Hyperacusis/Tinnitus and Sporting Events

Hello. I have had hyperacusis/tinnitus for approximately two years.

I am thinking about going to a football game that will have close to one hundred thousand (100,000) people and a very rowdy atmosphere (many attempts by the home team crowd to make it very loud in the stadium to disrupt the opposing team).

I plan to wear thick foam earplugs and earmuffs (like worn by people when shooting firearms) over my ears. I also plan to watch the game from an enclosed walkway that goes around the entire stadium rather than being out in the open with all of the noise.

I have tested this, and it is difficult to hear much of any sound (provides a lot of protection), but I am concerned about the vibration from that much sound in a stadium otherwise potentially causing damage/a setback, etc.

Although I am not certain how much improvement I have experienced during the past few years, my quality of life is certainly much better after making the effort to engage with people (meeting for lunch in a quiet environment) and playing golf, etc.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

 

You have decent ear protection but nothing is foolproof. We all want to live our lives and do the things we enjoy but often, that's just not possible.

I used to have mild tinnitus which is now severe, so I would tell you, don't do it! You might be ok or it could be the straw that breaks the camel's back. But that's the problem, there's no way of knowing.

Let us know how things go.

 

How long did you have mild tinnitus? Was there any event that caused it to change to severe?

 

I had mild tinnitus for 10 years. During that time, I continued to use earbuds because I thought I could. Perhaps my ears had finally had enough and that's why the worsening began. My severity now though was caused by the COVID-19 vaccine.

 

Did it go from mild to severe right after the vaccine?

 

No. Before the vaccine, I probably would have said my tinnitus was moderate, definitely not mild.

 

Damn didn’t realize you were from Athens GA, that’s awesome. I’ve gone to Georgia games and had no issues. Basketball and football. I’d say go for it if you’re not acutely burning and injured. Basically if you haven’t had a major setback in the past 3-6 months.

Definitely wear heavy foam earplugs and earmuffs the entire time, but you should be good, especially if you’re going to be up on the walkway and not in the actual stadium.

This is the biggest game of the season hands down, wish I was going but I’ll be cheering the dawgs on from my couch.

 

That's such a bad idea. Do not do it.

 

Thank you for your thoughts. I am not from Athens. I did graduate from UGA and have season tickets.

 

Are you concerned about the vibration from the sound causing damage even if I am wearing extensive hearing protection?

 

If you have true hyperacusis, sound will cut through hearing protection like a knife on butter. At least that was my personal experience when my hyperacusis was severe.

The only way of staying safe is just not being near very loud sound. I would not take unnecessary risks, as this condition can worsen suddenly and if that happens your hearing will not go back to baseline.

 

I apologize for changing the subject, but did you ever have any significant dental work done (or even just a basic cleaning) when your hyperacusis was severe? There will be drilling involved if I have porcelain veneers put in, and I know some people advocate having the dentist drill for five seconds and then taking a five second break. I don’t see how this eliminates the exposure to a loud device. I also thought that wearing protection might cause an occlusion effect and be worse than not wearing any protection at all.

 

I avoided having dental work done while my hyperacusis was severe. This meant many years without going to the dentist at all.

A year ago I started Invisalign and this requires some cleaning, and using tools to set and remove attachments... well, this is a pain, and if your hyperacusis is very bad I would not do this.

There is no way to avoid sound exposure or exposure to vibration when having dental work done. For me, I found out that it is better to have half-inserted earplugs when attachments are removed. I tried to do this without hearing protection and it was hell. I tried to do it with the dentist using other tool at half power, a tool that works slower and produces a lower (not so high-pitched sound) but this tool delivered less decibels but more vibration and in the end... it was worse than using the high-pitched high-powered tool with half-inserted earplugs..

But of course this is my personal story. It might be different for others.