Issue after long earplug use

Hey all,

I have been looking through the forum for a little while now and finally decided to join and post. I have had tinnitus since early january of this year. The furst month was rough but i started learning about it and finally got it to a point where it didnt bother me. All was great until i hit the road 2 days ago.

We took my girlfriends car on a trip to florida . i knew it was bad as far as road noise so i wore plugs for the 12 hour trip. After talking them out last night, i had a weird mettalic type sound with only Certain noises. Is this common after long earplug use?

I used them for the rest of the drive today and took them out for short increments and they are defdinitely a little better.

Any input would be greatly appreciated as i will be heading home in a few days and will need something to protect my ears. Thanks in advance for any and all help.

 

Hey I'm not sure why that happened but I think for most people with t earplugs are not needed for road trips. I go on long drives everyweekend and I keep a pair with me but rarely use them. Also some people think overuse of earplugs can result in hyperacusis so be careful not to over protect.

 

When i drive a car, i have to use earplugs, because i am too sensitive to low frequency road noise and my older car has not very quiet interior. After using earplugs is my T is always spiked to higher volume level for around 2-3 hous, then it fade down to standard volume.

 

Hey, thanks for the quick responses. I do not think it is hyperacusis as there is no pain or migranes that are commonly linked. Most of the sounds are fine, but a sound such as a chip bag, has a weird sound they never did before. I havE been limiting use of ear plugs but my sound meter said 90db.

 

The craziest part is, my T is actually down right now. But this other sound is what is really bothering me.

Also, i will be going to disney the next few days. What do you guys suggest as far as ear plug use?

 

Hey guys, any input as to what i should do tommorow at the parks? Think its a good idea to wearplugs all day? Would really appreciate some advise. Thanks.

 

I newer was in Disney park, i dont know, how can be loud in there. If I go out to the city with traffic, i have only a cotton in ears. But always have earplugs with, for sure and good feeling. Only in home or in safe interiors, my ears are completely free. Wearing earplugs isnt dangerous, if you wearing it normally and not 24/7.

Plug cotton in your ears and be carefull from loud sounds. If you cant bypass it, use earplugs.

 

Thanks Johno, i will give the cotton balls a shot. If it still seems too loud i will go with the soft mack plugs i have.

 

Bring a pair just in case. You need to judge for yourself if you're comfortable or not. The rule Recommended to me from dr.nagler is if you have to raise your voice to be heard to someone your talking to then use them. Once your there see how you feel. And have fun!

 

Haha very good advice. I will deffinitely bring both types i normaly carry along with the cotton. I have rhe orange super leights and macks super softs. Will figure it out tommorow when i am there. Thanks for calming me down guys, seems like the strange noise is just about gone at this point so i am very relieved.

Thanks again!

 

I've had good luck with cotton for 40 years.
I'm glad your strange sound is fading. If it were me, I wouldn't use those plugs again. I don't like the feel and the pressure that can occur with many earplugs. Cotton is "adjustable" too!

 

Cotton I have read somewhere only gives 7 DB protection .

 

I'm also curious about ear plug use on long road trips or train travel. I need to take a 13 hour Amtrak trip this summer and I'm a bit worried. I've always loved using Amtrak for long trips, but now I'm worried if the noise will be too loud for such a long trip.

I'd appreciate any advice or information!

 

Just as an update, the musement park was actually pretty quiet so i did not use any earplugs While walking around and partially inserted plugs when on louder rides. Also, the strange sound has since stopped and i can open chip bags again haha.

Still trying to figure out what my best option is for the ride home as the car is pretty loud 85-90db on these interstate roads.

 

you don't need to do anything, simply sit and enjoy the ride

alternate solution is to use earbuds (they will cut the outside sound) and listen to your music at a low volume of course.

 

Hmm, so the loud road noise should not have any negative efferct on the T? Just sounds weird being it is known that sounds above 80db can be detrimental to your hearing. The drive will be 2 days 8 hours each.

Thanks for the quick reply valentin.

 

Unless you have a professional sound meter that has been calibrated recently, you can't trust the readings on your phone.

Phone's microphone have amplification algorythm and other stuff to make sure they're efficient to conversation but they're in no way accurate to mesure sound loundness.

OSHA’s Permissible Noise Exposure

90 dB
8.0 hours

And just to add, the noise from the road is actually very good to take a nap

 

oh and just to make sure, a little video to back up what i wrote :

Droid deciBel App vs Extech Sound Meter

 

Hmmm, very interesting. Yea, i have been using my phone for most readings and after seing that video, will be picking up a real sound meter.

 

Hey, so a recap for others who are interested. Epcot was great, pretty quiet and felt comfortable without earplugs even on most of the rides there. Animal kingdom was somewhat the same, but some rides and tours required earplugs half inserted into my ears. Magic kingdom was by far the loudest, i needed to wear plugs the whole time and had to step away for a parade they had.
Overall, a lot of anxiety is gone and i deffinitely feel comfortable coming back next year or so. Hope this might help some others with T who are worried to go to disney.

Still trying to decide what i will do for the car ride home. Might just pick up some ear planes and use those.

 

I'll let you know! I'm taking a 9 hour Amtrak trip in two days! And then back in a few days after that.

 

I rode Amtrak yesterday and would not characterize the noise in the car interior as loud. Not in the least. If very concerned, it may be worthwhile to obtain a sound meter and carry earplugs. Use the earplugs if noise gets above your comfort level.

 

@MikeA Thank you!

@ashley Yes, let me know how you are after a 9 hour trip!

Thank you both!!

 

One thing that may be causing some discomfort is shoving the earplugs too far into your ears. It can hurt your ears as well, especially if you do it for a lengthy amount of time. Just always be gentle.

 

I decided to pick up a pair of ear planes for the drive tommorow and the following day. Will check in after and let everyone know how it went.

 

Hey all, the ear planes did the trick. Blocked out most of the road noise and kept my ears from getting overly sensitive. Thanks for all of the help guys.

 

One person on here says here T was caused by wearing earplugs to bed for years.

The one thing I should warn is to be cautious when removing them. The instructions warn, You should twist as you remove them, do not pull them straight out as this could cause a pressure suction.

Don't reuse disposable earplugs, unless I guess it is an emergency.

I wouldn't wear earplugs unless you need to protect your ears.

 

Yes, i always make sure to wiggle and twist as i remove plugs.

 

I believe these apps have a calibration setting so if you have a more professional tool ($25) you can do so...

 

I have a problem wearing plugs and making my T worse.