Tinnitus Spike with Ear Plugs?

I'm so annoyed. Last night I went to meet up with someone for a date at an open mic and on the way it re-occurred to me why I don't date/socialize/go out hardly at all any more --- because there's always the chance of a tinnitus spike.

I used to play music myself and don't any more for this reason. But, I brought earplugs and re-downloaded my little decibel meter app on my phone so I was prepared, and I also explained my 'old lady ear' situation to the guy I was with jokingly so that I'd have an excuse to bolt at any time.

The music started at about 8:30 and initially wasn't loud, and once it started to get loud I put earplugs in. They also took breaks between songs and I left the bar a couple times to get fresh air and get away from the noise.

Also, it never went over 100 db. Still, my tinnitus seems to have spiked in my left ear! It's not that bad but definitely noticeable and annoying, and I just feel so frustrated that even with earplugs, taking all the precautions, and with music that for everyone else would be considered not that loud, I still have to live with a spike.

Everyone treats me like I'm being neurotic but the problem is with society for turning everything up unnecessarily loud - and the worst part is that none of the music that has caused my last three spikes has been particularly good at all, I was just there out of a feeling of social obligation.

Anyway, do other people here get spikes even when they've worn earplugs?

 

I am surprised that you find this surprising.

The short answer is "YES. Earplugs can provide a false sense of security. People regret relying on earplugs all of the time. Just because you own earplugs does not mean that it is a good idea to act recklessly and go to any event you feel like going (unless you are ok with paying for it for the rest of your life)."

To read the long answer to your question, see the following posts in the thread below
posts #1, #17, #32 (@New Guy 's post), #34 (@Autumnly 's post), #39 (@Mellow7 's post), #48 (@lena_ 's post), #50 (@TracyJS 's post), and post #62(@dpdx 's post).

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

 

As soon as I cover my ears the tinnitus gets louder.

 

Well thanks for the comforting shoulder to cry on. I hardly think going to an open mic for an hour on a Sunday and bringing earplugs with me constitutes being 'reckless' and luckily it's only a slight increase in hissing in the left ear that I will have to 'live with for the rest of my life.' But lesson learned regardless.

 

That was my attempt to increase the chance that you won't need to cry in the future.

If you were to read the quotes in post #1 of that thread, you will see that what you did is much worse/was much louder than what had caused permanent spikes in others.

If you begin hitting a wall with a hammer, it takes a while before you get to see the objects on the other side of the wall.

 

It seems like you enjoy using this forum as a way to bully/scare people who are already feeling vulnerable. Not sure what kind of a person gets off on that but sounds to me like much larger problems than just tinnitus.

 

I guess you are Assuming that I am wrong (despite the evidence that I had provided to you), and then I can see why it would "seem" this way to you.

Note that if I am right, and sounds "below 100 dB" can do damage (temporary [that interferes with your recovery] or permanent), then warning people about it seems to be as much bullying as warning people about the dangers of smoking or drunk driving. Actually, since people are already aware that those two behaviours are risky, continuing to remind people of it is closer to bullying than pointing out risks to people who are completely unaware that what they have been doing all of their lives is likely no longer safe for them to do.

By the way, I am no longer addressing any of it to you. I am writing the above for the benefit of others who are reading this forum without registering an account here. I confess that if, after being told about the risk, you continue taking the risk and then live to regret it, that outcome will make me almost as happy as the outcome of me preventing another person from developing debilitating tinnitus.

 

Are you sure it is not happening because when you cover your ears, there are fewer sounds to mask your tinnitus?

 

"I confess that if, after being told about the risk, you continue taking the risk and then live to regret it, that outcome will make me almost as happy as the outcome of me preventing another person from developing debilitating tinnitus."

So.... you're evil? Keep in mind, I am, again, talking about an acoustic open mic night which is a rare event for me, probably the first time I've gone to anything like that in FIVE years even though I used to be a musician and music was my life. I was trying be social and make a new musical friend. The only good you've done for me is to help me put this in the harmless perspective that I needed to and forgive myself for making a mistake - although yes, I'm probably not going to put myself in this position again, for the sake of my ears and not because of your doomsday curse. I believe the message at the core of all your fear-mongering hex-like talk was that earplugs can't be counted on to prevent a spike, no? So that's my answer. Begone.

