Hey @delta784 .. when it comes to these conditions and symptoms it is hard to say "this one thing caused x-y-z to happen". However here are the situations that I have come to notice bring on sound distortions: deep inserted ear plugs, very prolonged exposure to loud sounds, and stress/spiraling.
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The worst distortions have happened after I wore generic musician ear plugs that look like little screws and I made sure they were snug, then went about talking with them in and being in an environment where others were talking/low to moderate background sound.
I am convinced the occlusion effect along with vibrations significantly exacerbate the nerves in my ear canals and into my inner ear. I truly did and do better in louder environments without those ear plugs than in quieter environments with them in. On top of the distortions, I would get bad middle ear vibrations after wearing those ear plugs. I have come to the conclusion I can only do over the ear protection.
do you have distortions while watching tv and digital audio? i dont want to get worse like that