Regular exposure to sounds over 85 decibels can lead to tinnitus and hearing loss, and concerts often clock in at 100-115 dB. However, that doesn’t mean you have to avoid these fun events completely. Learn how you can stop the post-concert ringing in your ears and prevent tinnitus from occurring after your next concert experience.
Concerts are guaranteed to give you a thrill, from the energy of the crowd to the excitement of hearing your favorite musicians play their songs live and in person. After an evening of fun, however, you may also find yourself experiencing a slight ringing in your ears from loud music as you leave the venue. It might seem that some ringing in ears after concert is just part of the concert experience, but it can actually be a sign of something more damaging happening in your ears.
Tinnitus is the perception of sounds that aren’t actually there. About 15% of adults experience some form of tinnitus, and it shows up as sounds like high-pitched ringing, roaring, humming or buzzing.
Tinnitus isn’t a condition in itself; rather, it’s a symptom of an underlying ailment. While numerous conditions are associated with tinnitus, one of the most common causes is hearing loss.
Under normal conditions, the movement of tiny, delicate hair cells in the inner ear triggers electrical signals that the brain interprets as sound. One theory is if these hairs are damaged, they can “leak” random signals to your brain and cause tinnitus. Regular exposure to loud sounds, including noisy work environments and music at concert volumes, can cause that damage.
When you’re feeling this sensation, it’s only natural to wonder “Why are my ears ringing after a concert?”
The tinnitus you experience is due to something called a temporary threshold shift (TTS). Extended exposure to loud noise, like what you experience at a concert, does a couple of things: it bends the hair cells out of their normally upright position, and it interrupts both the physical and chemical processes by which the inner ear functions and therefore how the brain interprets sounds1. These changes result in a different hearing threshold, meaning that you might hear ringing or sound might seem muffled to you.
If you don’t take preventative measures to protect your hearing, the damage associated with TTS could lead to premature hearing loss. Also known as noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) , this condition affects people of all ages.
If you’ve wondered how to stop ear ringing, there are several important things to know. While there is no cure, you can still find some tinnitus relief and ease the symptoms of this annoying sensation. Explore these methods to learn how to stop ringing in the ears.
Ambient sounds like white noise can be a useful tool in suppressing the ringing in your ears. White noise machines offer users a range of soothing sound options, such as static, falling rain or ocean waves, to mask tinnitus symptoms. If you don’t own a white noise machine, appliances like fans, humidifiers, dehumidifiers or air conditioners also create white noise that may help make tinnitus less noticeable overnight and help you relax.
Just be sure to keep the white noise volume at a low level to help your ears regain their normal hearing threshold.
For many people, stress is a trigger for tinnitus, but with the help of some relaxation techniques, you can minimize its effects. Practices like meditation or yoga, or activities like watching TV, going for a walk or taking a soothing bath can all help refocus your attention and regulate stress.
Try these de-stressing techniques when your tinnitus symptoms aren’t active so you can better calm your body and mind when you find yourself in higher-stress situations.
Wondering to yourself “How long will my ears ring after a concert?”
The good news is that it’s likely temporary. In most cases, tinnitus after a loud concert disappears within 16 to 48 hours, but it can last weeks or even up to 30 days1 in extreme cases. No matter the severity of your post-concert tinnitus, avoid more exposure to loud noises that could further aggravate the issue.
If you notice that the ringing persists for more than two weeks, consult a doctor or a specialist at Miracle-Ear to analyze the extent of the damage in your ears and discuss possible treatment options.
For tinnitus or TTS to be considered “temporary,” it must resolve within 30 days. That means that it is possible for your ears to still be recovering as much as three weeks after a concert. However, tinnitus that lasts this long could be a sign of permanent damage. If you’ve been frequently exposed to extreme noise, the effects can be cumulative, causing hair cell death instead of just temporary damage.
If you are experiencing tinnitus 3 weeks after a concert — or longer — it’s a good idea to see a hearing care professional.
If you went to a noisy concert with no ear protection, there’s a good chance that you have some ear damage from loud music — whether it’s temporary or permanent is the question. Pay attention to your symptoms, take note of how long they last and consider how often you’ve exposed your hearing to damaging sound levels.
Acute acoustic trauma (AAT) is hearing damage that results from exposure to loud noises, such as a concert. If your ears hurt — maybe with an aching sensation — after a concert, you may have AAT.
