Loud Music and Ear Damage

Emma Howard: Hello, we are answering questions on health and medical problems. I'm joined by Dr. Rosemary Leonard, hello. Rosemary Leonard: Hello. Emma Howard: Rosemary, I got a question here from a student who thinks that he might be overdoing it that studying at university I am regularly like to go out clubbing. Last week I wake up to a humming noise in my ear that wouldn't stop. I had my ear syringe but the noise still dint stop, have I damaged my ears through excess of clubbing. Rosemary Leonard: It's the noise in the clubbing that can be the problem and there is no doubt but excessive noise can damage your ears and it can damage it permanently so which is why when you see rock bands playing now they all have got ear, they have got earplugs in and there was a lovely picture from the lively concert of greatest Paltrow's daughter and she is wearing these wonderful pink air protectors and that's what you need, if you need to protect the ears from now on Emma Howard: You think pink air protector is not going, no clubbing of it. Rosemary Leonard: No but little airplugs because this is noise abuse as its called and it can permanently damage the nerve cells within the ear and you can get tinnitus which is this ringing noise in the ear which is very difficult to treat indeed. Emma Howard: So -- Rosemary Leonard: Yes, it may well be that this gets better with time if he gets away from any loud noises sometimes he can recover but if he carries on over a course of the several months then he did would go and see an ENT specialist and get a checked out. Emma Howard: And not humming of the both ringing in the ears or is it all the same sounds. Rosemary Leonard: It us all the same sounds where you are getting some form of sound in the air which isn't coming from the outside world and it suggest that there is damage within his ear cells. Emma Howard: Most of people are saying go out clubbing but then but they stay in the clubs for five in the morning come after three limit your time in that environment. Rosemary Leonard: Yes and don't stand right in front of the speakers either, get away from the speakers and that there should be controls now in the level of noise within these clubs because it can be so harmful to young people so it is. Emma Howard: Do you think that we might produce a little generation of people with damaged ear drum. Rosemary Leonard: Well, it is interesting that the older rock stars the ones in that 50s and 60s a lot of them have now got hearing problems and are suffering from tinnitus and the rock stars themselves are more aware of it, its the people going to clubs and the rock concerts with one sort of suffering and hopefully there will now be an increasing awareness of this problem and the volume knob will just be turned down a little bit. Emma Howard: Lets hope, so interesting stuff. Thank you Rosemary, well if you have a similar problem we hope we might have given you some help but remember it's always to best to go and see your own doctor for medical advice. Thanks for watching, we will be back with more health questions and answers.