Are Earmuffs Really Needed? (Traveling / Flight)

[Julien87]

"Take-off and landing are the loudest moments, when noise levels inside the cabin can reach 105 decibels (dB). At cruising altitudes, noise drops to around 85 dB, says Pamela Mason of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)."

This is the kind of noise you might be exposed to at a pub, and this is the kind of noise that many of us found out the hard way can hurt our ears.

This comparison is ridiculous. Sometimes incidental noises in the street can be 100 dB. So you will conclude that in the street "there is the kind of noise that you might be exposed to at a concert, so don't go in the street"?

 

[maltese]

This comparison is ridiculous. Sometimes incidental noises in the street can be 100 dB. So you will conclude that in the street "there is the kind of noise that you might be exposed to at a concert, so don't go in the street"?

Actually, @Bill Bauer wears hearing protection whenever he's outside of his house and thats what he usually recommends

 

[Bill Bauer]

Sometimes incidental noises in the street can be 100 dB. So you will conclude that in the street "there is the kind of noise that you might be exposed to at a concert", so don't go in the street?

I was trying to say that the noise at a pub might be 85dB, exactly like the constant noise inside of an airplane cabin at cruising altitude.

I know that I get 3-day spikes after a door slams. That slam is probably not as loud as 105 dB.

I wear earplugs whenever I am outside of my home. I plan to do this for two-three years after my acoustic trauma. That way I know for sure that this won't be happening to me.

 

[Steve]

@Steve @TuneOut Do noise cancelling headphones like the bose qc35 actually give you protection like earmuffs and plugs? or do they just cancel out the noise without actually giving you any db protection?

Earplugs absorb sound waves and stop some sound from getting in your ears, Noise cancelling technology creates an opposite of the sound waves so that they are cancelled out and prevented from getting in your ears. Both offer a dB reduction.

Same sort of thing but achieved differently. I'm not sure of the attenuation of different models but many of them combine a subtle earmuff effect (closed back, covering the ear) with an active noise cancellation that works best at the lower frequencies.

 

[orbiter12]

Earplugs absorb sound waves and stop some sound from getting in your ears, Noise cancelling technology creates an opposite of the sound waves so that they are cancelled out and prevented from getting in your ears. Both offer a dB reduction.

Same sort of thing but achieved differently. I'm not sure of the attenuation of different models but many of them combine a subtle earmuff effect (closed back, covering the ear) with an active noise cancellation that works best at the lower frequencies.

thanks for the information. One of the biggest thing I miss after having T is listening to podcasts and music at my office job, helps the day go alot faster.

I really want to give podcasts a try on low volume, but I will never listen to them again sadly.

 

[Tinker Bell]

I know that I get 3-day spikes after a door slams. That slam is probably not as loud as 105 dB.

I wear earplugs whenever I am outside of my home. I plan to do this for two-three years after my acoustic trauma. That way I know for sure that this won't be happening to me.

In the first month of your tinnitus, did slamming doors cause three-day spikes? Or did that start after you began wearing earplugs every time you left your house?

Thanks to everyone for the information on noise canceling headphones! It's been very helpful. I think I'm going to try out a pair.

 

[TuneOut]

@Steve @TuneOut Do noise cancelling headphones like the bose qc35 actually give you protection like earmuffs and plugs? or do they just cancel out the noise without actually giving you any db protection?

It's basically like anti-sound. It kills sound dead. They just don't work as well with higher frequency and will not protect against impulse noises. They are designed so that low frequency will be cancelled out but still let you hear peoples voices to some degree. You do NOT want to wear these as replacements for earplugs in loud situations. They are good for things like airplane and car engines, fans, etc.

 

[Bill Bauer]

In the first month of your tinnitus, did slamming doors cause three-day spikes? Or did that start after you began wearing earplugs every time you left your house?

I am able to work from home. Normally, I leave my home about 3-5 times per month.

I had H during the first month. After I began protecting my ears (no blender, set the volume on my pc to as low as possible, protection outside of my home, etc.), my H began to improve. I would say that it is pretty much gone now.

 

[Tinker Bell]

I am able to work from home. Normally, I leave my home about 3-5 times per month.

I had H during the first month. After I began protecting my ears (no blender, set the volume on my pc to as low as possible, protection outside of my home, etc.), my H began to improve. I would say that it is pretty much gone now.

That's wonderful to hear! So sounds like plates clinking together, birds outside chirping, water running in a shower, and other sounds no longer bother you or cause your tinnitus to react?