 

Hi @lilith

I'm sorry to hear about your spike--I hope it subsides soon. I took note of your comment about social obligations. Couldn't help but think that it may be time to look at that as closely as your attempts to prevent future tinnitus spikes. -- An unnecessary sense of social obligation can trip us up in any number of aspects of our lives--a hard lesson I've had to learn a number of times.

All the Best...​

 

You're so right, that's my takeaway too. In fact I think I avoid socializing altogether now because I have such a hard time setting boundaries and saying no or just walking out of a room - and my ears pay the price in these situations. I was trying to be more social and quickly remembered how much of 'being social' involves ending up places that are loud. So I have to either learn to enforce my boundaries or continue to be a hermit.

 

Is there some kind of middle ground? Sorry, I couldn't help but smile a bit when I read your comment about being a hermit--because you don't strike me as one! How's your creativity? Sounds like you're in a situation where it's time for it to come to the fore. Of course, if you don't mind my saying... ​

 

I don't know about being evil, but I Am honest.

If you click on my username, you will be able to click on the Ignore text link, and your wish will be fulfilled.

 

Aw! Haha, yes, the middle ground is what I'm striving to find! Used to perform consistently, had a band, had the time of my life, then got depressed and self-defeating and I'm trying to get out of that funk! I've been doing stand up comedy open mics since they tend to be a little quieter than the music ones. The creativity definitely wants to come back to the fore but I have to make sure to do it in a way that it won't be too hard on my ears and my psyche!

 

Perfect.

 

Also, thank you for having some kind words!

 

I think we all need kind words, especially when we're having such a hard time. -- Learning to avoid doing things out of social obligation that we really don't want to do; learning to use our creativity to navigate this difficult road we're on, learning to live as full a life as possible, even when feeling overwhelmed. All these new things we are in a sense being forced to learn.

But who knows, all these challenges may end up being a silver lining for many of us as we go through our own difficult times. I know my creativity is being stretched to its limits as I strive to deal with this all--which is still fairly new to me, and forcing me to think in entirely different ways. Who knows, perhaps the greatest thing we'll learn is patience. Which would be really something for me!

Signing off for the night... Be well...

All the Best...
-

Human ingenuity has no bounds--I'm sure you'll figure it out!!! ​

 

weird, the new tone I got yesterday, the earplugs MUFFLE it, like an external source. T is so unpredictable that there is no pattern for how it fluncuates for me IMO.

 

Hi @lilith! What kind of earplugs did you use? Perhaps you could look into getting better ones and try that?

Also, I don't know why, but my tinnitus seems to spike often after I've used earplugs. And I sometimes use them when taking out the trash (I live by a busy street and motorcycle season is here, enough said), and not really being exposed to any loud sounds at all during that time. I've just guessed that it perhaps irritates my ears a bit, or that I just think about it more, or something else along those lines. Perhaps you are experiencing something like this?

Anyhow, hope you find something that works for you, and good luck!

 

Wearing earplugs can spike ones tinnitus, regardless, of the environment one is in. Mine has spiked numerous times in the past when I’ve worn earplugs and I associate this with my brain focussing on the T more (because of the increased perception whilst wearing them). It is an unfortunate side effect of wearing earplugs sometimes, but this should fade without issue.

As long as you are correctly wearing earplugs (or muffs) of an appropriate strength the risk of damaging ones ears is very minimal. The caveat here is that the external noise doesn’t exceed dangerous upper limits (which is rare unless you’re at a very loud metal concert or something similar). The obvious reason for this, is if the noise is loud enough, it will exceed the natural reduction that our skull provides (approximately 40db) and will be transferred to your cochlea via bone conduction. At this point you run the risk of damage no matter what you’re covering your ears with. Also, be sensible, and don’t stand next to any speakers or other direct sources of dangerous noise.

Obsession, fear, and stress (overthinking/ruminating) will also spike ones tinnitus. I would say, around modest noise, this is almost certainly the cause of most spikes.

