Tinnitus and computers, is there a connection?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Skynet, Dec 22, 2013.

  1. Skynet

    Skynet Registered

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    I know this isn't the most suitable place to start a thread like this, but i wanted to post in a busy part of the forum where there is more chance of getting people to read this. Please here me out as this could help you avoid the problems im having as much as it could help me find the cause or even solution. As computer savvy users your input on this subject is important.

    I have been suffering with tinnitus (constant ringing noise in the ears/brain) since mid October. The Tinnitus started during 2 weeks i had off work and this was a period of excessive computer usage (10hrs + a day) little sleep and burning dry eyes from staring at the screen. During this time i even left the machine running while i slept 4 feet away from it. In this 2 weeks i had to change a power supply that went pop due to over use i guess. Im sure this 2 weeks i mention is the straw that broke the camels back because of how i felt during long sessions of computer usage, im really not surprised that i am having this problem now. I remember going to bed at 9am one morning with a lot of noise in my head.

    My computer aggravates the tinnitus noticeably more than anything else. When i wake up the tinnitus is only noticeable as a hiss, if i switch the computer on and sit near it for as little as 2 minutes the ringing starts. I have tried various experiments : leaving the monitor off, wearing ear plugs but if i am near the computer the ringing ramps up. My ears do ring or hiss all the time now but im sure there is a connection between my computer and an escalation of the tinnitus.

    I spoke to a freind of a freind who is a tinnitus specialist, and to sum up what he said,.. tinnitus is mostly caused by hearing damage and there is no studies that suggest a connection between computer useage and tinnitus however he didn't rule it out. He said i should test the sound levels in the room @ various frequencies with a special tool, so i will do that asap. i cant think of any obvious exposure to loud sound that would have caused tinnitus. I usually go karting but with the helmet on the 2 stroke engine sound is muffled out.

    The family doctor is useless and reluctant even to send me to the ENT. it will be my third visit to the gp before i get an appointment and months before an mri scan.

    What really sucks is i just built a rig with a bodnar wheel and he sim pedals and now i am having to keep away from it. Im not saying im 100 % sure it's the computer but be careful guy's you dont want this **** in your head.

    Any help on this would be appreciated.

    Anybody else out there using computers a lot having similar problems? What process inside the computer could effect the brain, auditory cortex or ears?

    My Machine specs:

    monitor: Dell 2007fpb
    60gb corsair ssd
    60gb seagate hard drive (from ps3)
    (looking for old psu model)
    processor: AMD phenom II X4 3200mhz 955
    motherboard :ASUS M4A785T-M
    graphics: radeon hd 6950
     
  2. RaceNut

    RaceNut Registered

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    I have tinnitis in my right ear - started several years ago and now I don't notice it anymore unless I make an effort to focus on it. I can't say what caused it - maybe due to working in very noisy fabrication environments over the years. I cannot say that I have ever noticed any relation to PC use but, use of headphones at high volume seems like it could be a factor. Last year I thought I was getting it in my other ear but, turned out to be wax buildup.:)
     
  3. Adrianstealth

    Adrianstealth Registered

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    Hiya

    Re.tinnitus

    Do you feel any "fullness" on the inside of your ear(s) ?

    Are you sure it's both ears ? Really check to see if it's one not both
    (The brain can sometimes make you think it's in the other ear as well but usually to a lesser degree)
     
  4. KeiKei

    KeiKei Registered

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    Well I use earphones and sometimes too lazy to turn down if too loud (variation between different cars). If I drive excessive time with too much volume my "basic tinnitus" will get louder (high frequency noise which is only noticable when environment is quiet - which I'm able to widthstand/have got accustomed to). With earphones it's very easy to not notice if your sounds are way too loud.

    Having some high frequency noise at the moment at right ear - probably because been using this pneumatic nailing tool all day which makes loud bangs close to my head (and more to right side). Yeah, maybe I'll use some ear-plugs tomorrow. :) Every now and then (maybe once in a month) I get this very loud tinnitus (high but not ultra-high frequency like my basic tinnitus) to one ear when I can't basically hear anything else with that ear because it's so loud. Luckily only lasts for ten seconds or so. If longer I would surely lose my mind. :)

    Does your tinnitus become unnoticable if you put some background noise on for example music, radio, etc.? But don't put too loud of course as it may make your tinnitus even worse. :)

    Don't believe any PC component would cause tinnitus (other than sound creating hardware) but then again it's very complex environment we're living at especially today as there's all kind of electric fields and waves all over the places. You could always build yourself a Faraday cage and test if going inside would make your tinnitus disappear! :p
     
  5. Skynet

    Skynet Registered

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    It sounds like it's just the left ear, but when its raging it sounds like its both ears. I cant say i feel fullness right now, but over the last 8 weeks there have been various things happening. At the beginning of November i think there was some pressure and discomfort in my head and more sensitivity to sound. The doctor says there are no signs of ear infection or wax at all. The ringing was quieter last week than previously, but increasing now i am using the comp a bit. I have taken a hearing test and got good results however they only test between 1 and 4 khz frequencies. I was also thinking about seeing a chiropractor incase bad posture in front of the comp had caused some issues with nerves ot the spine etc.
     
