I was speaking with someone recently and mentioned I have tinnitus. I had it from a young age but never paid much attention to it until I started listening to loud music too loudly. It really kicked in after a series of gigs a few years ago.

The person asked what it was like and I couldn’t quite explain it; it’s a high pitched single note that fades up and down. Sometimes it’s loud – usually when a room is quiet. In a loud space, e.g. a football match or an exhibition space, I can get it quite badly afterwards.

Since my chat, I’ve found this site and 8200Hz is a perfect representation of what I hear all the time.

Why am I telling you? It’s the Learning Technologies Exhibition and Conference soon and I’ll most likely be walking the exhibition with ear plugs in.

It’s not to avoid speaking to people, in fact it’s the opposite.

Having these in saves my hearing meaning I can focus more when I need to. So don’t take it personally if I don’t immediately hear you at the event!