There will always be anomalies in life, but I believe this is true for the vast majority of us.

 

100db sounds dangerous, you need some really strong earplugs to counter that.
You should have earplugs that dampen sound -15db to get to the commonly acceptable 85db of exposure, but for us with T it could still be to high. If I where you I would find the strongest dampening earplugs you can find.
Im a fan of these from Earpeace: www.earpeace.com/products/earplugs?variant=43678121796
They come with 3 filters, low, medium and high. low gets -11db, medium -14db and high -19db.

Im thinking about getting the ones worn in factory's like these:
https://www.amazon.com/3M-OCS1137-Classic-Earplugs-Pillow/dp/B008MCU2M4?th=1
They cost nothing plus they dampen noises to -33db. You can never be to carefull I would say.

By the way, foam plugs cause a better seal inside your ear then rubber flange things, I noticed foam earplugs work a lot better at limiting noise for me than the flange ones.

 

Hi @John_415, thanks for that tip--just what I've been looking for!​

 

Your welcome! I have a whole collection of earplugs right now.

 

How do you know the actual probability? How do you know that your estimate of this probability is close to the true value?

The observations recorded in my "Learn from Others' Mistakes" thread contradict your guess.

Depends on a person.

I believe you are wrong. Now what?

 

Why wouldn't you attempt to stay away from the noise?

 

Now nothing, Bill. It’s all opinion, but you’ll find that an incredibly large number of people with tinnitus wear earplugs to events, all the time, and don’t have any issues. In fact, you’ll find most don’t use anything at all and are still fine. The latter I would never recommend, and I frequently find myself pointlessly telling friends (who already have tinnitus) to use plugs but they never listen. That’s human nature for you though.

You’ll also find that nearly every audiologist on the planet advises the same. You are stuck in a very small bubble here, Bill, quoting from an unbelievably biased source. There will always be anamolies in life; just like how certain drugs are safe for the majority of the population, but there will always be a small few who might be adversely affected. However, when the odds are this extreme it’s not wise to make people unnecessarily fearful of all sounds. It’s like strongly advising someone not to train as a pilot because they could fall out of the sky and die; and then finding (and quoting) all the cases where this has happened as a warning. Sometimes we have to use some rationality and better judgement; risk comes with everything.

 

That's because those audiologists just learned that T is incurable when they worked on their degree. They don't know much else about T. They give the same advice to T patients and to the healthy people. They seldom get to see those patients they gave that advice to again.

If you are talking about this forum, then it doesn't matter whether or not it is biased. I used that data to argue that the probability of the unthinkable is not zero. Neither you, nor I can get an accurate estimate of that probability.

 

Tinnitus and Hyperacusis can be hard to cope with.
Tinnitus it self should not stop you from socialising as long as you are careful and use protection but with that I don't mean to go out to concerts or raves or a loud Cinema.
Going for a quit drink or meal out with friends with music playing and wearing ear protection can be good if suffering with depression gettng out for a while with friends .
Try taking things easy and just go for a short while and maybe go early evening before it gets to busy.
It is finding a balance and trusting your feelings and not risking your ears to keep up with friends whom don't understand and make you feel guilty not going.
We are aloud to have fun and laugh and smile so don't let tinnitus take that away.
If you have Hyperacusis that is different.

love glynis

 

That’s the problem with your way of thinking though, Bill. There isn’t anything that has zero risk. Every time we leave our house we risk death amongst many other potentially serious hazards. We never know if we will make it back home, but if we spent all day thinking about all the risks and dangers we’d crack up, and our lives wouldn’t be filled with much joy at all.

If some people want to live like that, and are happy, then it’s fine. I personally don’t think it’s healthy at all, and I have so many PMs from people who are suffering, so much, and their symptoms are intrinsically linked to an extreme fear of sound (phonophobia). It’s absolutely heart breaking to read some of these messages.

 

How do you know it is not large enough to be significant? Since louder T is so horrific, it doesn't need to be very large for it to be significant.

I have many PMs from people who were careless about sound and lived to regret it.