Poll: Driving. Earplugs, Earmuffs or No Protection?

Hi Everyone,

This question is intended for those who have tinnitus &/or hyperacusis and are in the position of a driver.

There are factors that will influnce the decision making process e.g.: the driving distance, driving a car vs truck, road conditions (a nice highway cruise as against to a bumpy road etc.).

I know similar topics has been discussed before but since I got caught off guard in a traffic jam by an ambulance siren which resulted in a bad tinnitus spike later and a course of Pred. I need to ask again.

It is not just sirens. It could be a car accident, superbikes speeding down the road with exhaust system mods, you name it. Plenty of factors.

As I see it:

1. Earplugs. Pros: not really visible, offer noise protection; Cons: the occlusion effect caused by a car's vibrations? Also, it's low freq. noise coming from the vehicle so the earplugs of choice would be foam.
2. Earmuffs. Pros: no occlusion effect, possibly offering even better sound protection; Cons: If highway patrol sees you, you could be in trouble.
3. No Protection. Pros: possibly good for fighting your hyperacusis/phonophobia/misophonia? Cons: the examples made above, and possible worsening of tinnitus?

What do you think?

 

Last week, I came back from a road trip during which I ended up driving around 4,000 km. I had been driving in Germany, so whenever I was on a highway, I drove 150-185 km/h (like the rest of the traffic in the left lane), and I spent about an hour (cumulatively) driving 200-210 km/h (when there were no other cars around).

I wore an earplug (foam) whenever I would drive or when I would be outside. I wore it only in one ear. This is because only one of my ears got hurt more than a year ago. Having said this, 9 months after onset, T spread to the other ear. Perhaps I should have been wearing an earplug in the other ear too.

This hasn't been a problem for me.

I have been wearing earmuffs for many months now, when I drive at home. The reason is that I live on a hill, and in the past I found that my ears didn't feel well after I would drive up that hill. In any case, the protection is similar to that provided by the earplugs. I might try driving up my hill while wearing an earplug again.

 

It all depends on the vehicle and the condition of the road. I've driven a lot without earplugs and have been just fine, but about a month ago I was driving a crappy tiny rental car on some very rough highways and the noise was horrible! It was louder than any airplane I have ever been in.

Noise cancelling headphones (the good quality ones) are really good at eliminating a lot of the low rumbling while driving on long trips.

 

I just drove and hour on the highway with musicians ear plugs. My tinnitus spiked. Is that the occlusion effect. Does occlusion make tinnitus worse.

Should I use foam instead or ear muffs?

 

It might be because those earplugs haven't provided enough protection.

 

why would the highway patrol say anything ? Deaf people aren't forbidden to drive

 

I prefer to wear ear muff when driving in a short distance as earplugs makes my ears pain specially in a rough road

 

When I had severe hyperacusis I just kept my car windows up. Never had to use ear plugs or ear muffs during that time and my hyperacusis was overall really, really bad. If I saw an ambulance coming right next to me I'd just plug that side of my ear and would be fine. Never had any spikes or incidents driving around, even during my battle with hyperacusis.

I understand the fear, but it might be a little dangerous driving around with ear plugs or muffs on. If you had to use something, use custom mold plugs with a filter around -10db or -15db attenuation so you can still hear things going on around you for your own and others safety. Avoid foam or silicon plugs that completely shut off the ear, I think the occlusion effect comes into play with those types of plugs and could possibly aggravate symptoms.

 

Please do not go down this route @TracyJS as I've previously mentioned. Using foam and earmuffs in this manner often causes more harm than good. You can use "noise reducing" earplugs that have filters in or continue with the musician plugs that you have which are fine, for a while. Try not to become dependent on them as this can instil negative thinking and lead to other problems such as phonophobia and misophonia if one isn't careful.

You are in the early stages of tinnitus and probably have hyperacusis. The tinnitus will spike but with time it will improve. Carry on using sound enrichment especially at night.

Michael

 

I disagree.

Michael, in the future, every time you feel like giving that advice again, please re-read the post below (click on the "up arrow" to see the quote in context):

Countless people on this site shared getting hurt and regretting not wearing hearing protection. After about a year, you will most likely no longer be that vulnerable. But otherwise, you really want to listen to your body. If the kind of sounds you might encounter when you go out give you T spikes, then do something about it - do not pretend that it is not happening. You can ignore reality, but you won't be able to ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.

 

It is not illegal for deaf people to drive.
https://axleaddict.com/safety/Deaf-People-Drive

 

@Bill Bauer

My advice was directed towards @TracyJS and no one else. She, like many people new to tinnitus can find it difficult to cope with in the early stages especially if they experience hyperacusis too. This will improve with time. I do not recommend Tracy or other people go down the route of using hearing protection unnecessarily because this often causes more problems. Lowering the loudness threshold of the auditory system, instilling negative thinking and can lead to phonophobia and misophonia if one isn't careful. More than one person in this forum have contacted me because they have developed phonophobia as a result of keeping away from normal everyday sounds and overusing hearing protection. This has resulted in them seeking help with Hearing Therapist at considerable expense.

I know your views on hearing protection and your recommendations that you've given to people in this forum, particularly newbies. I will be polite and say I don't agree with many of your suggestions and leave it at that.

