Ear Protection All the Time?

I've been reading a lot here since I had a second noise trauma to my ear on Tuesday. Some people say to wear earplugs when outdoors to protect against unexpected loud noise. (If I had been wearing ear plugs in that doctor's office, I probably would not have sustained this second injury.)

But what about all the loud unexpected noises at home?

Every time a truck backs up there's the loud beep - beep -beep and for some reason trucks are always backing up here. Car alarms go off at random. With spring just around the corner, jackhammer season starts.

And on Friday night a new weird tone has begun. It's a low-pitched vibrating hum and I can't tell whether it comes from outside or inside the building. (My husband, whose ears are fine, can't tell where it's coming from either.) It doesn't sound loud enough to hurt me, but who knows? I didn't think I could get hurt sitting in a doctor's waiting room, yet here I am. The tone began at different times each evening and lasted until sometime after midnight when I finally fell asleep.

For two years, I had habituated to my tinnitus and didn't freak out over most noises, but since Tuesday I realize that one mistake is all it takes to make my tinnitus louder. Now the noises--especially the high-pitched sounds (the origin of my tinnitus)--scare me. I don't know if they're loud enough to harm me and I have no way of escaping them. I've read that it's not good to wear ear plugs all of the time, but if I need protection when I'm not home and I need protection when I am home, then what choice do I have?

 

Read the thread ‘spikes from everyday noise’ just below this thread. There’s some info on there.

In short, I don’t think it’s necessary at all and believe it keeps your mind in a flight or flight loop. It also puts too much stress on a person to be ‘prepared at all times’; mostly in everyday circumstances that aren’t worth incessantly worrying about. I personally try and disassociate myself from tinnitus as much as possible, because constantly fearing the next slamming door or occasional noise keeps a person firmly under its grip.

I protect when I’m around sustained dangerous levels of noise, and avoid stupidly loud environments.

 

Well said @Ed209 I have read posts in this forum, where someone heard a door slam or an Ambulance siren and contemplating going to a doctor to ask for a prescription for prednisolone - unbelievable.

 

Thanks for replying Ed and Michael. My problem right now is that I don't know which sounds are harmful and which are harmless. I don't want to find out the hard way.

 

Hi @SugarMagnolia

Overprotecting the ears in fear of sound is not the way forward and can make matters worse. You have had tinnitus for quite a while and I will assume you still have hyperacusis. Have you had any treatment with a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist for this? Do you listen to music through headphones? If you do then I advise that you don't. If you haven't read any of my posts on tinnitus then I suggest that you do, as you may find them helpful. A person can do a lot to help themselves, but tinnitus and hyperacusis may need professional help in order to get required results. By this I mean to habituate. You have said that you habituated but your tinnitus/hyperacusis has increased. When a person habituates it is rare for just sudden noise to make it considerably worse, although it may just spike then return to baseline after a while. However, repeated exposure to loud sounds or using headphones, if the original cause of the tinnitus was "loud noise" can make tinnitus return with a vengeance.

Please click on the links below and read my posts. Try not to skim through them.
All the best
Michael

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/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-positivity-important.23150/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/acquiring-a-positive-mindset.23969/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/can-tinnitus-counselling-help.22366/

 

Exactly Michael. As I said in another thread, there seems to be a prevalence of people hoarding prednisone, so they can take it every time a perceived loud sound invokes a stress response from them. But, in most cases it’s a self fulfilling prophecy. If you fill your head with a fear of something then it will eventually become a phobia and your body will act accordingly. It’s a slippery slope into phonophobia.

Sure, there are impulse noises that are dangerous, but they usually come from explosives. If you’re pretty sure your day isn’t going to involve guns, firecrackers or any other explosives then carry on as normal. At a push if something does catch you by surprise then cover your ears with your hands and run the other way. It’s still quicker than trying to insert earplugs in the very rare occasion something might happen.

