Hyperacusis — No Tinnitus — at Age 16 from Listening to Loud Music Through Earphones?

Contrary to what many doctors say, I don't believe using hearing protection in many everyday circumstances is a problem, especially when protecting from sounds moderate and above. What definitely can become an issue (for some, maybe not all?) is if one wears foam ear plugs or ear muffs for most hours of the day. That type of hearing protection completely cuts away lower level high frequency sound, which given a few weeks will make one very sensitive to those frequencies. It took me two weeks to not being able to be in the proximity of a toilet flushing. One year in and my tolerance to sound is completely broken.

My 2 cents,
~ Stacken

 

You'll learn that hyperacusis is really different from everyone. Some may have fullness, some may not. The symptoms and causes vary wildly.

And it may be the case but also maybe not. Even with properly fitted earplugs I hear my footsteps booming, it's only natural. But it was so much worse with my shallow earplugs.

If you use foam earplugs, make sure you roll them tightly, use one hand to pull your ear up to straighten your canal, insert, keep pulling your ear, hold your finger on the end of the plug as it expands inside your canal, so it's fitted fully.

Fully agree. The overprotection advice all come from one study done on people with normal hearing. They wore earplugs for about a week non-stop and then they had a very small reduction in dB tolerance, but it was temporary and went away quickly. Kind of like if you step out in the sun after being in the dark all day. So far all the subsequent information on hyperacusis I've read just cite that same study from the early 2000s and none others to back it up.

Is there maybe a chance that since hyperacute and damaged ears have this sensitivity more imprinted on them than normal, so it's less temporary? Maybe, but I don't see the evidence either. I do know people who claim they got worse from overprotecting, and maybe that is valid for them, but the ones who haven't, myself and you included, seem to outweigh them. It's a shame doctors don't pay attention to this though and just focus on the same old information.

And same as you I worked night shifts and would sometimes wear plugs. Didn't happen. Only got hyperacusis after an event that most likely did damage my ears and brain. My cousin is in air traffic control. If he winds up with hyperacusis or tinnitus I'd bet my life that he got it from noise exposure to airplanes and not because of using earplugs at work.

I want to believe that exposure and balance can help with hyperacusis, but I think that audiologists clinging to the overprotection stuff just does more harm than good. I wish they would suggest gradual exposure instead of just saying earplugs are the devil full-stop.

That's interesting but I'm also very sorry to hear that, and I'm wondering now if that is happening to me after all. Have you had any attempts with exposure at all? Does it just make you worse?

 

Gentle reintroduction of high frequency sound and lessening in protection yields improved (still bad) sound tolerance within a week or so. What ultimately brings the improvements to a halt each time is the spike that kindles over the days, that forces me back into silence, over and over. I'm trying to find a balance in which the exposure will not cause spikes.

One must go about it very very gradually, as too much exposure can cause setbacks.

 

Ah, okay. Do you get ear infections from your use of earplugs? Are there any not so obvious tips on how to avoid ear infections?

Also, what does (mild) tinnitus in one ear mean? This is my current experience with tinnitus, it's only in my 'bad' ear :/

Thanks for your replies, they've been very helpful <3

 

I've been mostly lucky so far with avoiding ear infections, though recently the edge of the end of the earplug dug a bit into the inner area of my tragus, and there was some pus. I am not sure how to avoid it other than letting your ears "breathe" a bit. But to my knowledge outer ear infections would not cause as much issue for hyperacusis as middle ear infections, other than maybe the urge to scratch the inside of your canals... I totally admit to doing this and it's probably bad for me. As far as I know, earplug use wouldn't cause a middle ear infection, that would be from something like a cold.

I started out similarly. Mild tinnitus in just my left (my bad) ear. It did eventually start in my right ear as weeks went by. I think the brain just naturally evens things out like that, though my tones on either side are very different. For my own case, I gain more tones with noise exposure and other triggers, but my tinnitus always stays mild. Some just have one tone or a few but the volume gains with each noise exposure. Not sure how yours will be. I don't really know (and then again, nobody really does) enough about tinnitus to know what it means exactly. Audiologists will insist that your ears aren't damaged if you have hyperacusis, but wouldn't tinnitus imply otherwise? Is it all brain, is it all ear? A mix of both? Who knows. It continues to be a big mystery to unravel.

No problem, though I apologize if my information isn't the most optimistic. I don't want to scare you or anything. I hope you can get through this.

 

(Almost) 3 weeks in:

• Tinnitus has slightly increased in volume although it's still mild and doesn't really affect my sleep. Also, when I wake up it's kind of quiet, is this a good sign? Yes, I'm grasping at straws here lol.
• I'm not sure if my hyperacusis has improved or if I am just handling it better, I think I'll go with the latter since my use of earplugs hasn't reduced.
• Pain has reduced however, I still get occasional pain/soreness in my ears and in the back of my head but no more facial pain.
• Aural fullness has not subsided.
• This isn't a new symptom but I also still have fluttering in my ear which I mainly notice when wearing earplugs.
• Mentally, I'm handling things a lot better than before. I am still optimistic that I will improve but I'm starting to get worried at how long it's taking.