  6. KeiKei

    KeiKei Registered

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    Once almost tried these but then read about those being basically hoax/nonsense (they don't suck anything out from your ears and the yellow stuff is some stuff left out from burning process - not wax). I've got problems with excessive ear wax since I was little kid. Nowadays usually clean my ears once or twice in a year. Best method would be to use regularly this basically cleaned salt water:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/AUDISPRAY-EAR-CLEANING-SOLUTION-ADULT/dp/B001EH2S58

    ...but I'm too lazy. :) I know it works because have tested. And also if I go to holiday to a sea (we don't have salty water here where I live) and swimming/diving at sea will always begin cleaning my ears (small dry wax pieces dropping out of my ears). At least here at Finland we have this "medicine" remowax which can be used to soak wax softer and hence easier to wash out. For sure there are similar products elsewhere. However usually I don't even need that. Just put some warm water to some bowl or sink and then spray water to the ear canal with medical syringes (without the needle of course :)). Maybe 15-30 sprays and most of the stuff has gone out.
     
  7. Skynet

    Skynet Registered

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    When im working i cant really notice it but when at home its quite intrusive. It has changed in volume over the last 2 months, first getting louder then quieter last week and now a bit louder. Please Please do use ear plugs especially with tools and machinery, some people get it real bad and end up harming themselves or worse.

    I made the mistake of raising my concerns with my gp about the radiation and electro magnetic fields computers can give off and the two doctors i saw both basically looked at me and spoke to me as if i was a hypochondriac who didnt know what i was on about. The second doctor i saw gave a pamphlet about tinitus and told me the internet is full of misinformation about tinitus. What arrogant bastards they can be.
     
  8. Adrianstealth

    Adrianstealth Registered

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    I see

    You shouldn't worry to much as it could be many things that are quite simple and nothing to worry about.
    But my very best advice to you (may sound strange) is to book an appointment again with your doctor, don't complain about the sound you can hear but exaggerate about "fullness deep in inner ear" that seems to be increasing & you think you are starting to have mild dizzy spells but they may be getting slightly worse (+mention the buzzing pointing at the worse ear)

    Sorry if this sounds dishonest, the reason for my advice is although I'm very luckily to be fit and healthy & still fairly young & the only problem I've ever had (thankfully) is a problem that started from a mild buzzing in mainly one ear, I went to the doctors a few times just to be basically fobbed off, then after time this developed into a "fullness" feeling deep in my ear (basically inside my head but close to my ear), again the doctor fobbed me off ( & even put me down to have my ears syringed which I did go a few times ....complete waste of time), anyway moving on to the point where I basically had to exaggerate (as my advice to you) I was sent to the hospital for an MRI scan on my head but this was after about 2 years since I first went !!! , during scanning they found a small
    (thankfully small as it was caught early enough) growth attached to my nerve in my inner (inside my head) ear canal
    Thankfully it was just within the size that I could have a fairly new treatment that meant a surgeon didn't have to cut a hole in my head and remove it with blades which sometimes causes one side of your face to be paralysed and deaf in the same side ear and the possibility of a few other problems.

    The treatment was one night stay in hospital and no holes cut or anything like that, I was very lucky to get the MRI scan when I did as within about 6 months after the treatment the buzz was starting to reduce the fullness has now gone and the only thing I'm left with is a slight lack of high tones gone in that ear which is a small price to pay.

    -Treatment is basically 320 fine beams from a circle that your head is in the center, my head was positioned with clamps and scanned again then the machine was calibrated so all the beams would meet right on the point in my head so each beam was very low intensity X-ray beams but much less powerful than a X-ray but where 320 meet it's a small powerful blast to kill the DNA in a growth/tissue etc thus it dies/shrinks/deactivates etc
    But if the size of the growth (or it's cancerous ) is to large then doing it the medieval way with blades etc is the only option I am so happy I was avoided this -thanks to technology and becoming firm with my doctor who I feel would have been happy to fob me off for another two years then it would have been to late and maybe I would have felt the effects for the rest of my life (with no liability to my bloody doctor what so ever)

    Anyway don't let me worry you though remember there could be many causes most of which are minor and maybe even only temporary (you don't listen to loud music through your iPod do you? ), but I don't think twice about telling someone to exaggerate to a doctor just to get that scan -I'd even pay for a private one if it came to it.

    P.s my little growth had (thankfully) nothing at all to do with cancer.
     

  9. I guess its what ever you feel comfortable using.

    I have big BIG ears, so I know what it is like to have blocked ears with ringing sounds and wax build up.

