Headphones Over Earplugs — Working at a Call Center

Hello,

I have mild tinnitus and I'm about to start working at a call center but I'm worried about the headphones that they will make my tinnitus worse.

My idea was to wear headphones over earplugs to protect my hearing. Does this work or should I try something else?

Thanks for your answers.

 

Headphones and "noise induced tinnitus" do not go well together. Even at low volume there is a risk of the tinnitus becoming worse. I don't know whether using headphones over earplugs will work without the risk of problems. It is something that you will need to try if you want to.

Michael

 

You can definitely use the headphones over earplugs. Be sure to set the volume to the lowest volume that you can hear. Also, take frequent breaks.

You can certainly give the above a try, but only you can figure out how safe this, as how your tinnitus will react to this type of exposure.

 

I don't see the point of using ear plugs underneath the headphones: just lower the volume of the headphones. I suggest you try noise cancelling headphones, so you can keep the volume really low.

Good luck!

 

When I absolutely have to use headphones at work - for a business call, or to provide some gentle masking sounds for a few minutes if the office environment gets too much and I can't pop out to calm things down - then I'll pop in some musician's earplugs underneath. It does decrease discomfort but doesn't eliminate it entirely for me. I can't imagine it would be good for anyone with tinnitus/hyperacusis to be using them all day. Given that you say your tinnitus is only mild, you may get away with it if you absolutely protect your ears from loud sounds in all other noisy environments (concerts, clubs, cinemas, loud restaurants etc)

 

The point is that I had the volume on the phone the lowest it would go, and it was still too loud being so close to my ear. The earplug helped.

 

In addition your protected from any sudden loud screeching sounds on the phone which are known to cause tinnitus

 

I would wear the earplugs. I find earpiece plugs to work better for me than the others I have tried.

 

What if someone suddenly screams into the phone, straight into your ear... YES wear earplugs under the headphones. What if something or someone pulls the headset out of the jack...
Noise/click/pop. YES wear earplugs under the headphones.

I have used earplugs under headphones (headsets) for 30 years... works well, lasts a long time.