Could Protecting Ears During the Day Ease Tinnitus at Night?

[Sam Bridge]

Maybe your T got better on its own without isolating yourself? I'm sure your mental health can't be too great having no connections, job, social life or hobbies?

Hi Ryan

You are new to this so i will say this . T comes in many different varieties and sound sensitivity will be different for each person. This is why you see some people making extreme changes to their lifestyle. You have to figure out what your tolerance is. The tv has never made my t worse so why would i stop watching it for example.

This is not a one size fits all condition.

 

[Zug]

So what is the best thing to do if you are still in the acute phase like me and Bill? What is too loud for our ears and what should we avoid?

I get the no headphones, but also no tv? Or tv on low volume? Or what about talking? My roommate has a loud voice for my ears as they always contract while she is talking. But still, it's a human voice and there is no shouting.

So on one hand I want to protect my ears, on the other hand people say that day-to-day sounds aren't harmful at all.

Can someone give me/us advice?

The best thing to do is to find a good doctor. The second best thing to do is to reclaim your life, without overexposing. Human beings are social creatures, don't run away from life.

Also, showering, doing the dishes and watching TV or the ocasional movie raises your chance of having sex. This usually involves two human beings very close to each other ears, with some luck, even screaming from time to time.

 

[Zug]

No T = better life.

You're still very new to this. It's complete normal to feel like this, but you have to reclaim your life at some point. In CBT this is called exposure, you do it progressively. If you want to watch TV, watch the thing.

 

[Bill Bauer]

So you don't shower?

Earplugs in the shower that just barely trickles.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I'm sure your mental health can't be too great having no connections, job, social life or hobbies?

When I woke up, I thought about Mike's post. It is funny how I came to a conclusion that is the opposite of what you wrote above: the silver lining of T for Mike is better mental health. His T motivates him to relax in the park, instead of wasting his time watching TV.

Having said this, Mike, if your healthy habits facilitate recovery, will you know that you had recovered? It might be a good idea to (once in a while) talk on your cell phone in the morning, to see if you hear your T, to ensure that you still have it.

 

[orbiter12]

When I woke up, I thought about Mike's post. It is funny how I came to a conclusion that is the opposite of what you wrote above: the silver lining of T for Mike is better mental health. His T motivates him to relax in the park, instead of wasting his time watching TV.

Having said this, Mike, if your healthy habits facilitate recovery, will you know that you had recovered? It might be a good idea to (once in a while) talk on your cell phone in the morning, to see if you hear your T, to ensure that you still have it.

Isn't over protecting your ears harmful as well? I understands ones needs to adapt there life style because there ears have been compromised and protect your ears when exposed to a certain level of noise or where there is potential to be exposed to certain noise (walking through the street where people beep there fucking horns constantly) but surely protecting against normal everyday sounds is just going to make H worse and you're stuck in a cycle of making H worse and focusing on T more. If you inside all day on this forum with plugs in because of the sound of your microwave you're never going to habituate? I'm not bashing your life style choices because reading posts on here I know how bad T can get (I can hear mine constantly although it doesn't effect my sleep and is easily maked) but what warrants the way you are acting and suggesting other people act

 

[Bill Bauer]

urely protecting against normal everyday sounds is just going to make H worse and you're stuck in a cycle of making H worse and focusing on T more.

I don't think I have H anymore. I don't think Mike has it, either. We are not in favour of wearing earplugs 24/7. In my experience, protecting my ears from things like banging doors (microwave, car doors, actual doors) doesn't lead to H.

what warrants the way you are acting and suggesting other people act

Mike's experience. My experience (possible improvement, following going out of my way to protect my ears). The experiences of multiple people on this site who describe the consequences of not protecting their ears...

 

[orbiter12]

I don't think I have H anymore. I don't think Mike has it, either. We are not in favour of wearing earplugs 24/7. In my experience, protecting my ears from things like banging doors (microwave, car doors, actual doors) doesn't lead to H.



Mike's experience. My experience (possible improvement, following going out of my way to protect my ears). The experiences of multiple people on this site who describe the consequences of not protecting their ears...

You say you drive? Driving is louder than water door shutting and microwaves that you are suggesting people avoid? Do you plug your ears to protect against the sound of your own breath? You're just paranoid.

Read @Michael Leigh posts I found them very informative and helpful

 

[Bill Bauer]

You say you drive? Driving is louder than water door shutting and microwaves that you are suggesting people avoid?

I wear earplugs + Peltor earmuffs when I drive.

You're just paranoid.

Not an argument.

 

[orbiter12]

I wear earplugs + Peltor earmuffs when I drive.

What about work or communicating with other people do you wear plugs for that?

 

[Bill Bauer]

What about work or communicating with other people do you wear plugs for that?

I have my own office (room). It is completely silent, but a couple of times each day, some of my co-workers slam the doors of their offices shut. As a result, I wear earplugs at my office during certain hours when they are more likely to slam their doors (i.e., lunch time, end of the day). My T is only in one ear. When I attend meetings, I take out the earplug from the healthy ear.