    The Chinese ear candles work for me, as when used right, they heat up the wax and you can feel the bubbling of it in your ear.
    For me it is relaxing and a good way to just chill, its like a warm ear rub.

    The worst thing you can do is poke ANYTHING into your ear drum, the slightest of scratches inside your ear and the drum can swell and block everything which can become painful and only make things worse.

    I would suggest trying either the spray or candles, take a break from your computer and work for a week and visit the sea side or countryside. Go climb snowden mountain, that will make your ears pop and everything will be too loud.
    :D
     
  10. Guy Moulton

    Guy Moulton Registered

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    I think it's your pc but I think it is preventable. It sounds to me like something in your pc is malfunctioning and giving off the high pitched whine you hear or it could be your electrical outlet.

    make sure the noise is not coming from your monitor (I had this problem once). The power supply can make a whining noise if it going bad. A bad cap on the mobo can do it. To rule out the power outlet, use a good UPS to filter the power.
     
  11. Axly

    Axly Registered

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    Have someone else try sitting at your computer, see if they feel.the.same... Since it's specifically there, explore options based on known factors. Stay logical. Also, how.Do.you sit at your computer/rig? Sitting bad can cause massive problems eventually.

    An example, my mother has had severe pains in back of neck for years, a new doctor transfered her to eye lid surgey, since the eyelids were.starting to droop slightly, she leaned her head back, pinching nerves, causing cronic pain. Super simple solution after failed x-rays and mri's, yet super logical. Electricity/magnetic field allergy is not logical, start with the reasonable theories first, it's probably simpler than you might expect. Good luck.
     
  12. Skynet

    Skynet Registered

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    Thanks for replying Guy, but the sound is in my head and it is with me every second of the day. At best it reduces to a hissing, then builds up to a ring. But thanks i will look for malfunctioning components.
     
  13. Skynet

    Skynet Registered

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    @axly

    I really hope it is trapped nerves or something that can be fixed but even when testing with logic in mind it still looks to be something in the operation of the pc. I was watching tv 1 hour ago and it was a faint ring that i could hear, now as i sit here typing this its a few decibels louder and sounds more intense. It's not that EMF or radiation as the cause is illogical but there is not enough in the way of studies and research to back up that theory. My gp would never take my personal research seriously. There isn't a cure for tinnitus and most doctors dont really look for a cause, they just rush to the stage where they tell you thats it, you got to deal with it.
     
  14. liebestod

    liebestod Registered

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    You absolutely should wear ear protection.

    Low volumes on everything and hearing protection for any kind of loud noise. Take care of your hearing, people, damage happens in an instant and it can make life extremely unpleasant.
     
  15. Dave Millard

    Dave Millard Registered

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    Any constant loud noise will cause Tinnitus, as a kid I raced pro MotoX.. and back in the day bikes had zero noise reduction. I have also been an avid gun enthusiast since childhood, and 3 years in the Army didn't help either... another thing was the constant rock concerts, and to top it all off I was a newspaper pressman for 25+ years. I can't remember when my ears didn't have that constant noise.

    What was that you were saying again? Yes sim racing will screw up your ears if it is loud enough.
     
  16. Galaga

    Galaga Banned

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    Put your dog in front of the PC and see what happens :p

    Seriously, though, I have Tinnitus and also Menier's. It is actually very bad right now but I also have a very bad cold. I can't remember where I read it or if there is any credibility to it but it had to do with white noise aggravating Tinnitus.

    Just another thing from my experience, I had Tinnitus and hearing loss before I was diagnosed with Menier's. I was placed on heavy steroids and in the middle of the treatment had a second bout of dizziness, nausea, vomiting, etc. that I was able to connect the dots with research to determine I had Menier's.

    Anyway, best of luck and I hope you find a resolution to your problem.
     
  17. When was the last time you changed your pc fans ?

    Do you have any acoustic sound proofing for your computer case ?

    A lot of the times it's the simple things that can help, small changes can make a big difference.

    Plus it does sound like a lot of people need to unplug from computers every now and then, go chill out and try something totally different for a bit.

    Go for a sports massage and ask for a neck and head treatment, if a professional treatment is too expensive find a college that teaches massage and volunteer as a body for students.

    The benefits of a good massage is priceless, as it get the blood flowing and relaxes the muscles in the neck, which can reduce pressure build up in ears.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 23, 2013
  18. KeiKei

    KeiKei Registered

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    OK this wax heating I believe but some of those products promise the underpressure caused by the burning fire would suck the wax up/out from the ear which of course isn't very believeable statement... :)

    Absolutely! For example cotton buds are also very bad choice for trying to remove wax - they only pack the wax tighter/deeper into the ear.
     
  19. Murtaya

    Murtaya Registered

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    Doctor told me once never put anything smaller than the point of your elbow in your ear canal.
     

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