Ear fatigue by just listening to music...

For the past few weeks, I've began to notice my ears are reacting to music strangely. No matter what the music is, my ears feel like I have listened to music for an extremely long time. No matter the dynamic range or EQ of the music, my ears get extremely fatigued within a few minutes. Has anyone ever had this problem before? My headphones are Skullcandy Hesh 2's in case anyone is wondering. Not exactly audiophile, but I plan on changing that soon.

 

I don't know how loud your volume typically is, but this is usually a sigh that you need to take a break and let your ears rest for a few days. You could be risking permanent damage, ask me how I know.

 

Headphones? Can be intense for your ears if those are what you regularly use.

 

Lose the Skullcandy's, buy some Sennheisers.

 

The strange part is, I've had these headphones for a good 3 or 4 years. I never really listen to them super loud, and barely even listen to them at a volume most people would consider "loud." I've never had this problem come from these before. I've listened to these headphones for periods of up to 2-4 hours at a time before at normal and sometimes at a rather quiet volume, and never got ear fatigue like this. Should I toss them in the bin and get a new and better pair of headphones, or just take a break from music?

 

Do you have a speaker system you can listen to instead? Headphones can be very intense. Their speakers are so very close to your ears. I can't listen to them any more. Listen to speakers for awhile if you can.

 

that happens to me when im high...

 

I would suggest shopping for a new pair of headphones. I am not saying your Skullcandys are poor and you need to throw money at the situation, but a shift in enjoyment could be a sign that you need to shift to something different.

If you explore the market, try out a whole slew of brands and styles, I think you may get another 4 years out of a sound.... or more.

I also thinkGaslight is correct in that Sennheisers should be on your shortlist.

 

Do you shove q-tips in your ear canal?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Philips-X2-2...TF8&qid=1474525440&sr=8-1&keywords=philips+x2

Most comfortable headphones ever and they sound awesome.

 

Make it sooner; that's probably the source of your trouble.

 

As others have said and I'll add. Full stop. That's your body telling you something. Like shoes spend $$$ on quality your ears and the good news is you'll only have to spend it once.
Take a break from the music for a week. Silence sometimes can be golden.

 

Lack of sleep and extreme stress do it to me. As suggested try to take a break and get some rest to see if that helps.

 

I'm not being facetious, but you could check for earwax. A small amount of build-up can cause other symptoms besides hearing loss. Also, the problem could be in your Eustachian tubes. A nasal rinse can sometimes help in this area.

 

I'd seriously consider seeing an ear doctor, if this keeps up.

You've had these headphones for 3 or 4 years. You've only had problems as of recently. Sorry, I don't think it's the headphones.
I own a pair of those same headphones. Like you said, not audiophile, but they aren't horrible at all. They actually got pretty good reviews from headphone reviewers on the web. So, again, it isn't the headphones after 2 or 3 years. If you had just got these headphones, and started having issues, that would be one thing. But you've had them for a while.

Try just using speakers for a while, if you don't get any improvements, I'd highly suggest a visit to the ear doc.

 

agree, hopefully only a Temporary Threshold Shift for the OP. Take it easy for a few days and rest your ears...

 

I do wish I could rest my ears, but as a student at a high school, my ears never rest. I'll try listening to speakers, but with no increase of bass or treble. If this doesn't pass in a few days, I'll try and do something about it.

 

That is probably one of the biggest reasons I have been listening to vinyl primarily for the last few years. I can play records for 8 hours at a time and feel fine. With digital files I get worn out after an hour, headphones make it much worse.

I don't better headphones solve the problem, it never has for me. Better headphones are always a great idea but it hasn't made it any less fatiguing for me.

 

I've learned that my hearing is now affected by allergies to pollen which has gotten worse as I get older. A few years ago I started having the same issue, periods where listening to music for even a short time caused severe discomfort. Resting my ears didn't seem to help. Fortunately I have a good ear doctor who zeroed in on the problem. The solution for me is a regimen of something like Flonase, which helps reduce irritation, particularly in my eustacion tubes, where the problems seem to start. Surprisingly, I can have clear signs of blocked or partially blocked tubes (e.g. a bulging eardrum) which does affect sound sensitivity but doesn't affect my ability to equalize my ears when I scuba dive.

John K.

 

Take a break. I got out of city recently, and I'd "heard" complete silence early in the morning. I just realized that there are always some sort of sounds around us.
That silence "sounded" so good.

 

You need to see an ear doctor. The $ spent will be well worth it.

 

I was born almost 3 months premature, and because of that, my allergies were horrible when I was a toddler and small child. My allergy problems went away when I was about 10, but recently, my sinuses and allergies have bothered me a good bit.

 

Don't be foolish. Don't make excuses for something that could affect the rest of your life. If you are having ear problems make sure you get to a doctor or rest your ears at the very least. I lost hearing in one ear as a child and didn't have a choice in the matter. You do have choice. Look after yourself.
It sounds to me like you just have fatigue. If you stop listening to music for a while it will give your ears a chance to recover.

 

Good job getting out of the city! Incidentally, there is no such thing as complete and total silence. The self-noise of the ear prevents you from hearing exceptionally quiet sounds. That's why you can't hear the "hum" of an incandescent light bulb, which does hum. Years ago I lived in a place that was so quiet, the silence was deafening. Or visit a nearby cave.

I would ask, is it both ears, or just one ear? If one ear is making a terrible racket around loud sounds, it could be a hair touching the ear drum. Since it just started doing this recently, I'd guess it's medically-related. MS, for example, can cause hearing problems.

 

This can be just nerves, not your ears or headphones. I personally have periods when I just can't stand listen to any music, no matter of the volume or style - it just gives me a headache if I'm under stress or burned out/exhausted. May be just take some rest and enjoy the silence as often as you can.