Bluetooth is making me sick.
June 3, 2008 4:46 PM Subscribe
Why does my Bluetooth earpiece make me nauseous?
I recently got a Bluetooth earpiece for my cell phone, when my state made driving and talking on a handheld cell phone a primary offense. I don't use it terribly often, and only when I'm driving. I've found that when I'm talking on it, I feel sick to my stomach. I have no problem listening to someone on the other end; it's only when I'm speaking that I feel ill. I never had this problem when talking on my cell phone and driving prior to getting the earpiece, or when using a wired earpiece and driving.
Has anyone else noticed this same phenomenon? What could be causing it?
Please don't harangue me for driving and talking on my cell phone. Like I said, it's infrequent, and anyway it's not what I'm asking about.
I recently got a Bluetooth earpiece for my cell phone, when my state made driving and talking on a handheld cell phone a primary offense. I don't use it terribly often, and only when I'm driving. I've found that when I'm talking on it, I feel sick to my stomach. I have no problem listening to someone on the other end; it's only when I'm speaking that I feel ill. I never had this problem when talking on my cell phone and driving prior to getting the earpiece, or when using a wired earpiece and driving.
Has anyone else noticed this same phenomenon? What could be causing it?
Please don't harangue me for driving and talking on my cell phone. Like I said, it's infrequent, and anyway it's not what I'm asking about.
Do you have the kind that fits directly within your ear, or one that kind of just sits over your ear? I've had problems with the first kind before.
Please don't harangue me for driving and talking on my cell phone.
I thought that was the main point of having a Bluetooth headset in the first place!
posted by me & my monkey at 5:39 PM on June 3, 2008
Please don't harangue me for driving and talking on my cell phone.
I thought that was the main point of having a Bluetooth headset in the first place!
posted by me & my monkey at 5:39 PM on June 3, 2008
I don't know anything about this, but a guess is that you could be hitting a pressure point on your ear as your jaw is moving.
posted by jazzman at 5:40 PM on June 3, 2008
posted by jazzman at 5:40 PM on June 3, 2008
Stimulating the vagus nerve, which you can do by poking things in your ear, causes nausea. I'm wondering if with the earpiece sticking in your ear, perhaps the movement of your jaw as you speak, is enough to cause this effect.
posted by roofus at 5:41 PM on June 3, 2008
posted by roofus at 5:41 PM on June 3, 2008
Response by poster: Huh. I do have TMJ. I wonder if that could have anything to do with it. Interesting.
posted by amro at 5:54 PM on June 3, 2008
posted by amro at 5:54 PM on June 3, 2008
Response by poster: Oh, and I have the kind that sits in your ear.
posted by amro at 5:55 PM on June 3, 2008
posted by amro at 5:55 PM on June 3, 2008
If you do end up buying another one, since you want to use it while driving, avoid a model that can't be made not to intermittently double-flash blue while in use... those give me panic attacks. :)
posted by ecsh at 7:37 PM on June 3, 2008
posted by ecsh at 7:37 PM on June 3, 2008
If you really only use this for driving, you might consider getting a Bluetooth car speakerphone. This would avoid the problem altogether, and the people I know who have these are quite happy with them.
posted by me & my monkey at 8:07 PM on June 3, 2008
posted by me & my monkey at 8:07 PM on June 3, 2008
Could it be that when you're speaking your concentration shifts and allows the car to rock gently from side to side. (As a result of your natural gesturing as you speak perhaps??)
Ugh! It's making me sick just thinking about it. For me it need only be very, very slight too. It's generally the unpleasantness that alerts me to the rocking.
My other thoughts were is it the Bluetooth or the Earpiece? Ruling out Bluetooth (if you use it enough to know that's not it?) Do you wear the earpiece anywhere else? Are you always speaking to the same person (as in the topic makes you ill)? Is it comfy? Sit where other earphones ect have sat previously with no troubles?
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 4:20 PM on June 4, 2008
Ugh! It's making me sick just thinking about it. For me it need only be very, very slight too. It's generally the unpleasantness that alerts me to the rocking.
My other thoughts were is it the Bluetooth or the Earpiece? Ruling out Bluetooth (if you use it enough to know that's not it?) Do you wear the earpiece anywhere else? Are you always speaking to the same person (as in the topic makes you ill)? Is it comfy? Sit where other earphones ect have sat previously with no troubles?
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 4:20 PM on June 4, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by TomMelee at 4:57 PM on June 3, 2008