Questions About Sounds Levels and the Use of Earplugs

Hello,

Are restaurants dangerous? The noise of the conversations disturbs me at times and I don't know if it's my TMJ problems or the anxiety or the noise, but I find that at times after an evening in a restaurant for example, my tinnitus is crazy and it decreases with time or after taking a drug (vasodilator, prednisolone).

My hearing is strange, during an audiogram, I hear the machine's sounds and not my tinnitus, I definitely think my tinnitus decreases but according to my ENT, it's the ear fullness that decreases, is that possible?

When you are sick, are you more sensitive to external noise?

Do you have a tinnitus spike before, or after, you got sick?

Can a normal level sound (according to a sound level meter) cause a tinnitus spike in a a small place? If yes, could the spike be avoided by using earplugs?

Do you wear earplugs if it's a normal level sound?

Do you avoid some locations? My ENT just tells me: "you should avoid acoustic trauma".

Thanks in advance for your reply ^^

 

Define 'normal sound level'. For me it does cause spikes. For many other people it does not. If you have hyperacusis or very reactive tinnitus you may still find it uncomfortable. Earplugs would be a good start.

Are restaurants problematic? It depends on the restaurant. Some are and some aren't.

 

Are restaurants dangerous?

Yes. But it depends on several factors. Business, spacial size of the restaurant, acoustics of the restaurant (this refers to how it was built to handle noise), how loudly do they play music, what kind of music do they play, what time of day is it.

The more people there talking, even if they all talk at the same volume, the louder it likely is. If it is busy AND the inside is small, it is even noisier.

When you are sick, are you more sensitive to external noise?

Yes, because sickness often affects ear, nose, throat.

Do you have a tinnitus spike before, or after, you got sick?

During/after

Can a normal level sound (according to a sound level meter) cause a tinnitus spike in a a small place? If yes, could the spike be avoided by using earplugs?

Usually, no. But the smaller the space, the less room sound has to go. It probably depends on the material of the walls. I wouldn't want to be chatting while I'm James Bond-ing through an AC duct. It might make you spike if you have hyperacusis. Earplugs can help.

Do you wear earplugs if it's a normal level sound?

No, and it's not recommended you do unless you have severe hyperacusis that doesn't respond to sound therapy.

Do you avoid some locations? My ENT just tells me: "you should avoid acoustic trauma".

Bars
Restaurants
Clubs
Concerts
Theme Parks
Church
Theater (Musicals, dance performances, etc)
Sports Events
Graduations
Weddings
Gym
Haunted Houses
Firework shows
Arcades
Movie theaters
Anime/Game/Comic etc. Conventions
Hunting/Gun ranges
Airports and Airplanes
Buses/Diesel Vehicles
Motorcycles
Waterfalls
LGS (Stands for Little Game Store where people gather to play board games/card games)
...Or pretty much anything involving fun!

 

Hello,

Thank you for your responses, a normal level sound for me is between 60 dB and 80 dB. I don't know if i have hyperacusis or very reactive tinnitus, anxiety can cause a spike or if I have TMJ problems, the TMJ problems can cause a spike as well?

For the earplugs, if the place is noisy, but it's a normal level sound, I can wear earplugs?

For the locations, I don't go to concerts, clubs, parks, church, theater, sport events, fireworks shows, arcade, conventions, huntings, LGS.

But I should do sports for my health, I saw only one movie since my acoustic trauma with earmuffs (it's good for my ears) and I went two times to bowling with normal earplugs and molded earplugs (it was good for my ears).

For the vehicles, I wear earmuffs or earplugs, when it's noisy.

For the airport or the station and the graduations, the weddings, I wear earplugs.

For the bars, it's really hard for my ears when it's a small bar even with a normal level sound but I wear always my earplugs in the bars and now I avoid the small bars and maybe all the bars from now on.

 

Yes, some people reported getting serious spikes after they stayed at loud restaurants. If I remember correctly, many of them had hearing protection at the time - it provided only a false sense of security.

Check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/learn-from-others-mistakes.29437/

Yes, if it is a moderately loud noise. For example, I remember reading a horror story where the poster was at a restaurant where he was exposed to the noise of the other patrons talking (there was no music there). The next day, the poster regretted not leaving that restaurant.

There is always a possibility that the spike won't be avoided. Why take a risk that you can choose to not take?!

I always wear earplugs whenever I have to be in an environment where noises that can give me spikes can occur. Healthy people probably won't even notice those noises, but I feel like my ears had been compromised, so I need to act accordingly. Of course the best way to take care of my ears is to avoid a place where I might be exposed to noise.

Yes. I will never be on a motorboat, at a restaurant with music or many people talking, at a movie theater, ever again. I try to avoid crowded places.

 

Hi,

I have a cold this week and can definitely hear tinnitus more profoundly than the last few weeks.

Also - I don't think it is necessary to completely avoid all social occasions. I have both Eardial and Live music hearsafe earplugs and find them fantastic. If I am going out to a restaurant I will wear eardial and If I am going to a late bar I will wear the LiveMusic ones - honestly so good I wore them all last week and no spikes or anything. The only thing is it is difficult to hear conversations with these in. I would avoid nightclubs, cinemas and concerts and plan on doing so for next few months/years.

 

Thank you for your responses Bill and Rachel. What is a loud restaurant? I think that the definition is variable, it will depend on each of us?

I don't agree totally with your opinion, I think it isn't necessary to completely avoid all social occasions, it isn't good for the spirit. The movie theater, I really don't know, they are dangerous for some people (they can cause tinnitus) but for the others, they aren't dangerous (they don't cause a spike for example).

 

Yesterday, after a TMJ treatment, in a quiet room I had to search for my tinnitus, so there is hope ^^ and my hearing is better after this treatment. I hope the TMJ treatment can help me with the ear fullness as well.