Protect Yourself From Tinnitus
With one in ten people in the UK suffering from some degree of hearing loss, it seems very strange that the general public seem to know very little about tinnitus. Delennyk Richardson finds out what it’s like living with a constant noise you can’t turn off.
Tinnitus affects nearly five million people in the UK. It is usually a condition associated with old people but now it seems that more and more young people are developing it.
The EU Scientific Committee on Emerging & Newly Identified Health Risks report published in September 2008, stated that by 2020 they expect one in ten 30 year olds to be wearing a hearing aid.
One of the main ways that people can develop tinnitus is as a result of listening to loud noise and music for too long. The loud sound gradually kills off hair cells in your ear, which cannot be replaced or repaired.
This gradual damage from tinnitus is usually painless and people do not become aware of it until it is too late.
According to the World Health Organisation exposure to excessive noise is the major avoidable cause of permanent hearing loss worldwide.
Vivienne Michael, CEO for Deafness Research UK, says: "Our research shows that too many people are putting their hearing at risk by listening to their MP3 player too loudly and for too long."
Paul Clothier (aka DJ Tonik), 29 used to be a DJ in Birmingham. Paul has suffered with Tinnitus for six months.
Paul says: "Having it is, at best annoying, and at worst horrific."
Tinnitus can affect sufferers’ lives in many ways.
Paul explains: "The worst parts are the effect on my sleep, the end of my DJing, and going raving and the need to now wear ear plugs at the cinema or footie matches, as the loud noise aggravates my tinnitus."
He adds: "Tinnitus is still the first thing on my mind every day. I now can’t bear to be in complete silence, I am still on sleeping pills, and have had to give up my passion in life."
Paul also lost his job because he suffered from insomnia when the Tinnitus first developed.
Paul says: "You only get one pair of ears, and they can only take so much, some less than others."
He adds: "I’d give anything to turn the clock back."
A poll taken by The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), a charity for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, shows that 66 per cent of MP3 users questioned listened to their MP3 players louder than 85 decibels, which according to the World Health Organisation, can cause permanent damage to people’s hearing.
Rio Ashcroft , 24, from Wiltshire has had tinnitus since he was 17. His tinnitus was mild at first but over the last eight months it has got extremely bad, he says: "In the beginning it was total and utter hell"
He added: "I was a distressed, crying mess. I felt my life was over. Having tinnitus is depressing if you dwell on it. It feels like your freedom has been taken from you."
Rio’s tinnitus began after going to see the band InMe perform at a small pub, he said: "When the band started playing, it was insanely loud."
Rio’s life has been affected by tinnitus in many ways. He explains: "I am too worried about making tinnitus worse to see a live band again or go to the cinema without ear plugs. I am constantly having to think about how loud a place will be, from restaurants to shops."
He added: "I can no longer work in retail as I cannot be in a place that plays music for eight hours a day, have given up my beloved IPod Touch, have to think about how long I use the telephone for, be careful not to get water in my ears when I swim or wash my hair and not have the TV too loud."
Like Paul, Rio also had to give up his passion for music. He says: "I used to eat, sleep and breathe music it broke my heart to think I may never be able to enjoy music again without worrying about whether my ears would suffer."
Rio feels like more should be done to warn people of the dangers of listening to loud music. He said: "There is no mention of the health of your ears before you go into somewhere with dangerous sound levels and yet there are TV ads about smoking and healthy eating all the time."
According to Deafness Research UK nearly 40 per cent of young people are unaware that loud noise could damage their hearing.
Another poll taken by RNID surveyed festival goers. The findings showed that the majority of people who attended these loud events had showed signs of suffering damage to their ears.
Emma Harrison from RNID’s Don’t Lose the Music campaign says: "We know that ringing in your ears or dull hearing can be a warning of future hearing loss, the fact that 88 per cent of people we surveyed have experienced this really worries us."
Mark Edwards, 33, Camberley, Surrey who was a DJ for 16 years, also suffers from tinnitus.
Mark said: "My tinnitus is a constant hiss. A bit like an amp turned up full whack with no music coming out of it."
He added: "My ears have been popping, aching and sometimes feel like they are plugged into the mains."
Mark thinks more needs to be done to raise awareness of the dangers of listening to loud music, he says: "The trouble is loud music is fun. No one likes a party pooper but if I knew I was stripping my punters of their hearing I would turn it down."
Rio agrees and says: "If you love music, look after your ears."
FemaleFirst Delennyk Richardson
Tagged in Health