The sudden onset of ringing in the ears can be very frightening. This is called tinnitus. The sounds can include chirping, hissing whistling, ringing, buzzing, and more.
While the sounds of tinnitus appear to be in the ears, they actually originate in the brain.
Many incidents can cause tinnitus; however the most common is the result or some exposure to loud noises or noises. The loud noise actually damages some delicate cells in the inner ear. This causes a loss of hearing to some degree, and the noise of tinnitus results. It's fairly common for people who work around loud noises to have such damage--called acoustic trauma. This group includes military personnel, police, industrial workers, and people who are around recreational gunfire or similar noises without adequate ear protection.
How loud are various noises, and what levels are safe? What we typically think of as the loudness of sound is actually a reflection of sound pressure, and is measured in decibels (dB.).
A few examples of sound pressures are:
A quiet room: 30 dB
Speaking normally with a friend: 45 to 60 dB
Alarm clock: 75 dB
Home Blender: 85 dB
In-sink garbage grinder: 90 dB
Large truck with no muffler: 90 dB
Someone yelling: 90 dB
Power saw at 3 Ft away: 110 dB
Nightclub with live rock music: 115 dB
Gunfire within 15 feet: 150 dB
Military jet plane's engine 150 feet distance: 140 dB
Large cannon within 15 meters: 200 dB
A "normal level" of sound (below 80 dB) will not damage your hearing. Prolonged or repeated exposure to sound levels above 85 dB will damage anyone's hearing. A single exposure to sound above 135 to 140 dB may cause permanent damage to anyone's hearing.
The hair cells lie inside a snail shaped structure in the inner ear called the cochlea. When exposed to a loud blast of sound, the sound vibrations enter the ear canal and strike the eardrum. Vibrations are then transmitted via three tiny bones of hearing to the cochlea, where the hair cells pick up the vibration. When the sound pressure is severe enough, it literally vibrates the delicate cells so severely as to cause permanent damage or cell destruction. Most commonly, the resulting hearing loss occurs in the higher frequencies of 4000 cycles per second and up.
Sound vibrations are received in the ear, but transmitted along the auditory nerve to the brain, where they are interpreted and perceived as sound. "Auditory, or hearing cells in the brain function best when receiving sound. For instance, when people with normal hearing are placed inside a soundproof chamber, 95% develop tinnitus within 5 minutes.
Perhaps to oversimplify, when hearing cells in the cochlea and along the auditory nerve no longer transmit outside sounds, associated brain cells search so diligently for sound that they detect the energy flow from one brain cell to another. This is thought to be the primary mechanism whereby acoustic trauma results in the sound of tinnitus.
While the sounds of tinnitus appear to be in the ears, they actually originate in the brain.
Many incidents can cause tinnitus; however the most common is the result or some exposure to loud noises or noises. The loud noise actually damages some delicate cells in the inner ear. This causes a loss of hearing to some degree, and the noise of tinnitus results. It's fairly common for people who work around loud noises to have such damage--called acoustic trauma. This group includes military personnel, police, industrial workers, and people who are around recreational gunfire or similar noises without adequate ear protection.
How loud are various noises, and what levels are safe? What we typically think of as the loudness of sound is actually a reflection of sound pressure, and is measured in decibels (dB.).
A few examples of sound pressures are:
A quiet room: 30 dB
Speaking normally with a friend: 45 to 60 dB
Alarm clock: 75 dB
Home Blender: 85 dB
In-sink garbage grinder: 90 dB
Large truck with no muffler: 90 dB
Someone yelling: 90 dB
Power saw at 3 Ft away: 110 dB
Nightclub with live rock music: 115 dB
Gunfire within 15 feet: 150 dB
Military jet plane's engine 150 feet distance: 140 dB
Large cannon within 15 meters: 200 dB
A "normal level" of sound (below 80 dB) will not damage your hearing. Prolonged or repeated exposure to sound levels above 85 dB will damage anyone's hearing. A single exposure to sound above 135 to 140 dB may cause permanent damage to anyone's hearing.
The hair cells lie inside a snail shaped structure in the inner ear called the cochlea. When exposed to a loud blast of sound, the sound vibrations enter the ear canal and strike the eardrum. Vibrations are then transmitted via three tiny bones of hearing to the cochlea, where the hair cells pick up the vibration. When the sound pressure is severe enough, it literally vibrates the delicate cells so severely as to cause permanent damage or cell destruction. Most commonly, the resulting hearing loss occurs in the higher frequencies of 4000 cycles per second and up.
Sound vibrations are received in the ear, but transmitted along the auditory nerve to the brain, where they are interpreted and perceived as sound. "Auditory, or hearing cells in the brain function best when receiving sound. For instance, when people with normal hearing are placed inside a soundproof chamber, 95% develop tinnitus within 5 minutes.
Perhaps to oversimplify, when hearing cells in the cochlea and along the auditory nerve no longer transmit outside sounds, associated brain cells search so diligently for sound that they detect the energy flow from one brain cell to another. This is thought to be the primary mechanism whereby acoustic trauma results in the sound of tinnitus.
About the Author:
Visit Tinnitus to learn everything you have ever desired to know about tinnitus. Dr Smithdeal is a former tinnitus sufferer and a board certified Otolaryngologist (ret.)
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