Should I Cancel My Trip Abroad?

Earmuffs are cheap and can be bought online. Maybe you can buy a pair on your own? But I understand that you are a student. If budget is an issue, please show this thread to your dad. You don't have to give up plane travel but you must take the necessary precautions. Tinnitus and especially hyperacusis are not well-known illnesses so we have to be our own advocates.

 

what? what do you mean "won't let you"? They are like $20, just go buy a pair at the hardware store. What possible reason does he have for objecting?

I'm not a big fan of planes but I use them on a regular basis without problem. I just use silicone earplugs, and in fact I've flown without any ear protection a good number of times also without problem. I also tend to use them from gate to gate, again without any problems, but my e-tubes open easily so pressure stuff isn't a concern for me.

 

Alright an update:

I chose that I will go to this trip! We will be flying with the new A350 which is a quiet model. When we fly to Japan our seats are located on the 30 row. It is on the middle of the plane I think it will be loud but I will use earplugs and earmuffs the whole flight.

When we fly back home we have booked seats in the business-class which means I will be sitting in front of the turbine.

I hope my tinnitus won't spike!

I want to thank you all for supporting me. Thank you so much

 

Wow the business class for the way back !

So great for you !

Very happy that you will go to Japan, I think you will love it ! My brother is a big fan and speaks Japanese...

Are you going to have a tour of the country ?

 

I have already been once in Japan and had a tour so I think we will not. By the way my brother too speaks Japan, he started practicing it over a year ago

 

Your brother too !

So when will be your Trip ?

 

Next month on the 15th day.

 

Great News !!!

 

There is no way I can go @Amber is right if I go my ears will be ruined. My teachers talking sounds too loud so I have to plug my ears. Teacher talking is around 85 decibels. And in Tokyo there will be 20 people in a store all shouting it will be more than 100 db. I don't even care if I choose not to go I hate my self

 

You don't have to enter the store.

 

The city, restaurants, the underground (or do they call it the metro) are all loud. Too loud for my ears.

 

I will be just staying in my hotel room

 

I did not think straight. I was only worried about the flight. When I realized that it isn't going to damage my hearing if I protect my hearing I immediately chose to go. I did not think about anything else the city the underground etc. even the restaurants are loud. Most of them play music and the kitchen is near the tables so they will be as loud as 100 db.

 

If I go there my ears are ruined If I can still somehow get my money back from the tickets and hotel room I won't go.

 

Would you say that they are good protection when one is on an airplane? It is just that the Peltor muffs are difficult to wear for longer than a couple of hours...

 

I traveled recently with my noise canceling headphones and ear muffs. I tried out both on the plane and for me, the noise canceling were better in terms of what noises they blocked. I felt like they cut the low sound of the plane at least in half, if not more. But overall they muted everything, even the crying baby a few seats back.

I also had earplanes and wore them during take off and landing with my noise canceling headphones. Together, they blocked much of the noise.

 

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I was going to wear Peltor muffs during takeoff, and then switch to Bose 35 when Peltor get to be too uncomfortable. It sounds like I ought to just use Bose headphones.

Did the flight have any impact on your T?

 

That sounds like a good idea.

I do not think it did. I was able to ignore my T on the trip, so initially I thought it was louder when I got back to my quiet house. But the more I think about it, the more I think it’s the same and that I simply perceived it to be louder because I’d just spent a week not focusing on it.

 

I just went to Greece and flew a combined total of probably 30+ hours on planes. Your ears will be fine. It will be a welcome break from the noise, as the pressurized cabin will create ambience for you.

 

No, they are by no means adequate hearing protection.
Noise cancelling headphones =/= hearing protection.

The reason the Peltor muffs are difficult to wear for you, is because they were never developed with the intention of use over a long period of time.

Personally I've modified mine with 3M's silicone gel pads which makes them much more comfortable and allows me to use them for 8+ hours a day at work (without taking them off even once). I've also modified the earmuffs inside the shells with KOSS KSC75 headphones, so I can listen to Acoustic CR Neuromodulation sounds, which I personally think has helped reduce my tinnitus significantly.

This effectively makes my modified Peltor X5A better than some of the really, really expensive headphones out there such as the Bose QC35. Not only are they good headphones, but they also double as certified hearing protection.