All in all I don't think I've improved that much and I'm nearing the end of the acute stage However, I'm very grateful that I haven't worsened and to be honest, I'm pretty sure I have a mild case (but what reassurance is that when I can't even go outside without protecting my ears?).

Also, does anyone have any recommendations for what type of exercise would be the best? I'm currently doing yoga ‍♀️

 

IDK how many weeks at this point but I have all the same symptoms plus increased BFEP (blue field entoptic phenomenon) and two bouts of reactive tinnitus.

I'm finding it hard to avoid all loud sounds because it is just impossible for me unless I wore hearing protection 24/7. I know that progress is slow but am I just getting worse?

 

I've argued with people on this thread before about this, but if you really suffer from pain hyperacusis you should have noticed some improvements by now. I would definitely reconsider the path you are on right now. I know people have scared you with talks about "acute phases" and what not, but please keep in mind those are just their own experiences and theories. If you haven't done it already I'd seriously think about the role of your psyche and overall health in what you are experiencing. Feel free to ignore me but since no one bothered to reply to you, I'd figure I'd make my reappearance in this thread.

 

I don't have pain hyperacusis. It's loudness hyperacusis.

 

Exactly, so I don't even think protecting yourself against loud sounds is super necessary as the problem is mostly related to how you process sound in your brain. Your hyperacusis could be entirely unrelated to sensineural hearing loss. I have no experience with this disease, but overprotecting can actually make your symptoms worse in this case. More importantly, as far as I know, the type of hyperacusis you have is not actually degenerative as is the case with pain hyperacusis, so "setbacks" (if you can really call them that) probably don't cause any sort of permanent worsening of the illness, unlike noxacusis. In conclusion, you don't have to worry about becoming some recluse like some of the people on here (me included), you'll most likely be fine.

How are your swollen eardrums by the way? Sometimes wearing hearing protection too often can cause physiological problems as well. Hearing protection can make your ear canal hot and humid, bacteria can grow on unwashed plugs, they can shove earwax deeper into the ear canal etc.

In all cases, wouldn't it make more sense to first try other things to improve your physical and mental health before you start wearing hearing protection 24/7 because some strangers on the internet said not to trust your doctor? Then, if you've exhausted all other options you can still wear hearing protection as much as you want, but clearly it doesn't do anything for you right now.

 

I have to disagree with this just going off of my own experience and knowing a few others with severe loudness hyperacusis on here. For me, protection has only kept me at a baseline or improved me, and noise has made me worse and all my setbacks have been permanent too. I am very much a recluse and do not live any semblance of a normal life, regardless of lack of chronic pain, with sub 50 dB LDLs. I know it's also the case for @Zugzug. However, we're kind of outliers among outliers with our causes, so a loudness hyperacusis case from noise trauma may very well operate in the same way you describe.

I am actually about to try the TRT and easing off protection just to see if it does anything. But attempts with any kind of sound therapy on my own have only spiked me. Loudness hyperacusis is definitely not the same as noxacusis but it can be debilitating in its own right and can act very similarly to it. My theory for loudness hyperacusis, if it is purely a brain thing vs noxacusis being nerve fibers being damaged, is like reinjuring yourself after a concussion, but with loud noise instead of head trauma. I don't want to make Safari fearful, and your advice may be warranted and work for them, but I do wanna emphasize that loudness hyperacusis can still be pretty nasty.

I agree with protection causing some damage though, like strong earmuffs can cause suction on your eardrums and cause pain. So if you have to wear them it's good to have a buffer between them like hair.

 

That last part lmao. I wish I'd been less hysterical and instantly deciding to protect my ears from every little sound at the beginning. Thankfully, I haven't really made things worse apart from some ear pain. And the part about setbacks seems to ring true considering that I have been exposed to objectively loud sound (like school bells) on several occasions and I haven't gotten worse. My ear canals are definitely suffering, I'm going to let them rest.

I later got my ears checked out by a GP, he said they were fine. I have been extremely stressed lately and I'm recovering from a really dumb eating disorder. I'll focus on fixing those problems for now. This is all such BS.

I'm just so scared about my future. Will the tinnitus get louder? Will I get hearing loss at 30? Not sure if you know the answers to these questions.

However, I don't agree that these issues aren't due to hearing problems. I remember the exact moment my ears got that 'full feeling': when my brother turned up the TV too loud. Then again, this did happen at a time where I was getting next to no sleep because I'd convinced myself I had pre-diabetes LOL.

 

Yes, please fix these other issues first, and if nothing else works it's still not too late to wear hearing protection if necessary. It sounds like you have a lot going on in your life. I think one of the most important things you can do right now is make sure you get enough sleep. Good sleep promotes healing of the body and refreshes your spirit. If you have trouble sleeping you could maybe look into trying some magnesium pills (just the daily recommended dose will suffice).

