Can Traffic Noise Worsen Tinnitus?

My tinnitus has been decreasing drastically over the past few days to the point where it's gone from a 10/10 to a 1/10. However this morning I woke up to a loud spike in one ear and now it's at about 3-4.

I was outside yesterday for a few hours, and I had to endure the loud traffic sounds. I protected my ears at some points where I was afraid things were getting too loud, but generally when I measured the sound I found that it stayed consistently under 80 dB. I was also on the bus.

I noticed no spikes for the rest of the day until I attempted to fall asleep that night, when a loud spike in my right ear startled me awake.

Since then my tinnitus has decreased a fair bit, but I'm wondering if I've undone all the progress I had over the course of a few days. It's now fairly quiet, about 2/3 but it feels unstable and I'm worried that it could spike again.

Could traffic have caused it? Do I need to protect my ears at all times when going out in the future?

 

Yes, noise from traffic is one of the main sources of noise pollution, and some of the worst peak sounds come from traffic, like loud motorbikes, sirens or car horns.

 

I'd say yes, I wore earplugs walking along city highways

 

HI @Optigirl19

You have recently acquired tinnitus by exposure to loud noise. From your description it seems you also have hyperacusis, which is having sensitivity to certain sounds. Like tinnitus hyperacusis comes in different levels of severity. It will take time for your auditory system to recover, perhaps 6 to 12months and may be longer. You may or may not need professional treatment to assist in your recovery.

Although traffic noise can spike tinnitus this is usually a result of having hyperacusis. By itself this doesn't normally make tinnitus worse. The tinnitus will fluctuate a lot over the coming weeks and beyond but will settle down in time. My advice to you is not to rely too much on earplugs because you risk, lowering the loudness threshold of your auditory system and this make it more sensitive to sound. Noise reducing earplugs used prudently, can be of help but I advise caution and not to become too dependent of them.

Please read my articles below and pay special attention to my post: Hyperacusis, As I see it.

All the best
Michael

PS: I advise you not to use headphones even at low volume. More information about this is my post: Tinnitus, A Personal View.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

@Optigirl19 when I lived near a major city I clocked traffic at 80-82db, with firetrucks and stuff sometimes cracking into the 90s.

Don't worry about "overprotecting" too much; you shouldn't wear earplugs 24/7, but they can't actually hurt you. City noise can; plenty of studies showing that.

go with what's comfortable; as you heal your noise tolerance may improve and then you'll have to decide what's reasonable. My life requires me to use chainsaws and motorcycles/dirtbikes and all kinds of stuff that some people on here might never touch again.

 

Thanks for your reply, Michael. I'm relieved that I haven't accidentally ruined my progress. So I can use earplugs near traffic? Great.

I will admit that my hypercausis has calmed down a decent amount now, which is reassuring. I'm glad I'm moving in the right direction.

Experiencing another spike now but it's mild. They tend to happen when I wake up for some reason. Maybe my system is startled by the noise. But I'm doing my best to stay calm. Thanks.

 

Thank you for your advice. I have been trying to slowly reintroduce louder noise into my environment, at a reasonable rate of course. And nothing too loud. So this is reassuring. I just feel anxious and jumpy sometimes because I fear I may be doing damage by exposing myself to certain sounds.

 

HI @Optigirl19

You can use noise reducing earplugs near traffic if you find the sound too loud. Please be careful of this because the overuse of earplugs is not a good idea I assure you. Please read the articles in the links that I have given you, because this is all you need to help get your life back on track.

Your ears and auditory system are sensitive at the moment due to the noise trauma. Try to take things slowly. See your doctor and get a referral to ENT so tests can be carried out on your auditory system. If after 4 to 6 months you are still having difficulty habituating, then I recommend getting a referral to Audiology to see an Audiologist or Hearing Therapist that specialises in Tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment and management. These are the correct health professionals to see not an ENT doctor.

Take care and all the best
Michael

 

It is a challenge to balance hearing protection from traffic vs overuse of earplugs as the noise is intermittent. There is no doubt that passing trucks and buses are quite loud, and easily in the 90 db's. I usually go with musician earplugs, NRR 18 when in this situation when walking alongside traffic.

Particularly after acoustic trauma, folks can spike with noise exposure less than 85 db, so listen to your body and protect appropriately.

 

The answer to your question is - yes, the noise of traffic can cause T to spike, and getting spikes is probably not good for your long term healing. The way to know what sounds it makes sense to avoid is to experiment. Now you know that it might be a good idea for you to stay away from the traffic noise (or to wear hearing protection when you are around it). In 6-24 months you will likely become more resilient and will stop having this reaction.

 

YES!