Btw, I own a pair of Bose QC35's and I would never ever use them on a flight. There's simply too many studies that have linked modern day noise levels to a lot of society's health problems. Excess noise is generally hazardous for human health. Not just your auditory health, but also your cardiovascular health etc.

 

Personally i would NEVER fly without adequate ear protection (Peltor x5 headphones). The risk of it getting louder is simply too great to be risk doing that. Yes there is a chance that you will be fine, but there is also an equal chance that you won't and that you might damage your hearing permanently. Make sure your dad really understands what your problem is. If he cares at all about you (which of course he does), he can see how much pain you are in and will want to make sure you are okay. Make sure he really understands what you are going through. Play some tinnitus sounds for a few minutes (you should be not there while this plays), and see how quickly he will really start caring and making sure that he does everything to see that you are okay. Sometimes its very hard to realize for people what we have unless they actively experience the sensation themselves.

I was embarrassed before with putting on some headphones when i was in loud stores or restaurants ect. Now i do not care anymore, and you can't imagine how little people actually care when you have these on. The most i have gotten was someone asking me why i wear those once (out of hundreds of times), and someone commenting once that they really like the old school headphones to listen to music to0 (lol). The best of luck to you!

 

Why wouldn't you wear Bose QC35 on a flight, if they are reducing the noise when you are on an airplane?

 

I'e been on several short flights (2-4 h) with noise cancelling anf it has been fine. Some spike after but not permanent. I am on a vacation now in Seoul and had to go on a 9h long flight where I combined both Peltor X4A and noise cancelling (Sony MRX 1000) with earplugs at crusing altitude. I only switched from the NC to Peltor when I wanted to sleep as the NC ones where not as tight fitting and was just uncomfortable. Peltor sits tighter and it was easier to move your head around without the cup moving or so. But I switched back after 3-4h as they become pretty uncomfortable. Didnt notice much in loudness as I also wore earplugs on the crusing altitude so had double protection (mostly for sleep). Both gave me good protection and I havent noticed any major spikes. I was a bit jet lagged the first days (only here for a week) and that messed my body up a bit. Also Seoul is very noisy and my ears get tired even from using earplugs so also some reactive T. Not to mention we walk for hours every day so also pretty tired during evenings. I'm sure its gonna get better once I go home ^^

 

Because they're not properly certified hearing protection.
They're not capable of reducing noise to a safe level.

Also for the simple matter of fact that using headphones to mask noise from industrial machinery, aircrafts etc is simply not proper OSHA practice.

 

It is my understanding that they were basically made to be used in an airplane (as they work best just for the kind of a steady hum that is a problem on an airplane). If you try both Peltor muffs and Bose 35 in an airplane, and Bose 35 seem to produce quieter environment, then I am not sure why it wouldn't make sense to wear Bose 35 during your flight. Those safety regulations are concerned with sudden noises, that you don't expect to hear inside of an airplane (unless the plane is crashing).

 

You've been misinformed about the range of their capabilities, unfortunately.

They are just headphones made for music.
Because of this, they're simply not certified as proper hearing protection and you shouldn't use them as such.

It doesn't matter how you perceive the environmental noise when you're wearing either Peltor or Bose.
What matters is that they effectively block damaging levels of noise from reaching your ears.

I honestly don't see the point at all in using headphones made for music as hearing protection,
when you can purchase and use actual proper hearing protection.

Bose markets them as a product you can use on a flight, but that's unethical and misleading marketing in my opinion.

 

You were able to modify your Peltor muffs. I am worried that if I try to modify mine, I will compromise the noise reduction that they provide. And Peltor muffs that haven't been modified, are difficult to wear for longer than two hours.

I trust my ears to determine the noise level reaching my ears...

 

I've modified them without altering the actual product.
It's quite easy and it only takes a few minutes.

That would be unwise, I'm afraid.
Many people on this forum have acquired tinnitus for this very reason.

 

Don't you need to rip off the part that you are replacing with a softer part?

I think you are referring to someone thinking that the music was not too loud, but ending up getting tinnitus. In this case, I am not saying that some sound is quiet enough. I have two sound levels to choose from and I am choosing the device that provides the sound level that sounds quieter to me. Are you saying that it is possible for a device to sound quieter but to actually provide less noise protection?

 

Yes, it's not that difficult.

That's exactly what I'm saying.

Perception doesn't mean shit.
What really matters is the actual attenuation values of the hearing protection that you're wearing.