Can I have a detailed explanation for this myth?

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CrowsofFritz

CrowsofFritz

Flamingo!
"When you hear ringing in your ears, you will never hear that frequency again."

This has really been bugging me. First, you're not just hearing one frequency right? You're hearing multiple frequencies at a certain pitch.

If there is truth to this, what is happening that you will never hear a certain frequency again?
 
Never heard this one before (no pun intended).
 
I've heard that a bunch of times.. The thing is, it always seems like to same ringing pitch to me. So, if it's true, wouldn't I not be able to hear the ringing anymore? Ask the mythbusters!
 
Sound is transmitted from the ear drum through tiny bones (malleus and incus) to the cochlea. The cochlea is a coiled up tapered tube with the small end at the center of the coil. There are tiny "hairs" called cilia covering the inner surface of the cochlea. These cilia respond to sounds at very specific frequencies. The cilia at the wide end of the cochlea respond to low frequencies and the ones at the narrow end respond to high frequencies. Each cilia triggers a signal to the brain telling it that sound of that particular frequency has been received by the ear.

When damage occurs to the cilia they put out less or no signal to the brain for that frequency. The brain can tell when that happens and it turns up its sensitivity to that frequency to try to compensate. If it has to turn it up too far it is basically on all the time. That's the ringing.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
Sound is transmitted from the ear drum through tiny bones (malleus and incus) to the cochlea. The cochlea is a coiled up tapered tube with the small end at the center of the coil. There are tiny "hairs" called cilia covering the inner surface of the cochlea. These cilia respond to sounds at very specific frequencies. The cilia at the wide end of the cochlea respond to low frequencies and the ones at the narrow end respond to high frequencies. Each cilia triggers a signal to the brain telling it that sound of that particular frequency has been received by the ear.

When damage occurs to the cilia they put out less or no signal to the brain for that frequency. The brain can tell when that happens and it turns up its sensitivity to that frequency to try to compensate. If it has to turn it up too far it is basically on all the time. That's the ringing.
Click to expand...

Okay, so in short, the ringing happens when a cilia is done, and the brain shortly (or long term?) compensates?

So there is some truth to this saying correct?
 
CrowsofFritz said:
Okay, so in short, the ringing happens when a cilia is done, and the brain shortly (or long term?) compensates?

So there is some truth to this saying correct?
Click to expand...

There are many cilia for each frequency so you can have degrees of loss. Ringing seems to indicate that enough cilia for a frequency are damaged that the brain's compensation is reaching its limits but it doesn't necessarily mean total loss of the frequency.

The good news is that new studies suggest more ability of the cilia to recover than was previously thought. Rest time between exposure to loud sound seems to be helpful. I suspect exercise increases blood flow in the area and the motion also helps the cochlear fluid circulate, both of which probably have protective and healing value.
 
Meh....I also heard that masturbation leads to loss of memory, but that can't........








what were we talking about again?
 
It is certainly true that audio engineers would go "deaf", temporarily if not permanently to 1kHz lineup tone. Visitors to a tape machine room would be practically stunned by the sonic assult!

Forty years ago I spent 6-8 hours a day in a workshop where 5 -20+ TV sets were running all putting out 10,125 kHz. When BBC2 came in 15,625kHz was added to the mix and then 405 lines was shut down and all was 15.625k. From the age of about 30 I was unable to hear 15k and above which used to annoy customers complaining about excess(they said!) line frequency radiation. I couldn't fix it cos I couldn't hear it!

I am now 67* and am 25dB down at 2kHz and thence go off a cliff! I have no idea if the 5+ years exposure in that workshop has any bearing?

Reg' deef. Got the aid, batteries the lot.

Dave.
 
There are sillier names for ear hairs than cilia.
But I can't hear any.
 
I find the ringing helps with tuning... :)

Not sure if I read this somewhere...but I think even with some cilia death/loss or a single frequency area loss...the brain can compensate for some of that and "fill in the blank", like in digital sampling. It's been also said that hearing is analog on the front end, but more digital-like on the inner/back end.

I guess though if you loose enough, in huge chunks, or all at the very high end (which most do as we age)...the brain gets to a point of not being able to just fill it in and compensate.
Anyway...I don't think a bit of ringing or say, some partial death/loss of cilia would impede your ability to comprehend music or be able to mix on a decent level.

I'll get some ringing in my left ear...when I'm tired/stressed...but then it goes away when I'm rested and mellow.
Funny thing, even though that ring is in the upper end...which I guess suggest I'm loosing some hearing there...my left ear is very sensitive to upper frequencies. My right, not as much.

There's been bunch of new "remedies" out on the market lately for ear ringing/noises...and some appear to have a lot of positive results.
 
I have read about this somewhere. I notice it from time to time, above and beyond the ringing I constantly hear.

The way I understand it, you hear a really loud ringing in one ear or the other at whatever frequency, and then the ringing cuts out abruptly. That is a single particular cilia signing off for good.
 
You have to take care of your hearing. I always carry a set of wax earplugs in my pocket, and if the sound is too loud I put them in. Our ears were designed for hearing the soft rustling of leaves and the crackling of twigs in the undergrowth, not for enduring the assault of 1000 watt amplifiers. If you have any ringing in your ears when you leave a gig it means your ears are damaged.
 
Loud music isn't the only bad thing that can hurt your ears.

Driving with the window down is real bad.
 
moresound said:
Loud music isn't the only bad thing that can hurt your ears.

Driving with the window down is real bad.
Click to expand...

I have noticed when I have the windows half opened both sides, that my ears get whacked. A pressure thing I am guessing.
 
I need to get on the list for a cilia transplant
 
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