Any dog walkers here?

Hi guys, any dog walkers here or anyone that walks along side traffic daily?

It really annoying me that my ears are constantly being battered by traffic noise on a daily basis...

Last week while out walking a car backfired multiple times right next to me, ears were really sore after.

Today a superbike pulled out of a road with me and my dog about to cross over right by him, he pulls out accelerating wildly, overtaking a car, doing 0 to 60mph in a few seconds (in a 30 zone), aaaarrRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!! 15 seconds,,, SUPER LOUD RIGHT IN MY EAR! i closed my eyes and winced it was so loud, i couldn't cover my ears because i had my hands full. Now ears are aching so much it ridiculous!

Now these loud noise exposures are happening everyday and i'm wondering if i should start wearing earplugs when walking by the road? Like an hour aday?

I am worried that all these noise exposures are going to add up and make my ears worse over time?

 

I walk my pup daily in my neighborhood so tends to be quiet but ofcorse theres those jerks racing by with there 5.0 turbo engines that sounds like the worlds coming down! Ohh and fuckin septa busses are the worse they litterly are so loud and one comes like every hour or so, so ofcorse i usually walk past one no mattter the damn time! I pop in plugs just incase cause ambulances, fire engines, etc are soo loud and have crossed paths too many times that im just not takin the risk. Usually just walk for like 20-30 mins so no biggy anyways. Story of my life! Lol

 

Thanks for your reply grace, i think it might be best to start wearing plugs as well, start giving my ears a rest from the contant barrage of noise!

 

Yeah doesnt hurt! Your deff not over protecting cause busy streets can range from 80-100 db with all the traffic and ofcorse each car or truck is louder then others.

 

Yeah definitely not overprotecting against the the 120 decibel yamaha engine, lol!

 

Man! Yes! Wear some protection...or at least bring some...

Yesterday I went walking along side traffic, no protection and it was nerve wracking and my t spiked however my h was OK. .

but. ..If it's a daily thing for you, I would at least carry some..I live by a VERY busy highway in hick town where everyone rides,or has a loud truck. .it sucks. ..However last year it was me on the bike and loving all
The old fast, loud cars!! Almost bought a Mustang GT 5.0!! Glad I didn't now...

But I still love the sound of those engines rumbling. ..

 

Thanks for your reply Lynn, yeah it's becoming a daily occurrence so I'll start wearing earplugs.

I'm the same, I used to love fast cars, bikes, only annoy me now because of my ears, lol. Mustang GT is a beast of a car!

 

I drive a mustang only a 3.7 L lol its not a loud one. Dont worry tho one day will all get to enjoy those engines again!!!!!!!

 

Only a 3.7L mustang lol, you Americans/Canadians drive giant engined muscle cars, here in England we drive small 1.2 litre city cars, anything fast enough to drive would be an import with a 2 litre engine with a turbo charger to give it a little power, anything over would be a killer on the car insurance.

 

Oh damn.. Yeah a 5.0 gt would be considered fast hear. Mines just your typical 6 cylinder car although its a mustang it doesnt drive any faster then any other car on the road. i used to have a 1.7 L toyota and that thing took forever to get up hills i had no patience for it! Haha

 

Mick,

I feel your annoyance I really do...seems like EVERYWHERE I go there is loud noise...town, walking the street, shopping malls etc etc.

I think you have to make a decision one of two ways...either you vow not to worry about these exposures and each time it happens simply brush it off....OR if you are a worrier like me ( which i am guessing you are as you are on here every other week posting about some noise exposure or the other) then just save yourself this constant worry and anxiety and wear plugs. Just be careful not to over do it and wear them all the time as you will end up giving yourself bad sound sensitivity like I have and then it's kinda hard to revert back to any normality.

If I were you I'd plug when walking the dog near busy roads...especially as you cant even plug your ears with your fingers when you are holding the lead. Better still..isn't there a park or woods you can take your dog to for a walk rather than going down the main roads?? Even if you have to get in your car and drive for 5/10 minutes to get to somewhere quiet at least you will be able to walk your dog in peace.

Experts say that such noise exposures like the car noise etc should not cause further damage or make t worse and they may well be right, BUT, for some of us we have our doubts and no matter how much we are told these exposures are fine there is always going to be this nagging worry every time we get exposed....the worry and anxiety that follows alone are enough to make us perceive our t as louder even if it isn't...so just plug (unless you are a bigger person than me and can get your anxiety in check )

Also maybe you can just cut a pair of foam plugs in half like I do and use those..that way you aren't completing plugging up but the half plugs provide a bit of protection AND do a great deal to ease the anxiety about possible noise exposure.

x

 

Thanks for your reply Rhea,

I do have earplugs but i never wear them out and about because they stick out quite alot (plus their orange) so they are quite noticeable lol! but i've just brought some Earpeace HD plugs online, their skin coloured and are barely visable so they should be okay. I do have custom made earplugs, but they work too well! ie my tinnitus is alot louder wearing them so i don't use them alot.

I used to walk my dog through woodland/fields but the farmer set up a gas canister cannon bird scarer that goes off every 15 minutes, i checked online the noise levels of these gas cannons and their in excess of 150 decibels!, back in 2012 i got caught up by it while working through woodland, shit me up pretty bad lol! So that route as been off limits for a few years now and stick to the roads.

I try not to worry about these loud traffic noises by what i have read it shouldn't be damaging, but like you i do get anxious about my ears so for peace of mind i'll stick with the earplugs, thanks.

 

Just a quick one Mick - what plugs is it you say stick out?...Because if inserted correctly standard foam plugs really shouldn't stick out to far at all...it makes me wonder if you are not putting them in far enough as I know many people don't. I use hearos 32db reduction foam plugs (can be bought on amazon) and they do not show at all when I have them in....obviously when I use just half of them they show even less!

Plenty of videos on youtube to show you how to out them in correctly...in fact maybe I will even make a video and put it on here as after 10 years I consider myself an expert on earplug insertion lol (not sure that's something to be proud of haha)

sorry about the cannon thing..sounds horrendous.....why is the world so damn noisy...sigh

Rhea x

 

Hi Rhea, sorry for the late reply,
No the earplugs i have are the triple flange silicone earplugs, like the etymotic 20 earplugs but orange, they have got quite along stem on them making them noticeable. The reason i use them is because i find the foam plugs leave me too isolated, increased perception of tinnitus because they block out alot of noise (same with the custom made earplugs), but i do use the foam plugs for really loud noises such as using power tools etc, provide better protection than the silicone earplugs.

 

OMG, don't wear earplugs! My dogs can jerk and catch so I am way off balance if I don't hear a skateboarder before he does. You need to be on your toes. I step on the leashes if I suspect a jarring, inconsiderate, jerk is coming. Can't always know for sure. But I have found that I can control the dogs' motion and have my hands free to some extent.

Also, if I'm alert, I can get them to sit and they are much more controllabe. I tell them, don't get excited, it's just noise from some fill in the blank. Then it is easier to reach my ears. But sometimes I think it is just as important to cover theirs. I wonder if animals can get T . . .

I try to take my pups out later in the evening when rush hour is over. I drive them to a local estuary with hiking trails in the morning and we have a great 40 to 60 minute hike on the trails. Sometimes at night I will drive to a quieter neighborhood, though mine is usually pretty sedate. (except for all the yard dogs people keep here)