Continuous whistle sound, growing concern about tinnitus: “I don’t have any quiet moments anymore”

Timo Lash had tinnitus twenty years ago: “I was about fifteen. I got tinnitus from fireworks.” He now knows how to live with it, but it’s not a pleasant thing: “I don’t know the moments of peace and quiet anymore, I would like to hear the real silence again,” he says.

With Timo it is ringing in both ears, but complaints can vary. “It can be a whistling, a banging or a whistling sound,” says OLVG otolaryngologist Marjolein van Looij. “Tinnitus comes from exposure to loud noises and doesn’t go away. It’s hearing sounds that aren’t really there.”

There are an estimated two million people in the Netherlands who suffer from tinnitus. “Not everyone knows it, and they don’t go to the doctor. So it can’t be expressed exactly in numbers.” Van Looij sees more and more young people coming to the ENT department.

“The sound enters your ear from the eardrum,” the doctor begins to explain. It travels through the eardrum to three bones that then transmit sound vibrations to the cochlea. “And that’s where it’s attached. In the cochlea, the vibrations are transmitted to the brain to hear the sound. But in tinnitus, the hair that causes it gets damaged. As a result, certain tones can’t be transmitted properly and the brain fills up.” They show themselves in.”

earplugs at checkout

It makes sense, but it’s worth noting according to Lassche. He is one of the organizers of the ADE dance event that will begin next week in the city: “People should bring earplugs and put them on, anyway if they are near the speaker.” Van Looij also stresses its importance: “There is no cure, so you have to prevent it as much as possible.”

According to Van Luig, his primary responsibility is to provide information: “We can do no more than provide information and sell earplugs. Unfortunately, this cannot be done for free, because it also costs us money.” Always take good plugs with you, and invest in them.” Van Luig says.

103 to 100 decibels

The majority of members of the House of Representatives propose lowering the maximum noise level currently permitted in the Netherlands. Right now, it’s 103 decibels, according to which it should be 100. “Three decibels down means halving the volume,” says Van Luig. “So we as ENT doctors think this is a good idea.”

No hesitation. “I think it’s just an abstraction. People go to a party to feel the music, not just to listen to it.” And you want to give the people in the back the same experience as the people at the front of the room. So I don’t know if this is really the right thing to do. What we should do is pay attention to the problem. Because in the end, someone has to wear their own hats.”