If you disagree, than fine. Continue to use ear protection every time you leave the house. It’s quite simple. Also, noise damage is mainly caused by oxidative stress on the cells by the way of free radicals when it’s moderate; unlike intense noise which can cause physical damage to the hair cells. Taking more antioxidants such as NAC, vitamin c and e, will benefit most of us to some degree. However, old age will still damage our ears regardless, which again comes back to cell damage contributed by the free radicals we are exposed to in our diet and environment. We don’t exactly breathe the cleanest air anymore or drink the purest water.

 

I wish you were a regular on this forum @Ed209. Your knowledge, expertise and ability to convey to the reader about tinnitus, hyperacusis and not to fear loud sounds is top draw. Please keep up this splendid work....

Michael

 

Thanks for the info. I will be reading it all.

When I first had my injury, I went to a GP. She examined my ears and told me to 'give it time.' I did lots of research and learned that there was no way to repair the damage. Since I'm terrified of doctors, I figured there was no point in torturing myself with doctors if they couldn't repair the damage.

I habituated on my own. The only lifestyle changes I made were to give up concerts, my ipod, and the subway. It got to the point where I didn't think about it much. I had a few scares. Like when an ambulance went by the car I was sitting in with the window open. But until last Tuesday, no sound has ever caused the tone in my ear to change and I never felt the "fullness" I have read about here.

 

It's the high-pitched tones that scare me most. That's what caused my tinnitus in the first place.

 

It’s a hard road ahead, make no mistake, but it gets easier in my experience if you make the right steps.

 

I guess it depends on the sufferer. I wear plugs only exceptionally and the external noises did not permanently affect my T in 12 years (despite being subject to a lot of loud noises, most of them being by accident, the worst was probably a gunshot only one meter from me - unexpected of course, otherwise I would have put fingers in ears).

And the extended use of plugs for several hours on a daily basis (only tried this once) makes my T spike for days so I avoid doing that because I believe it would lead my brain to focus more on the T and make it more important on the long term.

 

I commend you @SugarMagnolia for dealing with tinnitus and hypercusis and finding your own way. However, I just want to make you aware. When a person fully habituates to their tinnitus and the hyperacusis is cured or significantly reduced, loud sounds such as a ambulance siren even in close proximity won't usually cause a spike. Please read my post: Hyperacusis, As I see it, in the link that I sent you. You may need some professional help as mentioned in my posts.

All the best
Michae

 

I would wear ear protection in loud places (bars, pubs, concerts, live events). Over protecting the ears can possibly train our mind to be scared of all noises. When someone becomes scared of all noises, then an OCD can build up and that is just horrible. By doing this you are simply building up your stress/anxiety and that in return can give you spikes and louder tinnitus.

Be balanced in what you do and not go extreme. I would not wear ear protection in my home unless, there were loud sounds constantly.....

 

I am a living example of this warning btw. I had to deal with OCD before tinnitus, and now I have a form of H, which I caused by being so mental about protecting. And it's hard to stop doing that.

 

Having an OCD can be painful, I use to have a major one and it's in one of my posts. Overcoming that OCD was very scary and hard. I managed to overcome that issue, but it really drained my mind and body. I recommend that folks avoid this and do not over protect their ears......

 

You may be experiencing an allergy or sinus issue Sugar. I have the fullness (oh I hate it) and higher pitch when I have a sinus/allergy problem.

 

This is a concern I have. When I first got tinnitus, I wasn't scared of all noises. I just eliminated obvious threats. But after the noise last week, I'm now scared of surprise high-pitched noises.

@fishbone and @JurgenG ~ Do you guys have OCD too? I've been reluctant to mention that I have it because once people know, they tend to attribute everything to it. I've had it since long before I got tinnitus. Fortunately it was under control when I got tinnitus. Unfortunately I relapsed last year and I've been dealing with it ever since.

Thank you. Though I didn't realize it at the time, when I got tinnitus I used the techniques I learned from CBT.

 

Hey, I had problematic OCD before T. Really getting out of hand. It stopped once I had T, because I can only focus on one problem at one. Once my T got better it came back a little bit though. But much better.

