Many live concerts use powerful speakers that transmit the music at extremely high volumes. Music that is too loud can cause damage to your ears, which often manifests itself as a ringing sensation (a condition known as tinnitus). Tinnitus can be temporary or permanent, though the majority of cases of tinnitus after a concert are temporary and will go away on their own.
Step 1
Protect your ears. When your ears are ringing after a concert, you have some hearing loss (which may be permanent or temporary) and your ears are sensitive. Avoid loud noises while your ears are ringing to avoid compounding the damage. Consider wearing earplugs or protective headphones to provide additional protection while your ears recover. Wear them when possible, especially if you will be around loud noises, when possible until the ringing goes away.
Step 2
Avoid tobacco, alcohol and aspirin. These will exacerbate the ringing sensation. Tobacco contains nicotine, which narrows the blood vessels. Narrowing of the blood vessels can stimulate the nerve cells in the air, leading to them thinking that they are interpreting a sound, causing ringing in your ears. Alcohol consumption puts alcohol into your blood, which can also cause stimulation of these nerve cells. Finally, high doses of aspirin can also lead to tinnitus. If you are experiencing pain, such as a headache, consider taking acetaminophen or ibuprofen instead.
Step 3
Use sound maskers. Sound maskers emit low-volume white noise. This helps distract the auditory processing part of your brain, making it easier to ignore the ringing in your ears. While this won't actually stop the ringing in your ears, it will make it less noticeable until the ringing goes away on its own. Listen to radio or television static at a low volume or place a small fan near your pillow while you sleep. These steps will "mask" the ringing in your ears, making the sound easier to ignore until it goes away.
Step 4
Take alprazolam (Xanax) or acamprosate (Campral). Both of these medications can be used to relieve tinnitus, although they should only be used for severe ringing in your ears, as they can cause other side effects. Alprazolam, for example, can be habit forming and can also cause drowsiness, depression and trouble in concentrating and speaking. Acamprosate can cause sadness and depression. It also will make you sick if you consume alcohol while using it.
Things You'll Need
- Earplugs
- Radio or television
