Ear plugs are as essential on a night out as CONDOMS
A ‘rock chick’ developed tinnitus after going to gigs for years without any ear protection.
Jessica Berg, 31, from Newport, Wales, woke up two-and-a-half years ago with an incessant high-pitched ringing in her ears.
When the irritation was still there two weeks later, her GP referred her to an audiologist, who diagnosed Ms Berg with the condition.
Far from just affecting her hearing, Ms Berg’s diagnosis gave her anxiety and affected her self-esteem.
Ms Berg – who is fronting Action on Hearing Loss’ #DontLoseTheMusic campaign – is speaking out to encourage people to wear ear plugs on a night out.
Jessica Berg (pictured) woke up two-and-a-half years ago with an incessant high-pitched ringing in her ears. The ‘rock chick’ was diagnosed with tinnitus after years of going to gigs without wearing ear protection. She is speaking out to warn others
Speaking of her condition, Ms Berg said: ‘One morning I woke up with a high-pitched noise in my head.
‘I didn’t know where it came from, there was no big moment, no loud bang, not even a big night out the night before, but two weeks down the line it had not stopped.’
After being referred to an audiologist, Ms Berg discovered her tinnitus was the result of years of listening to loud music.
‘I’m a bit of a rock chick, and I love going to gigs and listening to loud music,’ she said.
But having tinnitus stopped Ms Berg from wanting to go out.
‘I started suffering with depression, feeling anxious in crowds, and my self-worth took a nose dive,’ she said.
‘Tinnitus was fighting me on all fronts, making everything I used to do feel impossible.’
It was not until she went on holiday with friends that Ms Berg realised she could still enjoy life while having tinnitus.
Ms Berg wants to encourage people to protect their hearing and believes she would not have the condition if she had been more careful.
‘I had never even heard of tinnitus and certainly had never been advised to wear ear protection in loud places,’ she said.