Earplugs and Suctioning Incidents: Thoughts and Alternatives?

MSF

Member
Author
Sep 29, 2018
69
Tinnitus Since
2013
Cause of Tinnitus
Music events/drums
In the past few years, I became a habitual earplug user to manage hyperacusis, wearing them for almost everything, including vacuuming, public transport, doing dishes, and more. However, I only recently learned how to insert them properly. That is also when I likely started increasing the risk of pulling them out incorrectly, potentially causing damage from suction.

Most of the time, I have removed earplugs without issue. But two clear "suction" incidents in the last three days have made me aware of the potential dangers to my eardrum and possibly to what had been causing previous hyperacusis pain.

The first incident happened when I pressed on my tragus too hard to block my ear. When I released it, there was suction and a popping sound, which was completely unexpected and fairly traumatic. Lesson 1.

The second incident was last night at a small but loud concert where noise levels peaked at 100 dB. The earplug in my right, more sensitive ear was inserted deeply, and I had trouble removing it. Even though I was as gentle as possible, I am certain there was some suction. That ear now feels full and slightly "altered" in terms of frequency perception today. Lesson 2.

While I feel that using earplugs last night was fully justified, I am hopeful I will recover from last night's minor suction incident just as I did from the earlier, stronger one. Still, these experiences have been red flags about habitually using earplugs for non-damaging sounds.

As others have mentioned, frequent earplug use may reduce stress, but it does not really help me adjust. At this point, I would rather endure a bit of stress from loud but harmless sounds than risk the potentially dangerous suction effects of earplug removal, which could result in immediate damage.

Moving forward, I am planning to deal with sound exposure more carefully, even if it means tolerating occasional ear pain. I will switch to Doc's ProPlugs for truly aggravating noise. These vented plugs do not create suction when removed. Even with these, I will aim to use them sparingly.

I hope this helps others who may be navigating similar challenges.

Let me know if you need any further tweaks!
 
You're not using the right foam earplugs if you are experiencing suction. Foam earplugs shouldnt get stuck.
 
You're not using the right foam earplugs if you are experiencing suction. Foam earplugs shouldnt get stuck.
I have watched numerous "how to" videos on earplugs and also read enough to know that a good fit means that the earplug is literally sealed into your ear canal with no wrinkling around the edges. If proper fitting meant no suction, there would no need for warnings about pulling them out too quickly.

But feel free to provide any info to the contrary.
 
Perahaps you have a smaller ear canal, like the majority of women and some men also do.

Look for a slim fitting ear plug that may better suit your anatomy. I pasted an example below.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005...449&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=slim+earplugs&psc=1

Interesting, thanks for the suggestion. My right ear does indeed seem to have a smaller canal than the left, and that is actually the ear that the earplug got stuck in the other day and which generally has more H issues. Typically this has not been an issue, but it certainly felt like a cause for alarm after removal created suction and a full-ear feeling.
 
My ear canals are not symmetrical either. I think they are about the same diameter, but the right one is straighter and the left one has a bit of an angle that makes insertion a little more difficult, and sometimes takes multiple attempts to seat the earplug fully.
 
I have watched numerous "how to" videos on earplugs and also read enough to know that a good fit means that the earplug is literally sealed into your ear canal with no wrinkling around the edges. If proper fitting meant no suction, there would no need for warnings about pulling them out too quickly.

But feel free to provide any info to the contrary.

Suction has to do with the material the earplug is made of. I am not aware of technical details, but I have tried several models and some of them always produce suction, and this is because the kind of foam the earplug is made of gets stuck in the ear canal, it's like it gets glued.

There are other types of foam earplugs that seal the ear canal but do not produce suction. It is a matter of trial and error to find the brand that best suits you.
 
Okay guys, I have the exact same thing happened to me today. My foam earplug was deeply inserted (Howard Laser Leight) and found it quite hard to pull out. Once I did (gently) something happened and my ear definitely feels full.

I have tried countless earplugs but this is the only "soft" earplug I found out which is not harsh on my skin (I earlier got an outer ear infection from using hard earplugs - 3M 1100).

Does anyone have any suggestions for better earplugs that are soft, and won't cause this damn suction thing. @Juan, you say that the type of earplug is the issue, do you have any suggestions?
 
I've run into serious long term ear/tinnitus issues to do with earplug pressure/suction. See here: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...plugs-causing-damage.36315/page-2#post-521732

I've tested so, so, so many earplugs foam and otherwise to figure out an earplug solution that doesn't create pressure/suction and insertion/removal. The only true solution, for the truly sensitive, is for the earplug to be fully vented — i.e. the entire earplug actually has at least a 0.5mm diameter hole/tunnel going through it. I've modified a pair of solid westone silicon earplugs with a hole like this, and I've also bought 0.5mm silicone tubing off amazon, cut it, and inserted it through foam earplugs. You lose protection/attenuation, sure, but not as much as you'd expect, and mostly in the lower frequencies (which are less dangerous anyway for sensorineural tinnitus sufferers).

All that said, to answer the original question, these foam earplugs (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J4HB1C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00) create the least suction on removal, I think because their outer surface isn't smooth/doesn't seal on the ear canal as much as typical smooth foam earplugs.
 
So I bit the bullet and when at bought custom fit silicone musicians earplugs. These cost me 200 bucks but they were worth every cent because they have a hole going through the middle that connects to the filter so when they're pulled out they never cause suction.

I will say that wearing earplugs 24/7 gives me a lot of discomfort and sometimes pain in my ear canals, and so far these musicians plugs have done so the least out of every kind I've tried. But, I can't lay on my side while wearing them, I wear a softer foam pair to bed when the blasted neighbor dogs are barking.

I just got my plugs through my ENT and I can't find the brand that I use, but they're 25 dB (which I wear underneath my earmuffs)
 
I just experienced a similar incident. I removed my silicone earplugs, which have a central vent, but for some reason, they still created suction on my ear that suffered acoustic trauma just a month ago. I've read that this kind of suction can reach over 100 dB and may even damage the eardrum.

Did I just cause more damage that can't be healed?
 

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