Another Week, Another New Noise. What Am I Missing?

[TuneOut]

I don't get it, I just don't get it. I'm protecting my ears at loud places, I stopped listening to headphones, I only use public transport with earmuffs + professional custom earplugs, I'm using sound enrichment at night. My tinnitus is still gaining new noises.

Today I woke up with a higher warble added into my left ear - I had a lower warble in both (gained those lovely things a week and a half ago), but this one is new and louder than ever. This is NOT how it's supposed to be. It is literally impossible to habituate to anything like this.

Every time I start getting used to my tinnitus, I get a new noise. I'm losing track of how many I have at this point.

The only new thing I'm taking is Valdoxan (a non-SSRI antidepressant) and sometimes a few pieces of clonazepam when I really can't take it. Should I stop? Should I just stop with the vitamins I'm taking? Or the Betaserc? The Nootropil?

I'm so scared, you guys. I can habituate to what I have. I know I can. I get used to the sounds and I accept them. I've been on the road multiple times. But HOW do I do that when I get a new sound every few weeks? What am I possibly doing wrong?! Any ideas?

Have you tried *not* using sound enrichment at night?

 

[TuneOut]

@Greg Sacramento Hey! My plugs are vented - they were hella expensive, too... not sure how much better they can get :\

What's the NRR?

 

[TuneOut]

I do not agree with you @Zenyatta but it is your choice. The fact that you are wearing ear protection on the train and other people are not shows that you don't need them in my opinion.

People do a lot of dumb things and do not do a lot of smart things.

Please read my post above. I went to a venue where the sound level was 100 decibels and I had no problems.
Michael

Oh yeah, well I swam in shark infested waters and had no problems! (Okay I made that up.)

 

[TuneOut]

@Michael Leigh I wish I didn't have to use them but honestly, the train *really* hurts my ears if I don't. I've had my loudness discomfort levels measured and they're... not the best. I'm all for healthy sound enrichment and I'll start using my devices ASAP, but I don't think going into roaring loud traffic without any kind of ear protection is a good idea, especially since my tinnitus tends to scream for the rest of the day, even when I use it... Would you have used the trains without earplugs when your hyperacusis was so severe?

Hi Zenyatta. How long do you ride the train? It's not just a matter of decibels but duration of exposure.

"The total amount of noise to which an individual is exposed can be expressed in terms of energy level. The energy level is a function of the sound pressure of noise (in decibels) and of the duration of exposure over time. The equal-energy principle effectively states equal energy will cause equal damage (in any given individual), such that similar cochlear damage may result after exposure to a higher level of noise over a short period of time as would occur after exposure to a lower level of noise over a longer period of time [9]."

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@TuneOut

Lots of government articles, but I like this one for ear decibels ratings - easy to read without a lot of math equations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earplug

 

[Zenyatta]

@TuneOut :

1: No, I haven't really tried not using sound enrichment at night. Should I?
2: NRR of the vented version should be 33.
3: My commute is around 2x45 minutes every day - about 20 mins of that is spent on the train each round, the rest of is by bus, which isn't as loud. I do need to get around somehow though and I can't drive :\

 

[Michael Leigh]

1: No, I haven't really tried not using sound enrichment at night. Should I?

If you have intrusive tinnitus @Zenyatta then it's not a good idea to sleep in a quiet room. Using gentle low-level non intrusive sound enrichment is advised.

Michael

 

[TuneOut]

@TuneOut :

1: No, I haven't really tried not using sound enrichment at night. Should I?
2: NRR of the vented version should be 33.
3: My commute is around 2x45 minutes every day - about 20 mins of that is spent on the train each round, the rest of is by bus, which isn't as loud. I do need to get around somehow though and I can't drive :\

Hi. Should you try not using sound enrichment at night ? I don't know. Maybe your ears need some quiet time at night.

I definitely agree that you should wear ear protection during the train ride. I'd listen to your body. At the same time, try not to have an emotional reaction to sounds.

 

[Zenyatta]

I definitely agree that you should wear ear protection during the train ride. I'd listen to your body. At the same time, try not to have an emotional reaction to sounds.

I'm not having an emotional reaction, they just... hurt, hah.

 

[Zenyatta]

Just spent half a day out in the city. Ear protection when necessary. My ears are screaming due to the noise exposure anyway. This is why my tinnitus is getting worse, the hyperacusis keeps retriggering it every time I go outside.

...I don't think I can do this