 

Tinnitus can affect us in many ways @SugarMagnlia . You have also mentioned that you are stressed. Please consider the advice that I mentioned to you in the post above and read my posts in the links provided.

I believe you may need some counselling, medication coupled with some deep relaxation exercises.

Michael

 

I still can't determine whether the low-pitched vibrating hum that I'm afraid of is coming from inside the building or outside, but either way, no one is going to stop it for my sake. It starts about an hour after I get home from work and goes on who-knows how long. (It was still going when I finally fell asleep.)

Last night I just put up with it while watching TV with DH and didn't try to cover my ear. If I plugged my ears during the morning noise at home (high-pitched beeps from trucks backing up), while outside, and during the evening noise at home, that would have been 23 out of 24 hours. That's not healthy at all. So now I'm hearing the morning high-pitched truck beeps and trying (unsuccessfully) not to worry.

 

@SugarMagnolia

When you arrive home from work try having some low level music playing in the background. Classical music is ideal. It is advisable to use a sound machine by your bedside at night for sound enrichment. Quiet rooms and surroundings should be avoided especially at night. I have written posts on sound enrichment and the use of a sound machine. You will find this on my started threads. It is also available in my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View.

 

@Michael ~ I returned to CBT a few months ago, not for tinnitus, but because of my relapse. When I was first diagnosed, I briefly tried a medication which is often prescribed to assist with the CBT, but the side effects were intolerable. Moreover, the medication doesn't actually do anything for the OCD. (There is no medication for OCD, so they prescribe antidepressants even if you're not depressed.) I've been doing my CBT au natural ever since.

 

@Michael ~ Since the tinnitus first started, background music has been my best friend. I generally listen to the Grateful Dead. It's the only thing I can listen to 24/7 and never get tired of.

 

As you know @SugarMagnolia CBT/Therapy takes time and since you have other conditions in addition to your tinnitus it may take a while to see desired results. Try to continue with the CBT and talking things over with your therapist. Perhaps discussing the things in your life that is causing your OCD. There may not be any medication to treat OCD by CBT has been very effective in treating it.

I wish you well.
Michael

 

Mine can multitask.

 

It is good that you found something that you can listen to and you don't get tired of it. The purpose of using sound enrichment, particularly at night, is to have it playing in the background without it drawing attention to itself. For this reason it is not recommend to have music playing by your bedside at night for sound enrichment. Nature sounds is ideal as it doesn't evoke emotion or draws one's attention providing it is kept low and not intrusive.

Please read my post: Sound machines, in my Article: Tinnitus, A Personal View. Click on the link below
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

Michael

 

Thanks @Michael. I agree that CBT can be very effective. It literally saved my life twenty years ago. I would whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone suffering from this awful disorder.

 

My worry over the high-pitched truck beeps is increasing the longer I have to listen to it. Does anyone know the sound I'm talking about and if it's generally loud enough to do harm? I've been listening to it for two and a half hours so far and I still have two more hours of it before I leave for work. Drilling has also commenced.

 

Despite the title of my thread, I know 24/7 ear protection is impractical and dangerous. I just don't know if these sounds are at dangerous levels. If it turns out they are, what then? Then I have to choose between sounds that are harming me and too much ear protection which will harm me. So far this morning it's been three hours of high-pitched beeping. Maybe it's not trucks but some other machinery. Whatever it is, it's relentless.

Where I live, there's always construction going on. If it's not one apartment building being worked on, it's two. Before tinnitus, it was merely super-annoying. Anyone else live in the middle of a noisy area like this?

 

A sound meter app and/or a real sound meter. They make them small these days. Know what the safe exposure time is for different sound levels but don’t obsess about them.
It’s no guarantee.
I’ve had aggravation of TTTS/ASD and worsening of H from certain sounds as low as in the 60db range, but others that are louder no effect. I do not overprotect with ear protection, but when my symptoms flare up I am much more cautious. Sudden sounds can’t be predicted.
I too developed a low tone... an intermittent ultra low pulsatile one.