 

[MJv]

In my opinion i don't agree to Michael Leigh with some things he writes about t and h.
I have my own experience and brains to think and acts what's hopefully the best for me.
The experts don't know t gets louder or why my hyperacusis is severe.
There is still no cure or even a clue what causes t and h

 

[MJv]

I have my own office (room). It is completely silent, but a couple of times each day, some of my co-workers slam the doors of their offices shut. As a result, I wear earplugs at my office during certain hours when they are more likely to slam their doors (i.e., lunch time, end of the day). My T is only in one ear. When I attend meetings, I take out the earplug from the healthy ear.

But you don't have h? Why overprotect your ears?
Does noises increase your t?

 

[Bill Bauer]

But you don't have h? Why overprotect your ears?

I definitely used to have reactive T. I am not sure if it is still reactive, as I have been mostly successful at avoiding loud noises.

I protect my ears in the hope that eventually it may help with T. It can't make things worse, right?!

 

[orbiter12]

I have my own office (room). It is completely silent, but a couple of times each day, some of my co-workers slam the doors of their offices shut. As a result, I wear earplugs at my office during certain hours when they are more likely to slam their doors (i.e., lunch time, end of the day). My T is only in one ear. When I attend meetings, I take out the earplug from the healthy ear.

Are you doing this out of fear or have you had a spike from the door slamming?

 

[Applejuice]

Paranoia aside, what is best for potential recovery? I read somewhere (was it the previous page?) that total silence isn't good at all when they tested it on rats they did not recover as well as rats that had a little sound. But on the other hand, what is a little sound?

I'm also avoiding door slamming and I also just avoid loud noises in general. I watch 2 hours tops tv on low volume.

I want to do what's best for my ears. At least still in the acute phase where I could recover.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Are you doing this out of fear or have you had a spike from the door slamming?

One time I had a spike after I took out my earplugs in a quiet office only to hear a door slamming. I learned my lesson.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I think applejuice and I are following strategies that are very similar (if not identical).

 

[MJv]

I definitely used to have reactive T. I am not sure if it is still reactive, as I have been mostly successful at avoiding loud noises.

I protect my ears in the hope that eventually it may

I definitely used to have reactive T. I am not sure if it is still reactive, as I have been mostly successful at avoiding loud noises.

I protect my ears in the hope that eventually it may help with T. It can't make things worse, right?!

help with T. It can't make things worse, right?!

I definitely used to have reactive T. I am not sure if it is still reactive, as I have been mostly successful at avoiding loud noises.

I protect my ears in the hope that eventually it may help with T. It can't make things worse, right?!

I really can't say if it can or can't make things worse. I only know that it is your why of coping..
I think t also can worsen out of the blue...

 

[Applejuice]

I don't think it is identical because I tend to avoid hard noises but I don't want to wear my plugs a lot. I got rid of my H this way. It now doesn't spike every evening anymore

 

[Bill Bauer]

I don't think it is identical because I tend to avoid hard noises but I don't want to wear my plugs a lot.

That's what I am doing.

 

[orbiter12]

@Bill Bauer just out of interest have you given up all social activities? If so when do you plan on resuming them and just out of curiosity how old are you

 

[Bill Bauer]

@Bill Bauer just out of interest have you given up all social activities? If so when do you plan on resuming them and just out of curiosity how old are you

I realized that "social activities" are not for me, years before the onset of my T. I am an introvert, and I don't need to do anything (i.e., socialize) to be happy.

I am in my early 40s.

 

[Bill Bauer]

For more on this, check out my posts in
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/how-can-you-live-with-tinnitus-when-you-are-alone.21585/

 

[orbiter12]

@Bill Bauer do you not find that doing nothing makes you focus on your T more. For me socialising with my girlfriend, friends, family, online with friends is the best relief i get from T

 

[Bill Bauer]

@Bill Bauer do you not find that doing nothing makes you focus on your T more.

Good point.

Well, I can always work, or find something entertaining on the net. I was supposed to be enjoying a road trip in Alaska and Yukon right now. I decided to cancel it, as a result of T...

 

[orbiter12]

Good point.

Well, I can always work, or find something entertaining on the net. I was supposed to be enjoying a road trip in Alaska and Yukon right now. I decided to cancel it, as a result of T...

That's a shame about the trip.I hope one day you will be able to do the things you could before.

 

[MJv]

Why all these personal ' attacks' ?
This forum is supposed to be to support each other instead of becoming so annoying

 

[Applejuice]

We all just want whats best for each other so no hard feelings. Everyone has his/her own strategy basically because professionals haven't gotten any clue.

 

[light rain]

I think each person who wants advice can take it under consideration but we also know ourselves. Since T and H may have different causes I don't think there is a best "fix". It was not a loud noise but a constant clicking noise that stirred all this again for me. So there is no protecting from this type of noise but no habituating either.

And I think there seems to be a great increase in lots of different conditions that seem to have sensory regulation at their core. We are bombarded with audio and visual stimuli. Some may be less prone to handle this and simply can not easily process everything. If you can great but sometimes retreat is not defeat. You can still challenge yourself of course. And add to this the real physical damage that may be occurring with or causing the T and H it gets complicated.

Lynn