How does loud music and noise affect hearing?

[Mk]

Well, you know the question.

 

[Nenad]

it makes it worse. If you have exposure to loud noise and music for longer periods of time, your ear drum will begin to dampen its sensitivity causing you to go old real fast. You will damage your hearing abilities and have trouble hearing things you normally could befoure you started with the loud music.

 

[quartodeciman]

FYI
National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorder

NIDCD: Noise-Induced Hearing Loss --->
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/noise.asp

Oddly, no mention of loud music in that article. But here is something including loud music.

NIDCD>WISEEARS!: How loud is too loud? --->
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/ruler.asp

a rule of thumb: If it hurts, it's probably bad.

 

[JohnDubYa]

Has anyone checked out older rock stars' hearing? A good percentage of them should be nearly deaf if loud music really caused hearing loss so directly.

 

[pmb_phy]

I can tell you this - Back in the early 80s I went to an Ozzy Osbourne concert. I was 5 feet from a wall of speakers. I didn't have my full hearing back for 3 days. That couldn't have been good for me.

Pete

 

[LURCH]

Indeed, it is an old cliche in the entertainment industry that older rock singer's are nearly def. Talking to one is much like trying to holy conversation with a retired artillery sergeant, or one of those guys that work on the tarmack at a commercial airport. The nerves in the inner ear that detect higher frequency sound waves are the most sensitive. Overly loud noise destroys these nerve cells, which never grow back, so whatever damage gets done is permanent.

In college, my Music Theory professor told us that the ringing you here in your ears immediately after exposure to a loud noise is the sound of high-frequency nerve endings dying. It is the sound of permanent damage being done to your ears.

 

[JohnDubYa]

Indeed, it is an old cliche in the entertainment industry that older rock singer's are nearly def. Talking to one is much like trying to holy conversation with a retired artillery sergeant, or one of those guys that work on the tarmack at a commercial airport.

Now I have only talked to a few old rock stars (no one real famous, but certainly members of this category), and none of them talked at all as if they had significant hearing damage.

In fact, the only rock star I know (not personally) with serious hearing damage is Pete Townsend, but his hearing vanished when Keith Moon blew up his drum set. So I don't think he counts.

Any writer from Rolling Stone magazine or Kerrang! would definitely know for sure.

 

[JohnDubYa]

Here are some interesting anecdotes:

http://www.hear-it.org/page.dsp?page=2649

I think Barbra Streisand's problems are due to her own shrillness. :)

http://www.hearnet.com/features/feature_PSA.shtml