Driving My Car and Taking Showers Spikes My Tinnitus

[Cape crusader]

I'm in outside sales and I travel quite a bit by car. No matter what kind of tinnitus day I'm having, mild, moderate or high, within a matter of a few minutes while driving my car my tinnitus spikes way up. I've tried everything. Masking CD's in car, windows down, windows up, heat on or off, AC on or off, even ear plugs... but nothing works.

Is there anything that someone has had success with not getting spiked tinnitus while driving?

Same goes with showering... I now bathe more often at night.

Tinnitus & hyperacusis for 4 months.
Noise induced.

Thank you.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Is there anything that someone has had success with not getting spiked tinnitus while driving?

I get T when I drive (especially when I drive long distances on a highway), unless I wear earplugs underneath my noise-cancelling Bose QC25 headphones.

If showers give you spikes, you can either take baths for a while, or you can try wearing earplugs when you shower (as I learned the hard way myself).

 

[kmohoruk]

It sounds like your T may be a bit more reactive. Mine fluctuates when I drive, work out, go for a shower etc.... but it always settles after.

For some people, it's just how their T is.

 

[JohnAdams]

I get T when I drive (especially when I drive long distances on a highway), unless I wear earplugs underneath my noise-cancelling Bose QC25 headphones.

Same here. However, I just talked to a very intelligent and understanding ENT and he said noise cancelling is good for low frequencies that arent changing like road noise or like in an airplane but he explained it to me, and he very well may be right, now that I think about it, that noise cancelling technology is not that good for higher, variable frequencies and that noise cancelling headphones can actually amplify higher frequencies. He said I should use earplugs and never use the headphones ever again.

 

[Bill Bauer]

He said I should use earplugs and never use the headphones ever again.

According to him, would it be ok to wear earplugs under noise-cancelling headphones?

 

[Lane]

Is there anything that someone has had success with not getting spiked tinnitus while driving?

You may want to check out this thread: Sodium Thiosulfate — "May" Help w/ Hearing Loss and/or Tinnitus. -- The first post contains a fairly long testimonial, but the following quote is the gist of that testimonial...

"""I'm going to give you the best current remedy for tinnitus, imo. At least of which I am aware. -- One of its uses, that can be found if you know how to search the literature, is as a protectant against hearing loss. I have found that this use extends to reducing, if not eliminating, tinnitus. Also, if you have any potential hearing damage from, say, prolonged exposure to loud music, taking some of this when you get home from the concert will do well to mitigate the hearing damage. This is confirmed by my personal experience. You can likely take it before as a hearing loss preventative, as well."""

If showers give you spikes, you can either take baths for a while, or you can try wearing earplugs when you shower (as I learned the hard way myself).

Sodium thiosulfate is sold at pet shops for aquarium owners who want to dechlorinate their water. I think if someone with tinnitus takes a bath, it would probably be good to dechlorinate it first. Not only would you dechlorinate the bath water, but you could be absorbing an otoprotective substance as well. -- Note: The rotten egg smell from hot springs that people with arthritis flock to is from sodium thiosulfate.

 

[JohnAdams]

According to him, would it be ok to wear earplugs under noise-cancelling headphones?

I will ask.

 

[AZeurotuner]

I'm in outside sales and I travel quite a bit by car. No matter what kind of tinnitus day I'm having, mild, moderate or high, within a matter of a few minutes while driving my car my tinnitus spikes way up. I've tried everything. Masking CD's in car, windows down, windows up, heat on or off, AC on or off, even ear plugs... but nothing works.

Is there anything that someone has had success with not getting spiked tinnitus while driving?

Same goes with showering... I now bathe more often at night.

Tinnitus & hyperacusis for 4 months.
Noise induced.

Thank you.

I believe it's related to a heightened sense of alertness, which I think temporarily increases all of your senses, including hearing. I get increases from driving as well, nothing to be concerned about. Tinnitus can and will fluctuate, stressing out and worrying about only serves to make it worse.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I will ask.

Thank you! I am hoping that the earplugs would be enough to protect one from whatever it is NC headphones might possibly do. But if one is still subject to risk under that setup, it would be good to know...

 

[Deamon22]

Thank you! I am hoping that the earplugs would be enough to protect one from whatever it is NC headphones might possibly do. But if one is still subject to risk under that setup, it would be good to know...

Bill....you know i just bought NC Headphones, right?

 

[AZeurotuner]

Thank you! I am hoping that the earplugs would be enough to protect one from whatever it is NC headphones might possibly do. But if one is still subject to risk under that setup, it would be good to know...

You don't think that's a bit much? I mean I only wear protection (Peltor Blasts™) when I take out my very loud classic sports car. I might be mistaken, but don't you typically drive a modern luxury car?

 

[JohnAdams]

Thank you! I am hoping that the earplugs would be enough to protect one from whatever it is NC headphones might possibly do. But if one is still subject to risk under that setup, it would be good to know...

Yeah I told him I my son screams and that I would start wearing my NC headphones and he was like "NO". Then he explained it in detail to me and from my music/audio hobby and my background in electronics his explanation made total sense. Basically low frequencies are easy to cancel but higher ones can actually have their waves added together and cause an increased amplitude.
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-noise-...ard-time-cancelling-off-high-frequency-sounds
basically the lag of the high frequency inversion can cause the resulting waves to compliment and add together.

who'd a thunk it???

I will ask. But he already told me just ear protecting ear muffs or whatever they're called and earplugs are the way to go.

 

[Bill Bauer]

you know i just bought NC Headphones, right?

I own them too, and thus far I have been very happy with them...

 

[Bill Bauer]

Yeah I told him I my son screams and that I would start wearing my NC headphones and he was like "NO".

I don't trust my NC headphones to cancel out sudden noises. They do a great job inside of a car and on an airplane, where the noise is steady and predictable.

 

[Deamon22]

I own them too, and thus far I have been very happy with them...

I was just joking. I would wear also earplugs underneath during a flight. I never use them otherwise.

 

[Cape crusader]

Thank you BILL, unfortunately it is illegal to drive with headphones in my state. I wonder how I could get around that? Don't want to break the law if you know what I mean. I will definitely try the ear plugs in the shower.

 

[Alue]

Thank you BILL, unfortunately it is illegal to drive with headphones in my state.

That's such a stupid law.

 

[Bill Bauer]

unfortunately it is illegal to drive with headphones in my state

It is also illegal where I live. It would appear that the cops are not on the lookout for people breaking that particular traffic law. I know that I can still hear cars using their horn, the ambulance, and even people shouting, so I don't think that wearing NC headphones would compromise the driver's safety.

I wonder how I could get around that?

Wearing earplugs would provide a lot of protection...

 

[Digital Doc]

Dont forget that the earplugs need to be a model that fits the individual well, be fully inserted, not be reused too many times, and have a high NRR. I think sometimes we make the mistake of thinking all earplugs are the same, and assume they are inserted perfectly. The details matter for sure when it comes to earplugs.

 

[OnceUponaTime]

Well, I had the same problem when driving my old car. (Toyota Sienna) I will also get bad headaches.
My husband did a research and found out that the Buick Enclave has a quiet cabin/ride. We went out and tested a few and it was like night and day difference for me.

He got it for me for Christmas.
Last month I had to go on a 3 hour ride and I had no problems.
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/quietest-suvs

What are you driving, maybe you need a new car!

About the shower, maybe you can need a new shower head?
https://forums.anandtech.com/thread...d-that-makes-one-louder-than-another.2013751/

https://www.kentucky.com/living/home-garden/article44168244.html

Once