I wish you well.
Michael

 

To deal with hearing protection causing hyperacusis one does NOT have to be reckless. One just has to do something like listening to TV at the moderate volume every day. Do that, and you don't need to worry about hyperacusis.

Phonophobia is irrational for healthy people, but not for T sufferers (as demonstrated by the quote above). That person is clearly stating that given the worsening of his tinnitus caused by not having phonophobia, he regrets not having phonophobia.

 

I choose not to get into a heated exchange with you Bill as I've seen enough of this between you and Ed209.
All the best
Michael

 

My post above
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...-earmuffs-or-no-protection.29349/#post-339594
was directed towards @TracyJS .

I should have mentioned her name in that post, instead of addressing you.

 

With time @TracyJS will be okay because she is having good days and not so good days. This is all positive as it indicates her tinnitus and hyperacusis will improve as it does for most people over time. Tracy is only 4 months in. Overprotecting the ears and using hearing protection unnecessarily, I do not believe is the way forward. If one isn't careful this can hinder or prevent the habituation process from happening.

Michael

 

I agree.

Hopefully if she protects her ears, she won't need to habituate.

 

Everyone that has tinnitus has to habituate to some degree, even those that have it mild and have never visited a forum or gone to ENT for tests. Habituation as you know, is the brain accepting and learning to ignore the tinnitus which takes time. It is similar to someone moving home to a location where a busy motorway/expressway/railway station may be present. The brain focuses on these environmental noises immediately as it's not use to them. After a while, it no longer sees them as a threat and slowly pushes them into the background, where they become unimportant.

Michael

 

@Michael Leigh, @Bill Bauer,

Is it possible you're both right? I mean, isn't there a unique situation for each individual?

While one person at a certain amount of time into t & h--let's say 2 months--may need to still be incredibly protective, isn't it possible another person at that time interval may be at a healing point where they can start to be less protective? That's the way it appears to me anyway. -- That said, I'm still pretty much a novice to all this...

 

I have many years experience with "noise induced" tinnitus @Lane McMullin and helped a lot of people with tinnitus and hypercusis. I don't want to sound condescending but experience with this condition means a lot and takes time to acquire and to fully understand it.

Michael

 

I was trying to say that she might hear silence again (and that the chance of that is likely higher if one protects one's ears).

This is the model that I have in my mind. A year ago, I would not be able to go on that road trip I just came back from.

 

You seem to be relying on your own experience and ignoring the experiences like the one I quoted above. You never addressed that case, because you can't.

 

Protecting the ears from overly loud sounds that could be harmful yes, I agree. Protecting them from normal everyday sounds no. However, since Tracy has some hyperacusis, using "noise reducing" earplugs temporarily may have a beneficial effect.

Michael

 

There are always exceptions and one needs to know a person's background. I have counselled many people with tinnitus and some have hyperacusis too. For some reason whenever I mention this there are those that want to challenge this. However, it is true. My advice is based on my experience but also talking to people on the telephone, by email and at Internet forums over many years.

Michael

 

What you are missing is that when one is on the street or at an unfamiliar place, one could be exposed to an overly loud sound. Based on my experiences, the chance of it happening on any given day is surprisingly high.

 

I have been exchanging private messages with a large number of people on this site. It sounds like there is a lot of self-selection going on. People whose experiences are consistent with my advice, contact me and share their experiences with me. The same might be happening to you.

 

With respect I am missing nothing. It is true with "noise trauma" to the auditory system a person can also develop hyperacusis. If this is present and one finds environmental sounds as you describe "spikes the tinnitus" Preventive measures can be taken which I describe in my post: Hyperacusis, As I see it . The link is below. Following this advice one can protect themselves without the fear of developing other problems that I've referred to.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

Michael, you might find this interesting. Before I got severe t in February, I had had serious h for many years. I was not overly protective, but did have a problems with most noises like highway traffic, engines idling, etc. But I could do well with normal everyday sounds like driving on the highway, running water, a fan circulating, etc.

I'm now in a situation where traffic noise is almost like a balm for my severe tinnitus, and I don't feel a need to be overly protective of myself with it (so I'm not). But normal sounds like driving, running water, taking a shower, etc., now feel painful to me. So I protect myself from those noises more than most people would. It's sort of weird, but it's my own particular situation, and I'm making decisions on protection accordingly.​

 

Your post is interesting @Lane As I have said in many of my posts. Tinnitus comes in many forms and intensities and no two people experience it the same. I only deal with tinnitus caused by "noise trauma" One thing is assured, and this is well documented in the medical field for those that like to rely on medical data. Over protecting the auditory system with the use of earplugs, earmuff etc, will lower the loudness threshold of the auditory system. This often makes tinnitus and hyperaucusis worse and can lead to phonophobia, misphophonia and other psychological problems.

I not only correspond with people in this forum. Other forums and people overseas and by email.

Michael

 

Can a loud noise make existing T worse? The answer is clearly "Yes". When one is out on the street, one can be exposed to loud noises. You don't know when it will happen, but eventually it will happen. So if you don't want T to get louder, and you have to be in an environment where you are certain to eventually be exposed to a loud noise that is loud enough to make your T louder... enough said.