He may have written about cigarettes and alcohol, but it could well be Noel Gallagher’s music that has the most adverse long-term effect on him.
The High Flying Birds frontman and former Oasis guitarist is the latest high-profile music star to fall victim to tinnitus. He joins a list featuring Chris Martin, Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton and Thom Yorke that have all developed the condition.
Tinnitus causes a buzzing or ringing noise in one or both ears and can be temporary, occurring intermittently, or permanent. While not necessarily painful, it can cause real distress and severely disrupt sleep. It often results from, among other things, over-exposure to loud noise and is becoming more and more of a concern in the music industry.
In a survey by the British Tinnitus Association, it was found that 10% of the UK has tinnitus and that half of them find it moderately to severely distressing. More worryingly, 93% of those with the condition do not speak to their doctor about it, which indicates a lack of understanding and awareness about the condition. Gallagher’s recent admission has cast more light on tinnitus and helped bring it into the public domain.
Noel Gallagher began performing with Oasis in 1991 and has toured around the world, performing at thousands of gigs and festivals, in a quite phenomenal twenty-two year career that is by no means over. However, after complaining of a ‘bizarre ringing’ in his ears and undergoing a brain scan, Gallagher was diagnosed with tinnitus, almost certainly as a result of his constant exposure to those deafeningly loud concerts.
While the rock star has claimed to have no regrets, it’s worth noting that there are actually several steps that fellow performers and music fans alike can take to avoid the condition. The charity Hidden Hearing recommends ideally reducing the time and severity of exposure to loud music but, speaking as a regular festival- and concert-goer, this is not always possible! In which case, they advise wearing earplugs, available in a wide range of styles, and keeping well hydrated when either performing or raving away.
For those who already suffer from tinnitus, the charity recommends keeping busy and avoiding silence; trying to remain calm and positive; avoiding alcohol and caffeine that dehydrate the body; and moving between rooms to break the cycle of noise.
He isn’t the first and he probably won’t be the last high-profile star to develop tinnitus, but hopefully Noel Gallagher’s case can raise awareness of the condition and potentially prevent others from obtaining it. To find out more about Noel Gallagher’s condition, please read this legal blog post on the case.
