Which part of the ear is damaged by prolonged exposure to noise levels and how does this happen?
600087
the ear drum...it can burst and leave you deaf in only one ear.
1111180
It seems as though something is keeping sound from traveling through your ear.  It could be wax build-up, as the use of cotton swabs can push the wax deeper into the ear, eventually forming a plug.  \n\nOr it could be Eustachian Tube dysfunction.  Behind your ear drum is an air pocket - the middle ear - that is connected to the back of the throat by the Eustachian tube. That tube will open and close again when swallowing or yawning to equalize the air pressure in the middle ear to that of the environment around you. That is why it is often recommended to chew gum or suck on hard candy during take-off and landing in an airplane.  \n\nFor some people, the Eustachian tube does not function properly, and when the pressure builds up, sound can be muffled and you might hear noises (like ringing) in your ears.  If the pressure does not resolve, it can lead to a build up of fluid behind the eardrum, which restricts its movement even more.\n\nIf your eustachian tubes are not functioning properly, which can be due to upper respiratory ailments like allergies, or a cold, or sore throat; and the pressure can be quite painful.  Some people take antihistamines and/or decongestants to keep the upper respiratory system clear. \n\nIf the pressure persists, you could try to force some air into the middle ear by holding your breath (pinch your nose if needed) and blowing gently and steadily for a few seconds to force air pressure through the Eustachian tubes into the middle ear.  This is called a ValSalva maneuver -- be careful not to blow too hard or you could damage your ears.\n\nIf you have any other symptoms, like significant hearing loss, humming/buzzing sounds, dizziness/spinning, fever, or drainage from the ear, see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist.
1024504
ringing in the ears is called Tinnitus \n\nCauses for Tinnitus or ringing in the ear: \n\nAge-related tinnitus causes - hearing loss (presbycusis) occurring usually around age 60. \n\nTrauma-related tinnitus causes - damage to the inner ear (could result from excessive exposure to loud sound). \n\nLong-term use of medications such as aspirin (in large doses), quinine (used in treatment of malaria), antibiotics and anti-inflammatory can be tinnitus causes. Often the unwanted noises disappear once the drugs are discontinued. \n\nTemporomandibular joint problems (jaw disorders resulting in clicking or grating noises) can be one of the tinnitus causes. \n\nOtosclerosis (stiffening of the bones in the middle ear). \n\nTrauma or injury to the head or neck can be a tinnitus cause. \n\nEar wax – Buildup of excess wax in the ear can reduce your ability to hear outside noises, and can be tinnitus causes by causing you to hear internal noises better. \n\nEar infection – If an infection reduces your ability to hear outside noises, you are more likely to hear the noises related to Tinnitus. \n\nAtherosclerosis – Buildup of cholesterol and other fatty deposits causes tinnitus by causing the middle and inner ear to loose its elasticity which causes the blood flow to become more forceful which makes it easier for the ear to detect the beats. \n\nHigh blood pressure – High blood pressure and factors that increase the blood pressure such as stress, alcohol and caffeine are tinnitus causes and can make the sounds more noticeable. \n\nFood--Specific foods may trigger tinnitus. Problem foods include red wine, grain-based spirits, cheese, and chocolate. Tinnitus may also be caused by foods rich in salicylates (the same ingredient as in aspirin, which also causes tinnitus when taken in large amounts).  \n\nGrowths/tumors--Acoustic neuromas, glomous tumors, otosclerosis may all be tinnitus causes. Surgery may be recommended. \n\nStress--Stress is not a direct cause of tinnitus, but it may generally make an already existing case worse. \n\nSince tinnitus might be a symptom of another health problem, see your doctor for any hearing concerns.  Caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, aspirin, antihistamines, and prescription or even over-the-counter medications can aggravate existing tinnitus and are tinnitus causes.  Although there remains no cure, tinnitus symptoms can be overcome.  RingStop is designed to safely relieve and prevent tinnitus and ear noise symptoms.
906353
Streptomycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic, and this group can cause cohlear damage and deafness
1149294
squeaky sounds like brakes, scratching the black-board have very high frequencies. Human ear has an ear-drum which vibrates at same frequency as incoming sound waves. so high frequency sounds cause discomfort within our ears.
127487
The cerumen glands. See the reference.
1081308
Unlikely to have done permanent damage but definately worth having them checked out. Hopefully you are just suffering short term effects.\n\nThere is a guy recorded in the Darwin awards who died as a result of noise level from a rock concert  - But he was too mean to buy a ticket and hid INSIDE a speaker!!!
905972
Wow! God bless you. I am only slightly familiar with this terrible condition as I only suffer from this at night when I'm about to fall asleep. My husband also has a mild case because when in Iraq he suffered an IED attack that damaged his earring. He went through extensive surgery, but this is the final outcome for him. Your case sounds alot more intense than any other I've heard of. I can't imagine living with that for 10 years. The only thing I could suggest for you would be to research clinics or hospitals around the country that specialize in this type of condition. Maybe they can offer you some hope. Well good luck to you and God Bless! :)
656767
You may have developed what's known as hypersensitive hearing. Unless it really bothers you alot, don't worry, it will likely go away. Sometimes medications can cause it, or even some illnesses in various phases. I experience this once in awhile, actually when my medication is not working so well. It's annoying at times, but kind of neat at other times. I've learned to enjoy the cocophony of sounds that I can hear.
