Flying & Tinnitus

[Tony Phylactou]

Hi...I've had my tinnitus for about 5-6 months now. Over the last few weeks it had gotten worse. I also could feel my pulse and had a weird spaced out feeling in my head. I went to two different GPs.They both said it is caused by stress and anxiety. Anyways since then I joined the gym and the feeling of my pulse in my head is almost gone. That spaced out feeling has gone completely. My main question is: is it ok to fly with my tinnitus or should I not? ( The flight is only an hour long). Also,has anyone had the other two symptoms and know why stress causes them?
Thanking you
Jack

My wife took some dB measurements while on a 5 hour flight with Airbus A320.

Take off was 89 dB for 10 minutes, cruising was 83 dB constant.

 

[Smartone202]

My wife took some dB measurements while on a 5 hour flight with Airbus A320.

Take off was 89 dB for 10 minutes, cruising was 83 dB constant.

Nothing dangerous, as my ENT stated and as I've read all about with regards to flying. Yet I'm still dealing with a head buzz spike for the last month now ironically beginning the night after a flight. My cabin was very noisy, more of a vibration tone really, but still, nothing insane.

 

[Tharanga]

Hi Guys,

I have a little bit of tinnitus, and I was worried if flying in an aeroplane at high altitude, and due to pressure changing when climbing and descending, might affect my tinnitus?

Kind Regards

Tharanga

 

[Deamon22]

I was on two flights since getting tinnitus last year.

One month after onset I flew two times for 7h in a noisy Boeing 747 without earplugs (I had no idea yet about tinnitus, earplugs and all that stuff). Also each time I had a 4 hour drive to the airport without plugs. I had a short spike that resolved after a day (inclusive a new tone that faded after a few hours).

Last weekend I had a shorter flight in an Airbus 318 (?) and I used foam plugs all the time, also during starting and landing. I also had some noise cancelling headphones, which were total overkill, since it was around 73 dB most of the time. Had no spike afterwards and no problems with the plugs.

 

[Sameer]

Hi, all, my family is booking a trip to a different state and are planning on travelling by air as that's the easiest way. The flight is going to be around 2-2.5 hours, from Sydney, Australia to Adelaide, Australia. I haven't flown since an ear-syringing I experienced just two months ago that significantly increased my tinnitus (and made it start fluctuating) and gave my mild-moderate hyperacusis.

I'm extremely worried about how it'll affect my condition/s and am considering not going for this reason. I feel like I will absolutely lose my mind if my condition worsens even a little bit more because of something I should've and could've avoided. Any thoughts or experiences?

Cheers.

- S, 19

 

[Allan1967]

Hi, all, my family is booking a trip to a different state and are planning on travelling by air as that's the easiest way. The flight is going to be around 2-2.5 hours, from Sydney, Australia to Adelaide, Australia. I haven't flown since an ear-syringing I experienced just two months ago that significantly increased my tinnitus (and made it start fluctuating) and gave my mild-moderate hyperacusis.

I'm extremely worried about how it'll affect my condition/s and am considering not going for this reason. I feel like I will absolutely lose my mind if my condition worsens even a little bit more because of something I should've and could've avoided. Any thoughts or experiences?

Cheers.

- S, 19

Why should it worsen?

I'm flying to Dublin next week. I plan to put blue gel ear plugs in as we ascend and descend. Might as well keep them in for the amount of time I'll be at cruising speed. Keeps the pressure out.

 

[Yuri_ol]

Hi, all, my family is booking a trip to a different state and are planning on travelling by air as that's the easiest way. The flight is going to be around 2-2.5 hours, from Sydney, Australia to Adelaide, Australia. I haven't flown since an ear-syringing I experienced just two months ago that significantly increased my tinnitus (and made it start fluctuating) and gave my mild-moderate hyperacusis.

I'm extremely worried about how it'll affect my condition/s and am considering not going for this reason. I feel like I will absolutely lose my mind if my condition worsens even a little bit more because of something I should've and could've avoided. Any thoughts or experiences?

Cheers.

- S, 19

I got a spike from putting in an earplug. I would not risk it.

 

[Sam60]

A few years ago when I was flying home from a trip, on the descend I found myself getting both an extreme headache and earache.

It was so painful I was in tears. I was hoping it was a one time only thing... but unfortunately it was not.

I have flown a few times since, and on my last trip the pain was so bad I had to go to the hospital.
They said both my ear drums had burst and hemmoraged. It left me in pain for weeks, and also I developed tinnitus in my left ear and significant hearing loss.

My question is, has anyone experienced anything like this and have you ever flown again? Did your hearing loss or tinnitus get worse?

I am petrified to take a chance to fly in a plane again.

Does anyone have any advice?

 

[Bill Bauer]

I am sorry that had happened to you. Were you the only person on that flight to experience pain?

 

[all to gain]

So should ear plugs and/or ear defenders be used on flights? I haven't read all the thread, but there seems to be some differences in opinion.

