Tag: hyperacusis

Protecting Hearing at Concerts

Images by Jan L. Mayes Whether it’s pop, rock, or country, amplified music at concerts is loud enough to damage hearing health. I’m an old bat in my 50’s and…
If Ears Bled from Everyday Noise Exposures

The image for this post was a graphic for a hearing health shock campaign I planned in 2017. I wanted to raise awareness about noise risk from common everyday sound…
What Tinnitus Taught Me

Yes, that’s me on the cover of Hearing Health magazine! I’m sharing some of my current coping tools after being asked to write about how having tinnitus (and decreased sound…
The Health Impact of Environmental Noise

[Originally published at silencity.com in 2019; noise risk decibels revised April 14, 2022] Environmental noise is damaging and inflicts unwanted sounds into everyday life. In 1984, Gordon Hempton, The Sound…
If Only We Could See the Damage of Noise Exposure

I was very honoured to have my article featured in Tinnitus Today, Spring 2022 issue. I discuss science from my 2021 papers published in Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, co-authored…
Airhorn Noise Joke

When my oldest child (now a young adult) arrived at work on April Fool’s Day this year, there was a noisy joke waiting for her. Co-workers rigged an air horn…
Protecting Hearing for Life

Written by Jan L. Mayes, MSc, Audiologist (Retired) This article was originally published in Communique, the Speech-Language Audiology Canada blog: https://blog.sac-oac.ca/protecting-hearing-for-life/ The theme of World Hearing Day 2022 is, “To…
Personal Listening Systems are Likely Unsafe at Any Sound

I was excited to have a second paper published in The Hearing Journal, co-authored with Dr. Daniel Fink of The Quiet Coalition. We’re trying to raise awareness about personal listening…
The Danger in Headphones

I was honoured to be included in the Hearing Health Foundation Summer 2021 Entertainment issue. My article is on the danger in headphones (and earbuds). It includes tips on how…
Too Loud Article in The Hearing Journal

I was very excited to have an article published in The Hearing Journal. The title is Too loud: Noise exposure in everyday life is causing hearing loss. I co-authored this…
Unsafe at any Sound: Hearing Loss and Tinnitus in Personal Audio System Users

This is the second of two papers I co-wrote with my colleague Dr. Daniel Fink of The Quiet Coalition. It was accepted in Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics and is…
Too Loud: Nonoccupational Noise Exposure Causes Hearing Loss

In July, my colleague Dr. Daniel Fink and I had two papers accepted for publication in Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics. Both papers are open access and free to share.…
Personal Audio System Use Can Harm Audio Health

Dr. Daniel Fink and I presented our talk titled Personal Audio System Use Can Harm Auditory Health at the 180th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America. It was presentation…
Finger Plugs Protect Hearing Health

This International Noise Awareness Day 2021, ignore the images showing people clapping their hands over their ears to block out loud noise. This doesn’t lower sound levels. Hands are NOT…
New Cover for Tinnitus Toolbox Hyperacusis Handbook

I’m updating the Tinnitus Toolbox Hyperacusis Handbook ebook and paperback cover from a blue ear and swirl to a more stylized 3D darker cover by a professional graphic designer. This…
Personal Listening Case Scenario in American Family Physician Journal

I was honoured to co-author this case scenario with Dr. Daniel Fink of The Quiet Coalition. The clinical topic is on making recommendations to patients on how to lower personal…
When Hearing Aids Don’t Work

[Revised January 19, 2024. Originally published December 17, 2020 at silencity.com.] Many people with hearing difficulties delay getting help because they’re told hearing aids don’t work. But in my experience,…
Build Your Own Hearing Protection Toolbox

I was pleased to write an article and help answer reader questions for the American Tinnitus Association Winter 2020 issue of Tinnitus Today. This is an excellent issue full of…
Midnight Delivery

Warning: This fiction story contains dark humour, violence, and coarse language. It is not appropriate for young or sensitive readers. “She’s got hyperacusis,” said the brawny neighbour. “Hyper what?” asked…
Hyperacusis & Gaming Soundtracks

Regular everyday sounds are physically painful for people with hyperacusis or decreased sound tolerance. This means sometimes we need to use hearing protection to cope when other people don’t need…
Fake Crowd Noise Poses Real Health Threat

[Originally published at silencity.com] With coronavirus pandemic restrictions on fan attendance, NFL football teams have lost the stadium crowd noise once called a home field secret weapon by the Seattle…
Safer Personal Listening

With personal listening, it has never been easier to listen to music or audio content whenever and wherever people want. But…science shows personal listening is associated with permanent progressive hearing…
MRI Testing with Tinnitus or Hyperacusis

Doctors don’t make MRI referrals unless testing is important for a person’s healthcare. But MRI testing can cause hearing loss, tinnitus, or hyperacusis. In 2018, scientists found noise levels of…
e-Cigarette or Vaping Risk to Hearing Health

When vaping a few years ago triggered a severe flare up in my tinnitus and hyperacusis as well as worse hearing, I was very worried. In 2018, I set up…
A Noise Control Cure for Preventable Tinnitus and Hyperacusis

[Originally published at silencity.com] In a 2019 article titled “Why is there no cure for tinnitus?” the authors looked at whether studies had identified if participants have a history of…
Social Hearing Protection

Websites, media and other sources say use ear protection if you’re in damaging high level environmental noise whether that’s mowing the lawn, going to a concert or stadium event, or…
Dream Machines

I dream of a machine wired brain to brain they hear exactly what I hear I dream of a machine potato head inspired ears snap off new snap on rewired…
Tinnitus Hyperacusis Awareness Facts

[I have fibromyalgia and arthritis in my fingers. Typing hurts. I try to abbreviate tinnitus and/or hyperacusis/decreased sound tolerance. I’m not trying to offend by calling them hyper ears, especially…