[TPIN] Re: earplugs/musician hearing/

[David Taylor]

To Jeanne and others concerned about their ears,
Jeanne, your idea about giving the ears a rest from sound has merit.   
Whenever you hear a sound, that sound makes it's way from your inner  
ears to your brain via chemicals called neurotransmitters.  More  
sounds or louder sounds = more neurotransmitter production.  (You can  
think of the loud sounds as lots of loud trumpets - this is the  
obligatory trumpet content : ) )

The key concept is that too much of these neurotransmitter chemicals  
is toxic to the hair cells in the inner ear.  Giving your ears a rest  
allows the excess neurotransmitters to be cleared away by natural  
processes.  If, unlike Jeanne, you have the opportunity to sleep in a  
quiet room, this will happen without ear plugs.  Other strategies to  
clear away the excess neurotransmitters include alternating loud and  
soft numbers, find a quiet place to rest during intermission, etc.

Regards,
David Taylor
Audiologist, Hearing Aid Specialist, and trumpet player
On May 2, 2007, at 4:18 PM, Jeanne G Pocius wrote:

> Here's an idea to try:
>
>   When you play, leave your ears alone.
>
> Later that night, to allow your ears to recover, use soft ear plugs  
> to block sound as you sleep.
>
> (Living near a major airport does necessitate creativity, but this  
> seriously works--even for my 98 year old grandmother who lives with  
> me!).
>
> Try it out and let us know how it works for you.
>
> It's my understanding that ear damage from loud noises causes the  
> cilia inside the ear to lay down flat, and that protection from  
> sound can allow them to stand back up again.
>
>   seems to work....
>
> Take Care!
> Jeanne
>
> Michael Anderson <manderson at okcu.edu> wrote:
>   Glenn and others,
>
> I wonder if being deaf in one ear is the same as having a foam ear  
> plug in
> when it comes to how you hear yourself internally and externally.
>
>                           Jeanne Gabriel Pocius
>   Author of *Trumpeting By Nature, An Efficient Guide to Optimal  
> Trumpet Playing*
>   Published March, 2007, by Outskirts Press
>   360 pages of information on embouchure, musicality, pedagogy and  
> more!
>   (978)317-4731
>   Email: jgpocius at yahoo.com
>   http://abel.hive.no/oj/musikk/trompet/jeanne/
>   http://www.outskirtspress.com/jeannegpocius
>   Available from www.amazon.com
>
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