Going to Football Match at Wemble Stadium with Earplugs and Earmuffs — Will My Hearing Be Safe?

I have loud tinnitus and bad hyperacusis. I am so so tempted to go to see England play at Wembley Stadium but it’s going to be really loud.

I don’t know if customised earplugs together with earmuffs will be enough?

I will be on top part of the stadium. Not sure if that is quieter part compared to seats below.

I would appreciate your thoughts and advice.

 

The answer is no. I think you will be very sorry if something were to upset your tinnitus. Just watch in front of the TV.

 

It can only be your decision, unfortunately - how badly your tinnitus reacts to loud noise/how susceptible you are to spikes etc, weighed up against how much it means to you to see this match. The rest of us just won't have that information.

I think if England are your team (and they win this next game), it's probably a once in a lifetime opportunity to see them play in a final (I assume that's the game you have tickets for?) so it would be amazing to go if you think your ears can handle it.

For what it's worth, I went to a game pre-COVID-19 and I was fine with just earplugs.

If you find it too loud, you can always leave.

Have a great time if you do decide to go - I'm very jealous

 

Boots sell wax earplugs. They pretty much eliminate all external noise.

They are called Boots Muffle Wax Earplugs and retail at £2.69 for a box of five pairs. You hold each pair in your hand until they soften and then insert them.

What you could do is purchase some (they are sold in most branches) and try them out beforehand to see how they work for you.

Having said that, I would bear in mind Oabmarcus’s post. I have loud tinnitus but not hyperacusis and I would be very wary of doing anything that might exacerbate either condition. Football stadiums these days have very loud P.A. systems so it’s not just the crowd noise that you need to be concerned about.

And so, once again, proceed with caution and test the wax versions out in advance if you decide to purchase them.

 

Thank you for your reply. I know it’s going to be terribly loud and I don’t know if sound will penetrate through the earplugs and earmuffs.

Yes, I consider leaving if it would be too loud. It’s a really difficult, being once in a lifetime event, but also needing to protect my vulnerable ears.

Especially the hyperacusis is more of a concern.

I can’t even find out how loud it will be with 60,000 people screaming and roaring.

 

I would have thought customised earplugs with earmuffs would be better than wax earplugs?

 

I'll just leave this here.

 

Foam earplugs provide more protection than wax ones.

 

Wear earplugs and earmuffs, helmet on top of those, sitting in a soundproof box, in front of your TV with it on mute lol.

In all seriousness; don’t risk it. You’ll get your chance when you recover.

 

They might well be (as Digital Doc has also suggested).

I have never tried the foam ones so I can't compare, though I did wear wax earplugs to a gig once and pretty much all I could sense were vibrations of sound through my feet.

To be honest, overnight I have found myself regretting having posted my suggestion as I am really in the 'I wouldn't risk it' camp.

These days, I attend non-league matches but not Premiership games because I am risk averse in this way.

On top of that, although England have done well, I suspect that Italy may prove to be too strong for them (if we get past Denmark and Roberto Mancini's team win their semi-final).

 

It's really hard to say if it's safe to go to Wembley with earplugs and earmuffs. I'd imagine that it can be terribly loud with 90,000 pumped-up fans.

I know some people with tinnitus who often go to football matches and never mention any temporary spike or worsening, and most of them don't even wear ear protection (those lucky bastards!).

Though I may be an exception, but I've often noticed a temporary spike after a match, despite that I've worn earplugs (25 dB) at every single occasion. So it may really depend on how sensitive your ears are for loud sounds.

 

I’ve been to sporting events with tinnitus and hyperacusis. I wear heavy duty foam earplugs the entire time and haven’t had any issues. I would personally go to the match if I were sitting up high.

The stuff I won’t do ever again is listen to music in headphones or go to loud concerts in small venues.

 

I am not familiar with the acoustics of the Wembley stadium, but I would tend to think that, unless you are near hardcore supporters using foghorns, drums and whatnot, you won't take any risk if you're wearing earplugs + earmuffs.

Although, personally I would not go because I know constant noise would make me uncomfortable despite the protection, and I would not really enjoy the game.

Well, I just realized, does that mean England will face Denmark at Wembley? Doesn't that biase the game that one team plays at home? I am really surprised.

 

@Sash, I wouldn't risk it. I made the mistake of going to a pub on Saturday to watch England vs Ukraine. I wore earplugs and I thought I was fine. But today I have woken up, more than 48 hours later, with burning inside my ears. Going to the pub is the only thing I can think caused my worsening. My ear canal is on fire.

 

@Sash, quick question. What symptoms do you experience in your ears, have they gotten better over time? I'm fighting everyday with this condition and today is really bad (might even be a setback). I can'tant even enjoy the football anymore. The only thing that has kept me distracted.

 

@Sash, are you thinking about going to Sunday's final?

 

Actually I have had a major setback last week so can't even think about going to the football. I just posted a question on this forum. My hyperacusis was getting better, yes there was the sensitivity but the ear burning was gone. Now I have different, more worrying symptoms - headaches, nausea, fatigue and ear hurts. Tinnitus is louder too.

My new thread is here:
Really Bad Headaches with Tinnitus and Hyperacusis

 

I'll just leave this here.

 

Italy were fantastic and deserved to win. Devastated about the defeat but more upset about that brainless hooligans and racism. No I don’t go in but took the kids and it was chaos. Still it was a loud weekend with the chanting all over central London.

 

I wouldn't have gone Sash. Not worth the potential consequential hell.

I am not into that game, it isn't really a thing here. I did see some of the phone camera footage of violence and racism posted on Facebook though, that occurred even BEFORE the match and I am glad England lost. An Indian guy who was just minding his business walking along with his partner, knocked to the ground and kicked in the head by about 7 guys. Unreal. My husband is from the UK, born and spent all his life there apart from the last 15 years when we moved here, and he is glad England lost too because the fan behaviour was so appalling. Would it even be safe for kids?

Just from the noise (chanting, screaming and yelling etc) that I saw in footage from outside the stadium, I know my hyperacusis wouldn't have tolerate it. I use earmuffs to flush the toilet though.