Question About Hearing Protection

[Jay M]

Do some or many people with T over protect their ears with ear plugs? I get this feeling from reading around this site and others that people tend to go a little over board when it comes to hearing protection. It seems like they could make your ears worse bc your brain is trying to hear resulting in a spike with a temporary or permanent increase. Am I wrong?

 

[Dr. Nagler]

Do some or many people with T over protect their ears with ear plugs? I get this feeling from reading around this site and others that people tend to go a little over board when it comes to hearing protection. It seems like they could make your ears worse bc your brain is trying to hear resulting in a spike with a temporary or permanent increase. Am I wrong?

Hi Jay -

Thank you for your question.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with tending to go a little overboard when it comes to ear protection. The operative words there are "a little." In their efforts to avoid compounding their problem, tinnitus sufferers often try for perfection in everything they do that might even remotely affect their auditory systems. And in so doing they give their tinnitus undue power over their lives. What I am saying is that in tinnitus "Perfect" can be the enemy of "Good." My suggestion for ear protection - tinnitus or no tinnitus - is pretty much Dr. Vernon's Rule of Thumb: If you find yourself in an environment wherein you must raise your own voice in order to be heard by a person standing next to you, then either leave or use some ear protection. Beyond that, I really don't worry about it. A bit to much protection? A bit too little? I myself don't give it a second thought.

Dr. Stephen Nagler