Can Someone Explain Why My Tinnitus Increases Even When Wearing Foam Earplugs?

[Davey]

I use foam earplugs that gives me 30 decibel reduction, but at the end of the night when i'm laying in my bed my tinnitus is increased. After two hours my tinnitus calms down.

Can someone explain me why my tinnitus increases, even when i'm wearing foam earplugs with a 30 decibel reduction? Because i'm afraid and don't want to give up on going out, I love to spend time with friends and drink alcohol and dance like a crazy guy and don't want to let tinnitus get a hold on me.

 

[Paul201]

Well my t can spike from sounds at lot less than 80 db. I just recently used a frequency generator to find my t frequency and my t spiked up quite loud for a few days even tho it was very low. So maybe certain sound will spike your t even when wearing ear protection

 

[walkthroughwalls]

This doesn't answer the 'why', but might still be relevant...

My audiologist told me that T can indeed spike from being exposed to safe volume levels (that are higher than everyday-life-sounds). This does not mean permanent damage was done that night. It's up to you to decide if the fun you have going out offsets the temporary increase.
I take that you're not dancing near the speakers or going to nightclubs that are excessively loud? Sometimes, even -30dB is not enough...

Also, could it be the alcohol that caused the spike?

 

[LukeYoung]

Ear plugs could be pushing wax deeper into the canal, after a few hours of jaw movement, it may have come out a little. That's one idea I have.

Or some high frequency sounds still got through your ear plugs as foam plugs aren't as good as musicians plugs.. For this reason.

Atleast the spike went away..

 

[Bobby B]

Also if the plugs aren't set deep and block sound well you aren't getting 30 Db reduction .
Some people have wider or tortuous ear canals and the foam plugs don't fit well you need to try a few ones and tests sound reduction at home to notice the difference

 

[Zorro!]

I don't think it's our ears so much as it is our brains getting amp'd up during the activities where we use ear plugs. If you're going out to clubs drinkin' and dancing with your friends then your brain is going to get "excited" for want of a better term. Not surprising it takes a little while to calm down after that, even if you feel physically calm. The brain sometimes needs a little more time to down shift into a lower gear. Of course, that's just a theory. Don't go giving me the Nobel prize for medicine just yet.

 

[Bobby B]

The other thing is ear wax - it gets produced inside the ear canal by glands in the skin and if you keep plugs for hours then this "new wax" cannot flow outside
Make sure to rinse your ear canals wiht soft warm water everyday that will dissolve the wax that gets pushed deeper by plugs

 

[Beste]

Do you get good night sleep? I do believe sleeplessness spikes my T sooo bad like I want to die at that moment.

 

[bekker]

I don't want to scar you but i'm 24 and can't go out anymore to clubs. Just as you i love to drink and go out. I had 33 decibel custom earplugs and the t got worse and new tones after i went clubbing. I still can go to a festival but i need to stay far away from the boxes and take rests Every hour (go out of the music) my big question is also why it get worse even with custom earplugs. I think it has also something to do with hyperacusis. If you drink a lot of alcohol the t also gets louder iTS temporarely so you don't have to worry. You have to test Yourself if you still can go out inside clubs or not. Every ear and person is different. Take a rest Every hour and they told me on this forum that you can take the supplements NAC , magnesium, vitamin b12 and cianin before and after you go out. It helps less the damage