We’re towards the end of Tinnitus Awareness Week, which takes place from 8 to 14 February. It’s a campaign that aims to inform everyone, whether in the DJ / music industry or not, about the causes of tinnitus and how it can be prevented.
Most people who suffer from constant tinnitus experience some degree of hearing loss. I myself suffer from a constant nagging high pitched sound – possibly because of all those years that I’ve spent rehearsing and playing onstage with my band without any earplugs, and turning up my DJ headphones and booth monitors without proper hearing protection.
What is tinnitus?
That ringing in your ears after going clubbing or DJing with very loud headphones? That’s tinnitus. It’s caused by prolonged exposure to loud sounds and music that are beyond the prescribed safe volume limit.
For some it’s an annoying temporary condition, for others who’ve been regularly exposed to loud sounds and music for much longer, it’s a permanent lingering problem.
There is no known cure for tinnitus.
Protecting your ears early on is of paramount importance as a DJ, because once your hearing starts suffering, you rarely get it back. I wear earplugs all the time now when I’m DJing or even when I go to the club, however the damage has already been dealt and all I can do now is prevent even further damage.
In the spirit of tinnitus awareness, we’d like to ask you: Do you suffer from tinnitus? If you do, when did you begin to notice it and what measures are you taking to prevent further damage? As a DJ, how do you protect your ears?
Share some prevention tips with us as well as your experience with tinnitus (if any) below.
Joey Santos
![Grimes's DJ mess-up - Lessons for us all? [Live Q&A]](data:image/svg+xml;nitro-empty-id=NjA3OjcxMQ==-1;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgMTUwIDE1MCIgd2lkdGg9IjE1MCIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxNTAiIHhtbG5zPSJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnczLm9yZy8yMDAwL3N2ZyI+PC9zdmc+ "Grimes's DJ mess-up - Lessons for us all? [Live Q&A]")
