Can airplane noise cause tinnitus?


Can airplane noise cause tinnitus? Some people worry that the noise of the engines will damage their ears or cause their tinnitus to get louder. This is very unlikely. Many people actually find flying to be one of the times when they are completely free of their tinnitus because of the background noise of the engines.


How loud is airplane noise?

A study of noise on Airbus A321 aircraft reported levels of 60-65 decibels (dBA) before takeoff; 80-85 dBA during flight; and 75-80 dBA during landing. The outside of aircraft engines (around 140 dB at takeoff) and conditions on other aircraft may have higher or lower noise levels.


Is airplane noise bad for ears?

Noise From Planes Can Damage Your Hearing Exposure to any noise louder than 85 decibels (dB) puts your ears at risk. In-flight the volume tends to hover right around 80-85 dB, however during takeoff and landing it can get even louder.


How does aircraft noise affect humans?

Aircraft noise is intermittent in nature and exposure to it during the night may result in sleep disturbance. Noise-induced sleep disturbance refers to awakenings, changes to sleep structure such as changes to sleep stages, arousals in heart rate, and body movements.