 

[Bill Bauer]

So sounds like plates clinking together, birds outside chirping, water running in a shower, and other sounds no longer bother you or cause your tinnitus to react?

Birds never had an impact on my T. I take extra care not to clink dishes together. I think through my every move, when I am handling dishes. I have no idea whether a shower would cause a spike. Why take a risk? I take a bath and wash the soap off under a bath tap.

 

[Bill Bauer]

@Sam Bridge A shower caused me to have a spike about 5 months ago. So I have adjusted my ways.

 

[Sam Bridge]

@Sam Bridge A shower caused me to have a spike about 5 months ago. So I have adjusted my ways.

In that case i will remove the rating. I wonder what causes the reactivity in certain people?

 

[Jake007]

I am able to work from home. Normally, I leave my home about 3-5 times per month.

You need to get out more man

 

[orbiter12]

You need to get out more man

Maybe that's just his personality and he might not of been a sociable person without T. If having T has caused you not to go out then I'm sorry for that.

I try and go out most days. Work, gym, football, driving, walking etc otherwise I'd just be too focused on it at home.

For the first 3 months though I definitely went out a lot less than I did pre T. The noise is getting worse for me but still trying to do things.

I miss clubs and bars etc but I doubt ill ever step back in one of them places although my friend go there most weekends.

 

[Jake007]

Maybe that's just his personality and he might not of been a sociable person without T.

Might be, only he knows that. I just think it'd do him some good and gain some confidence to leave the house more.

 

[Bill Bauer]

You need to get out more man

If I were healthy, believe me, I would. Now that I am no longer healthy...

 

[Bill Bauer]

Maybe that's just his personality and he might not of been a sociable person without T. If having T has caused you not to go out then I'm sorry for that.

Yes, I would not be seeing other people, even if I were to be T-free. I was thinking more in terms of solitary road trips. I had to cancel my trip to Alaska that I booked before this nightmare began.

 

[Jake007]

If I were healthy, believe me, I would. Now that I am no longer healthy...

Is it because of the fear of a spike, or of h you don't?

 

[Bill Bauer]

Is it because of the fear of a spike, or of h you don't?

I am hoping that protecting my ears this way might promote healing. I might be completely off here. I Had been recovering, but then I lost a lot of that recovery as a result of a secondary acoustic trauma when I pressed a loud phone to my bad ear...

I can't think of anything else I can do to increase my chance of getting a little better.

 

[Jake007]

I am hoping that protecting my ears this way might promote healing. I might be completely off here. I Had been recovering, but then I lost a lot of that recovery as a result of a secondary acoustic trauma when I pressed a loud phone to my bad ear...

I can't think of anything else I can do to increase my chance of getting a little better.

I think your overdoing the protection man, especially if you only leave the house once a week and using protection then even. Hope it gets better for ya bill.

 

[TuneOut]

I miss clubs and bars etc but I doubt ill ever step back in one of them places although my friend go there most weekends.

Do your friends wear ear protection when they go to those places?

 

[orbiter12]

Do your friends wear ear protection when they go to those places?

ofcourse not. I've offered them plugs and they know what happened to me but still no.

 

[TuneOut]

ofcourse not. I've offered them plugs and they know what happened to me but still no.

You just can't get through to some people. Maybe you can, though.

 

[Mario martz]

Well, heres its a bit of an update, i appreciate the advices
tomorrow im flying its 1 hour flight, its a round trip in the same day.
i dont have a head cold, or the flu, but for some reason my nose get blocked in the mornings... :/ like today for example.
I dont have earmuff and are not easy to find here in my city, i only have those earfoams with 33db reduction
i think im gonna get my chances...

 

[Bill Bauer]

Well, heres its a bit of an update, i appreciate the advices
tomorrow im flying its 1 hour flight, its a round trip in the same day.
i dont have a head cold, or the flu, but for some reason my nose get blocked in the mornings... :/ like today for example.
I dont have earmuff and are not easy to find here in my city, i only have those earfoams with 33db reduction
i think im gonna get my chances...

Do you live in North America? Walmart might have Peltor muffs...

 

[linearb]

I've flown probably 3 dozen times since my 2010 trauma. I usually use silicone earplugs.

I have never had any problems as a result of flights, with or without earplugs.

@Mario martz 1 hour is short, I would not be too stressed about this. If you use earplugs, you may want to pop them out and in a few times during descent so that pressure equalizes slowly.