Noisy Restaurant with Earplugs Causing a Big Spike

So I went to a restaurant on Thursday that was way too loud. It wasn't too loud to begin with (with earplugs), but it got crowded and the noise ramped way up after I had ordered. The acoustics were terrible with it being one giant open room with nothing to absorb sound, and everyone seemed to be shouting over one another.

At that point I felt obligated to stay because I was with coworkers and clients. It wasn't the music either, but the roar of the crowd was loud enough that I was having troubles hearing the person talking across from me while wearing earplugs. It was horrible, and I felt like just getting up and walking out but I didn't.

I took some prednisone the day after, but it still seems to be spiking today (three days later). I have so many sounds in my head that it's hard telling what's what. Normally most of them are in the background except for one maybe two tones that I can hear almost everywhere, but now the broadband head hissing has ramped up and the new tone I developed last year has ramped up as well. The past few months I've been okay with my tinnitus and dealing with the hyperacusis, but I feel like I'm back to square one at the moment.

I didn't have a decibel meter with me, but I would guess the restaurant was somewhere in the 80-90 decibel range. I doubt it was any louder than 90db and I had deeply inserted Hearos Xtreme earplugs (supposedly 33NRR). Being conservative, lets say they gave me 20 dB reduction instead of the 33. That would be less than 70db at my ears for about an hour, one would think that wouldn't be loud enough to cause any lasting damage.

 

Hope you feel better soon, did you hear your t spike as you were eating? Or did you notice it after?

 

After, but I knew it was way too loud for me while I was eating. I tried to scarf the food down and ask for the check as fast as possible. The food wasn't even that good. It's a difficult situation, I just feel obligated to stay, if I were with family I would just explain and leave.

About a year ago I had a loud noise exposure at work (different job). Even though I was wearing hearing plugs it was too loud for me. This exposure caused a permanent new tone in my right ear. I protect my hearing all the time, but sometimes it doesn't seem like it's enough. I have no idea why my ears are so much more susceptible than most people's.

 

I'm sorry Alue. You even had ear plugs in. I hope things settle quickly for you.

 

Thanks. I'm still no better at the moment, but I spent most of the day traveling and I'm sure that doesn't help things.

I've been at this for almost three years, and after two years of suffering I finally got to the point where I can tolerate it most of the time, but all it takes is one loud event to put me right back where I started.

 

That's a shame. Do you have hyperacusis? I hope things settle quickly for you.

 

If you find yourself in a similar situation in the future, you might consider telling the people you are with that you have a family emergency going on, and that you need to call your family. Then come back after a minute and tell them that your family needs you...

 

How is your tinnitus now? I have been to a loud restaurant (I avoid now) and generally my tinnitus settles down in 3-4 days. I am sure it will settle down as I have been in your situation many times.

 

I really don't think that 80-90 DB restaurant environment with 33 NNR reduction ear plugs would be unsafe or cause permanent damage.

Why did you take Prednisone? Did your doctor tell you to?

Prednisone has also been known to cause temporary tinnitus spikes as well. You should also not be taking that drug willy nilly every time you are exposed to safe levels of loud noises. That is a serious drug and can have serious side effects. Please talk with your doctor before just taking the stuff.

 

The problem with restaurants is that you eat and thus chew. The movement of your ears when chewing might cause your plugs not protecting you 100%.

Custom made ear plugs are tested using pressure when inserted in your ear. They had to remake one of my plugs because it didn't seal well, however i didn't notice it didn't.

Noise levels isn't everything, duration is also a factor. F.e. I can't drive 2 hours in my car (which generates about 65-70dB inside) without plugs because it would cause my tinnitus and hyperacusis to spike.

 

What makes you think I'm just willy nilly popping them like candy?

I honestly don't know how loud it was in there, I'm just trying to rationalize and convince myself it wasn't too loud. I know that it was loud enough that I was having a hard time understanding the person sitting across from me, and to make my ears react.

 

Slightly better after getting a good night's sleep. Thanks.

It's the fact that I developed a permanent new tone a year ago from additional noise exposure that makes me more worried about such events.

 

Were you talking to people while wearing the earplugs? The noise level doesn't really sound bad with earplugs in so I a wondering if perhaps your subsequent pain is the result of the occlusion effect, which may have made your voice louder than the actual restaurant noise. In any case sounds like you are already doing better!

 

I was, but the occlusion effect wasn't as bad as the constant loud noise. The occlusion effect is annoying, but it's not like it multiplies the sound pressure of your voice many times. I have a deep voice, and I'm usually a quiet talker but my voice can be really booming if I need it to be.

The spike calmed down, but now I have a new problem to deal with.

 

@Alue

I thought I read a post by you about people that speak loudly but perhaps it was someone else.

I had parent teacher conference for one of my children today and one of the teachers spoke extremely loud. Perhaps twice as loud as would be considered normal. I put my ear plugs in as the conference continued.

In that moment I thought of that, or this post, when we're in the heat of the moment and have to make a decision.

It's easy to armchair quarterback but how you act when you don't want to offend someone else is a different thing altogether.

 

You should take NAC and Magnesium every day permanently if you are so sensitive to spikes. They might be able to prevent an increase in tinnitus.

I say this because when they give them to soldiers and club goers before loud events it prevents hearing damage.

No guarantees though but they are both fairly cheap, like 30 cents a day each.

 

I'm having a similar time Alue. No new tones for me just my original sound ramped up. Going on 3 weeks now.