It’s different from NIHL because AAT typically happens at louder decibel ranges (around 140 dB) and happens suddenly2, while NIHL comes on gradually and is typically due to exposure to sounds in the 100–120 dB range. Pain or soreness is sometimes also associated with NIHL because certain noises can cause pain when NIHL is present.
The anatomy that helps control your balance, known as the vestibular sensory end organs, is located in the inner ear where the cochlea also sits. So it’s not surprising that loud noises that disturb the cochlea and the hair cells in it (which send hearing signals to the brain) can also affect your vestibular organs and balance.3
The vestibular organs contain hair cells similar in form and function to the hair cells inside the cochlea, and likewise, when they are damaged, it can affect the signals they send to the brain. This can result in temporary feelings of dizziness or vertigo after a concert. And like temporary tinnitus, this sensation will often go away within a few days.
If you are experiencing hearing loss after concerts, it’s likely due to a TTS. The loud sound levels at the concert likely affected the delicate hair cells of your inner ear, bending them over like your hair might be blown back in a strong wind, and it can take time to return to their normal position. However, if your hair cells have already been damaged due to excessive noise exposure, they can begin to break, which permanently affects hearing.
If you think you’re experiencing hearing loss, see a hearing care professional for a hearing test.
Yes. Once the hair cells inside the cochlea are damaged enough to be destroyed, they cannot grow back. This generally happens over time from repeated exposure to loud noises.
Not only can it happen due to loud music at concerts, but it can also stem from other noisy hobbies or even loud workplaces. If you regularly ride motorcycles, hunt , do woodworking, listen to loud music via headphones, or work in a construction or factory setting, your ears are likely exposed to harmful decibel levels. Like you would at a concert, wear ear protection to prevent unhealthy noise exposure and protect your hearing.
Despite the risk that concerts pose to your ears, you don’t have to stop attending live shows altogether. Instead, take protective measures during the concert to protect your hearing. Here’s how to protect ears at concerts:
Despite taking precautionary measures, it’s still possible to walk out of a concert with a slight ringing in your ears. Nevertheless, your actions mitigate the damage, and you shouldn’t be discouraged from wearing protection each time you go to a show.
When you’re looking for earplugs for concerts, pay attention to what’s referred to as decibel reduction or decibel attenuation, which indicates how much the earplugs will offset the sound around you.
Today, there are more sophisticated options that are designed to ensure that you can still enjoy the music, just at a safer sound level. Look for options that offer decibel reduction ratings of 10 or greater. Custom hearing protection, molded to your unique ears and tailored to specific activities, can be a good investment for frequent concert-goers.
Concerts are fun and exciting ways to enjoy your favorite music and spend time with friends, but they shouldn’t come at a cost to your health. By taking preventative measures, you can avoid experiencing ringing in your ears after a concert. If you notice the ringing in your ears after loud music that lasts longer than two weeks, or if you have questions about how to protect your ears in noisy environments, schedule an appointment at Miracle-Ear.
The more you know about tinnitus after a concert, the better prepared you are to protect your hearing for the long term.
Possibly. Whether you can get permanent tinnitus from one concert depends on a number of factors. Those can include how much exposure you’ve previously had to loud noises (on the job, from listening to earbuds or headphones, etc.), your age, other health factors, as well as the decibel level of the concert and how close you are to the speakers.
If you already have some hearing damage — which you might not even be aware of — it is possible to permanently damage your hearing at one concert.
One of the best ways to care for your ears and prevent hearing loss is to get them properly examined by a hearing professional. Find your nearest Miracle-Ear store to get started on your journey to better hearing.
1 Ryan AF, Kujawa SG, Hammill T, Le Prell C, Kil J. Temporary and Permanent Noise-induced Threshold Shifts: A Review of Basic and Clinical Observations. Otol Neurotol. 2016 Sep;37(8):e271-5. doi: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000001071. PMID: 27518135; PMCID: PMC4988324. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4988324/#S8.
2 Ghazaryan V, Sutton AE, De Jong R. Acute Acoustic Trauma. [Updated 2024 Nov 13]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK609092/.
3 Stewart CE, Holt AG, Altschuler RA, Cacace AT, Hall CD, Murnane OD, King WM, Akin FW. Effects of Noise Exposure on the Vestibular System: A Systematic Review. Front Neurol. 2020 Nov 25;11:593919. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2020.593919. PMID: 33324332; PMCID: PMC7723874. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7723874/.
