I have a high pitched tinnitus that I’ve been told is a result of nerve damage. (Where I got the nerve damage no one knows because I’ve had this since I was a kid and I’ve never been around loud noises that I know of.) Anyway, I’m wondering, since we lose our hearing, especially in the upper ranges, as we age, is it possible for me to go deaf enough not to have tinnitus anymore? Or since it’s nerve damage am I going to have this high pitched ringing forever? (I’m actually used to it and usually ignore it. So I’m just curious, not stressed about it.)
I have the problem as well. Mine came from jet engine noise, cannons, and small arms fire.
I addressed a similar question to my doctor. I asked him if surgery rendering a person completely deaf would make the noise go away. He said it had been tried a few times but only achieved the desired effect in about 10% of the cases. I think my question was essentially your question on steroids but I think it would answer yours as well as mine.
I don’t think you will age your way out of it. I know I haven’t. Mine was found at 19 years of age and I will be 60 in a few weeks.
[mage lang="en" source="flickr"]Noise Cancelling Headphones Tinnitus[/mage] Are noise cancellation headphones a wise choice for this purpose?
I want something to block out the noise going through my apartment walls so that I can sleep. (no earplugs; they amplify tinnitus and heartbeats). These noises include sporadic male screaming, doors slamming, music, and footsteps. Can noise cancellation headphones or ear buds be effective enough to be a worthwhile investment solely for this purpose?
I have to ask because I’ve noticed they are marketed almost exclusively to airline passengers/travelers–clearly an easier noise to cancel due to its predictability and low range.
The earphones marketed for air travel don’t completely block all sound. They just remove the low frequencies which are the most bother on aircraft. You can still hear voices pretty well undiminished. I’m guessing that they don’t let them block noise to effectively because they want you to be able to hear the flight atttendants in an emergency. This would apply to all noise cancelling headsets. If you died in a fire because you couldn’t hear your smoke alarm the manufacturer might be afraid of lawsuits. You might try the ear protectors that are used in noisy environments. You can get them in sporting goods stores and in hardware stores. They may be uncomfortable for sleeping in, however.