25361
No they donot.\n\nUsing headphones at a sufficiently high volume level causes temporary or permanent hearing impairment or deafness. Other risks arise from the reduced awareness of external sounds — some jurisdictions regulate the use of headphones while driving vehicles. Also, most European countries have imposed high penalties since 2002 on drivers not using a headset while operating a mobile phone in a car, to ensure that drivers keep their hands on the vehicle's controls.\n\nusing them for a long time might cause bacterial growth in the ears
833011
I have tinnitis. I lost it in the service working around helicopters. It is very annoying being 26. I also have high frequency loss in both ears, 6500K to 8000K. I have a tinnitis masker it makes white noise in my ear, and it is also a hearing aide cause it blocks sound with the "old style hearing aide" in my ear. \n\nThe constant ringing: lets see it makes it hard to go to sleep, some tv's annoy me cause of the increased ringing it causes in my ears. The doctor tells me if i wear my masker religously after 10 to 15 years, sometimes one can train the brain to not hear the ringing and only the white noise. Since i am only in a few years, I cant answer that well at all. Hearing loss is irreversible! Once damage is done it is done. I have dead spots where if people come up from behind me, i can't even hear them talking, which often spooks me and sometimes I have acutally hit them. \nIf you shoot guns a lot, usually you will get it in the left ear more so than the right. Wearing hearing protection for anything over 80 decibles is what keeps ones hearing good. If i dont use ear protection when using the vacuum, it makes my ringing in my ears louder and this takes several days to dissapate down to its "normal" level again.  Getting my teeth cleaned at the dentist with the ultra sonic cleaners.. OUCH! sends my ears into major ringing even with ear plugs... the high vibrations are transferred through my jaws to my ears. Anyways, if you want to talk about this, ya can IM me.. duhibrokeit2000. Wish ya luck, and sorry you have this as well.
1116046
It may be a sign of tinnitus, a ear infection, that causes hear loss, it may just be in your head, you should defiently stay away from loud noises, if you have a MP3 player, IPOD, or any other electronic device that is in direct contact to your ear try to turn it down, at loud concerts, use semitransment earplugs. Get your doctor involved, get a checkup.\n\nClick on the link below to find out more about tinnitus.\n\n(i deserve a best answer for this)
129300
It can permanently damage your hearing if you listen to very loud music.  If your ears are ringing afterwards, you should tone it down a little.
358369
Quite simply, yes.  I have some authority on this subject, as I used to be an acoustics consultant.\nWhen the eardrums are subject to this kind of assault, they can take a long time to recover after the sound has stopped.  A typical reaction is a ringing in the ears, which take literally take hours to fade away.  During this time, other sounds may not be clear.\nContinued / repeated exposure to excessively loud noise can result in the ears never being able to return to their 'normal' level - i.e. a level of deafness.\nIf people want to show off their cars, they could have some spectacular artwork painted on it.  This is something people could admire, instead of being subjected to ridiculous blasts of unwanted noise that really will produce the risk of deafness for the occupants. <End of rant>
933822
The auditory canal is part or the outer ear (which also includes the part of your ear that you can see (the pinna) and the tube which leads to the eardrum. It is where earwax is excreted. Ear wax helps protect the ear canal from small foreign bodies by pushing them out. The eardrum is the three-layer thick membrane between your ear canal and the middle ear. It moves in response to sound and wiggles the bones in your middle ear. The middle ear is where the bones,( in layman's terms), called the hammer, anvil, and stirrup are. This is the location of most ear infections in children. The cochlea is part of the inner ear, and it is the snail-shaped organ that turns the mechanical part of hearing into the nerve impulses to the brainstem and the brain via the auditory nerve..
427994
I read all the previous answers and agree with most that it may be incurable as it is the sign of hearing damage usually due to loud noises (music, concerts, bands, and often in men, the use of many power tools.) I think it is important that you use ear protection even when mowing the lawn to help prevent further problems. Those squeezable earplugs are good. \nI have used ear protection for years even at concerts. I discretely put some silicon earplugs in and loosen them just enough to hear and enjoy the music but not leave with my ears ringing. I hope they do find a cure for tinnitus as so many people suffer from it and the upcoming generation likes everything even louder, not realizing the consequences.
438420
Hi,\n\nHope You and family are fine.\n\nThere can 2 things.\n\n1. Tinnitus : Best described as an acoustic like feeling generated somewhere in the human body. Objective Tinnitus can be heard by the patient and the by the examiner.  It may be caused by spasms-like movement of the small bones in the middle ear, spontaneous movement of the soft palate and sometimes by sounds generated in the cochlea (where the hearing nerves are located.) Subjective tinnitus is best defined as an acoustic-like sensation that is heard only by the patient and not by anyone else. Its cause lies somewhere in the auditory system.\n\nBut it should be persistant, in Your case I its not persistent and only occur while You are walking then it may be SEISMIC EFFECT, That is walking itself produces a jarring motion that may create movement of the small bones or contractions muscles in the middle ear.\n\nIn order to test this hypothesis, consider doing the following: I) Walk slowly (with minimal jarring) and determine if the clicking sensation is present. 2) Then walk at your normal pace and determine if the clicking returns. 3) Move head up and down slowly and notice if the clicking is absent or present. 4). Then, vigorously, move your head up and down and determine if the clicking sound returns.\n\nAnother suggestion is to do the following: If you use hearing aids, take them off and then walk a brief distance and see if the clicking occurs. Put them on and follow the same procedure. If there is no clicking when the hearing aids are not worn, and it is present when they are, it is quite possible that the seismic effect is causing the problem. \n\nAt any rate, what you are describing does not appear to be a harbinger of something that should be of great concern. However, if it is a constant concern, by all means consult an ear specialist.\n\nA word of caution: Regardless of the cause of the perceived sound, even though it is benign, constant, negative attention to that sound can create emotional disturbance. If a medical examination finds no evidence of a physical or medical problem, then be assured the clicking sound offers no threat to the quality of life. \n\nHope that answers Your question.\n\nWarm regards,\n\nTanvir.