Just try to not look too much in the future right now. Even if there is a possibility your problems won't fix themselves, there are currently lots of medicines being developed to treat tinnitus. I 'll assure you you are going to be just fine.

 

Thanks. Ever since March my life has just been horrific. I'm going to try my hardest to sleep well and not stress.

 

I'm currently going through a relapse in pain hyperacusis after being free of it for 5 months, although had tinnitus all that time still.

I got this relapse after an MRI even though I was wearing earplugs.

Do you think it would be possible for me to ever go to a bar/nightclub again wearing earplugs or is this something I will need to avoid forever?

I think if this pain goes away I will try a nightclub with earplugs at some stage but I don't want to make this worse at the same time.

 

That sucks to hear. Not the guy you responded to but this is something I have been thinking about as well. Do you really think visiting a nightclub is worth the possibility of having a setback? How essential is going out for your happiness? I mean, I get it, girls are more easy there, but maybe the best option is to wait with visiting until a treatment for hyperacusis becomes available (or try taking a Flupirtine course, but that is another story).

 

Going to nightclubs isn't essential for my happiness at all but it was one of my favourite things to do. I think it is worth the risk to try it at least once when I get better again and just use plugs and see how I am after. I want to try and live my life as close to normal if possible.

I will probably get stem cells soon and maybe that helps a bit. The drugs that may help are a good 3 or 4 years at least away too.

I think an MRI is a lot louder than a nightclub but then I would be in the nightclub for a much longer time so maybe it would be just as bad. I think I would be ok with risking another setback rather than just never even trying to go out to a club ever again.

 

I do not know your level of severity but I wouldn't recommend nightclubs for anyone with hyperacusis.

I have actually been to bars these last weeks since my ears are much better than a year/half a year ago. But I would not say they are healed. I still wear earplugs (-30 dB) when driving the car and I use custom earplugs (-15 dB) when going to a bar. These bars do not play loud music, it is usually the people that are the loudest.

I know I probably risk my ears health when going to these bars, but I have been through a lot these last months and I simply do not have the energy to care about all the things in life.

If you really do want to go out, at least try a more calm/quiet bar first.

 

I've had hyperacusis for about 5 years now. Previously just got ear pain from headphone use but 6 months ago it was very bad for about a week. Now it's worse than ever after an MRI so it seems to just be getting worse all the time.

I'm taking it easy for now anyway and I'm sure it'll get better soon as long as I'm careful.

Good advice to start somewhere not so loud. The main place I want to go is an extremely loud techno nightclub lmfao. Definitely not going to go straight for that. Really sad thinking about not being able to go there again but maybe I'll heal enough and the drugs FX-322 and OTO-413 or OTO-313 could do enough to heal, and maybe stem cells too.

 

Hello, fellow techno lover. My friend, I would strongly advise against a club, let alone a techno club. When I first developed hyperacusis it was pretty mild and I was still able to go to clubs here and there, but it progressively got worse and the pain started lingering longer. I remember I stopped going all together and started isolating, that helped my ears heal to almost 90%. Eventually I got the courage and decided to go to this techno “bar” - huge fucking mistake, I was there only for an hour and though during my time there I didn’t feel pain, I’d end up paying for it the next day, months and so on.

Anyways, I currently have noxacusis (severe pain hyperacusis). I’m completely homebound and any little sounds causes me severe stabbing pain that usually lingers even after the noise is gone. I have lost everything to this condition.

I’d advise you stay away from clubs, bars, cinemas etc. I know how tempting it is to go to those clubs, believe me, but it simply isn’t worth it given our condition.

 

Ok. Another update.

My hyperacusis has definitely gotten better, certain sounds which would bring me to the verge of tears don't bother me as much anymore. My tinnitus is still there but it's very mild, I'm honestly not bothered about it (apart from the fear that It will get worse).

The most important thing I want to say is that I have had a big change in mindset and I have decided that I will begin protecting my ears indefinitely from now on, even after I fully heal. I live in a very loud city and I am exposed to loud sounds on a daily basis so it just makes sense. I hope to move away from London when I am older to somewhere more quiet. This isn't me allowing this experience to traumatise me or anything, I've realised that I just genuinely do not like being in loud areas.

Daily use of concert earplugs has damaged my ear canals so I am looking to use protection that goes over the ears from now on, does anyone recommend noise cancelling headphones?

Lastly, I think that my hearing issues were actually caused by inflammation due to concurrent gastritis (suspected). I think it's worth looking into that for anyone who has no idea what is causing symptoms like noise sensitivity, tinnitus and aural fullness. I still haven't healed from my gastritis though, once I do I will update you guys to let you know if my hearing issues resolved/reduced.

 

I bought the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones this week and the noise cancelling is amazing, plus they are super comfortable. Sony have brought out a new version which are better again albeit more expensive.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-WH-1000XM4-Cancelling-Wireless-Headphones-Black/dp/B08C7KG5LP