Electric Drill and Motorcycle Noises — Risk to Hearing or Tinnitus?

[Gerbit]

Hello Tinnitus Talk people!

Just have a question for you based on two sound thingies I recently have had, mostly for peace of mind, as I don't think either of these are dangerous at all.

First, this weekend I was helping my family make a garden fence! I was using an electric drill to drill holes and put in screws. I was using both earplugs (of course inserted properly) and earmuffs.

Second, I was in a parking lot and there were two motorcycles that were perhaps 75-100 feet away from me that passed by in perhaps two seconds.

Do you think either of these noises would cause hearing damage/tinnitus spike/tinnitus increase?

My guess is not, but I just want to hear what other people think.

 

[GregCA]

I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[ASilverLight]

Since my onset I've had so many motorcycles pass me by and I haven't been able to cover my ears for most of them. No spikes whatsoever.

 

[Gerbit]

Any opinions on the electric drills?

 

[Gerbit]

Hello everyone!

Five days ago, on Saturday, I woke up with a new sound in my ears. It's like a Morse code sound, pretty low tone. It's louder when I wake up, gets pretty quiet during the day, then gets louder right before I go to bed. I really haven't done anything that I think would upset the ears (the most I can think of in the last three weeks is a motorcycle passing by me at like 200 feet away and screwing in screws with an electric screwdriver using earplugs and earmuffs). Any ideas of how long it could last? Any suggestions for things to help it go away faster?

 

[Croaker]

If you hold something like a drill or lawn mower then earplugs make it worse. Look up the occlusion effect. Nothing to be done except learn to ignore it and avoid further mistakes.

 

[Gerbit]

Well I looked it up - it appears they seem to be talking about hearing aids. Nothing I could find about occlusion effect being associated with hearing loss. Isn't the whole point of earplugs to reduce sound?

 

[Croaker]

Well I looked it up - it appears they seem to be talking about hearing aids. Nothing I could find about occlusion effect being associated with hearing loss. Isn't the whole point of earplugs to reduce sound?

The occlusion effect refers to how, through bone conductivity, low frequency noise can be increased by as much as 20 decibels inside the ear canal when wearing plugs. We often perceive this when we hear our footsteps or voice thump in our ears when wearing muffs/plugs. Usually not dangerous at all, but with extremely loud noises like drilling/mowing/yelling it will absolutely spike your tinnitus.

 

[Gerbit]

Ok! Still though, I don't think it would be damaging to wear earplugs with a drill. Everywhere seems to say it only helps.