higher ones.

But yeah, turning up the volume might not be the best idea long term

 

[Vorporal]

"Teetu: I think they say the lower frequencies are more damaging than higher ones. "

That is probably incorrect.

read:
http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/hearing/hearing.html

search the page for: most damaging type of sounds is in the high-frequencies

---------
google used:
http://www.google.com/search?q=hearing+%22higher+frequencies%22+damaging

 

[nomadwind]

I think they say the lower frequencies are more damaging than higher ones.

If it's low frequency, but high amplitude, then it's just as damaging. I get restless when those cars with loud boomboxes ('boom boom boom') pass by - I don't know whether it's affecting my ears more or my heart more

 

[superkdogg]

If you know for sure that your stereo (or any other stimulus) is causing the hearing loss then it's a pretty good bet that more volume is worse. IIRC, the ear has millions of cilia (not sure if they're called that inside your ear, but that's what they look like) and hearing loss like what you're describing is caused by breaking them due to excessive vibration. More noise=more vibration=more damage. Maybe I'm wrong-it's been a few years since college, but that's how I remember it.

 

[KoolAidKid]

Originally posted by: superkdogg
If you know for sure that your stereo (or any other stimulus) is causing the hearing loss then it's a pretty good bet that more volume is worse. IIRC, the ear has millions of cilia (not sure if they're called that inside your ear, but that's what they look like) and hearing loss like what you're describing is caused by breaking them due to excessive vibration. More noise=more vibration=more damage. Maybe I'm wrong-it's been a few years since college, but that's how I remember it.

This is essentially correct. Somewhat simplified, the inner ear (specifically, the cochlea) is laid out as a spiral. Each place on the spiral responds to a specific frequency. If you listen to a 1 kHz tone, for example, a standing wave is created whose peak is at the 1 kHz 'place'. The more intense the tone, the higher the peak of the standing wave. This also has the effect of increasing the amplitude of much of the rest of the wave, meaning that areas around the 1 kHz place will also see increased activity as you increase the level of the tone. The upshot of this is that hearing damage can actually 'spread' to frequencies near the main part of the damage.

FYI, the traditional limits for noise exposure are as follows:

85 dB(A) for 8 hours
88 dB(A) for 4 hours
91 dB(A) for 2 hours
94 dB(A) for 1 hour
97 dB(A) for 30 minutes
100 dB(A) for 15 minutes
...

After this level of exposure you are supposed to have 16 hours of recovery time in quiet (less than 70 dB).

As a general rule, frequent exposure beyond these limits will cause permanent hearing loss. I don't know how loud your stereo is played, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if it were up in the >95 dB range.

 

[Jon855]

I don't complain CUZ I'm DEAF!

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

One of the most common forms of hearing degradation is constant sleeptime noise. For instance, if whoever is sleeping next to you snores, years of this can spur a trend of declining hearing sensitivity. The same also is true for sleeping with a loud computer running

AFAIK studies of this issue have only begun to take place in recent years. My fiancee, with whom I've lived for four years, has sleep apnea; thus her snoring is loud and constant. I've noticed during that time that my hearing has declined somewhat. I'm 34.

 

[YHPats]

Tell her to lose weight, then.

One thing I know for sure - ain't no such thing as a sexy hearing-aid.
They gross me out, for sure.
And I HATE people who SHOUT !