If you’ve noticed that your ears go into ringing mode only when you lift weights, there’s a pretty good reason for this.
First of all, the ringing or annoying tone inside your ears is called tinnitus.
Temporary tinnitus can be caused by very loud noise – which often occurs inside a gym.
Between the loud crashing of metal weight plates, heavy barbells being dropped to the floor and booming music coming from overhead speakers, a health club can be one of the loudest environments.
If your ears ring only while you’re lifting weights, it could also be because YOU are the one making a lot of the noise: slamming 45-pound plates into each other.
If they’re not coated with rubber, the metal-upon-metal contact, when made forcefully as one plate is pushed into another, will create quite a loud sound.
If this is what you’re doing, stop. Push the plates against each other quietly.
Do you drop big plates into the plate racks? When they fall onto each other, the resulting noise is LOUD.
So if you’re making all this noise, remember that your ears are very close to it.
Your actions may be the cause behind the ringing in your ears during your workout.
If You Already Have Tinnitus…
“In general, when working out, you want to ensure the music in your ear(buds) or in the gym is not too loud, as loud sounds can exacerbate your tinnitus,” says Rivka Strom, AuD, CCC-A, Director of Audiology, Advanced Hearing NY Inc.
“Exercise, especially yoga, can be helpful in reducing stress which is a key factor in tinnitus,” continues Strom.
“If you are using other forms of exercise such as weightlifting and you noticed a spike in your tinnitus, you might consider a visit to the chiropractor to ensure no head/neck issues, as head/neck issues can exacerbate tinnitus.”
Dr. Strom is a member of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association and has received several awards including Brooklyn College’s Excellence In Audiology Award.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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