 

[all to gain]

Based on everything I've read as well as direct comments from my ENT with 30+ years experience, flying simply cannot do any permanent damage to your ears. Aviation has been around for a long time now and in all that time if there was a chance flying could damage your ears it would be known by now. That being said, I'm currently in the middle of a spike that ironically began hours after a 6 hour flight, but I've since become 90% certain it was stress induced.

I know a former airline pilot who at 60 or so has the hearing of an 80 year old. Might just be a coincidence of course.

 

[linearb]

My question is, has anyone experienced anything like this and have you ever flown again? Did your hearing loss or tinnitus get worse?

I am petrified to take a chance to fly in a plane again.

Does anyone have any advice?

My wife has a much less extreme version of your problem; at worst, on descent she's had significant pain followed by completely blocked tubes that can take up to 24hr to recover. But she was fortunate that she didn't actually pop a drum.

Now she takes pseudoephedrine, wears earplugs and chews gum on planes and doesn't have these issues -- but you have clearly suffered a real barotrauma event, which pushes this over a different line, and I am sorry.

Your tinnitus and hearing issues may resolve as your drum heals; no one can tell you for sure.

 

[Deniseh]

Hi,

Can anyone recommend earplugs for using on airplanes, I have tinnitus (obviously) but also suffer possible ETD (not diagnosed). I've also heard taking an antihistamine before a flight helps with this?

What's your thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mister Muso]

I only got spiked for a few days after taking a 3-leg flight in one day.

Will try and get direct flights in future.

 

[Sash]

I have a flight this Saturday then back on Sunday which I am still contemplating to cancelling due to the fragile nature of my ears (and also the fact some members of my family has had a cold this week and always get a cold when they have it).

I took a flight few months back and taking off was fine but the descent was painful due to the pressure even though I was chewing gum and wearing EarPlanes.

My tinnitus has got louder in the last one month and also now have mild hyperacusis so am little worried about the flight.

 

[Anthony C]

I just want to give some advice to those travelling on airplane with tinnitus. I was very concerned about this at one point myself. When I fly I really fly. From Asia to Boston. That is about 20 hours in the air within a day usually. The last flight day I had was. 6 flights. Chiang Mai to Bangkok, Bangkok to Japan, Japan to Honolulu, Honolulu to Maui, Maui to Denver, Denver to Boston. I have had Tinnitus for 5 years. I think I have a good perspective on flying with tinnitus after going through these flights.

I have measured the decibels on the plane using an app on my phone. Most airlines are around 78-82 dB in the air. The dB may go up a little during takeoff but not that much. I don't find a big difference between the back of the plane to the front but I try to sit near the front of the plane in the middle row on the aisle.

Because my longest flight is sometimes 14 hours in the air I know that after 8 hours at 80 dB that hearing damage may occur. There are different stats on this.

This is what I do to protect my ears. On takeoff I wear Clear Amor ear muffs that block up to 32 dB. I have had these for years and they are strong and really do the job. They would be too uncomfortable to wear the whole trip so after the plane is in the air I put in foam ear plugs. 3M are comfortable for me but I also like the tan color Mack's because they don't stick out.

I take a decongestant every 8 hours for my eustachian tube problem that I recently got. It is not for tinnitus but if you have a problem with ear pain on flights it may help.

I keep my ear plugs in the whole time. I have headphones that I put on over ear plugs if I want to listen to a movie. I keep it just at the volume where I can hear it.

When the plane is about to land I take out earplugs and put on the ear muffs.

My tinnitus may spike a little the next few days but it goes back down.

If you're travelling within the US or have a flight that is under 8 hours I would not sweat it. Foam ear plugs will decrease the noise enough so you wont get any damage.

This is my experience. Everyone is different.
Hope this helps.

 

[iAzra]

This is my experience. Everyone is different.
Hope this helps.

Thank you for this.
Do you think I could wear earplugs before ascending, during the flight and after ascending?
I am used to wearing earplugs at all times when outside, so I think it would be less stress for me than to switch between plugs and phones...

 

[Anthony C]

Thank you for this.
Do you think I could wear earplugs before ascending, during the flight and after ascending?
I am used to wearing earplugs at all times when outside, so I think it would be less stress for me than to switch between plugs and phones...

Honestly, I used to do that. I just put in earplugs and wore them the whole time. I think I still can do that but a few months ago I had a eustachian tube problem so to be overly careful I put on the ear muffs so that I didnt block ear. Really I dont think it matters and next time I will use foam ear plugs the whole time. You are the best judge for your own ears. Some people have trouble flying with their ears popping other dont.

 

[Candy]

I'm taking a flight Boeing A380... 8 hours.

Should I wear hearing protection such as noise cancelling headphones? It's supposed to be relatively quiet.

What do frequent flyers do?

 

[Juan]

Noise inside a plane depends a lot on where you sit, what kind of plane you are flying and the actual maintenance of the aircraft. It can vary a lot.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Noise inside a plane depends a lot on where you sit, what kind of plane you are flying and the actual maintenance of the aircraft. It can vary a lot.

If the plane is an Airbus, there is no reason to worry about it.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Should I wear hearing protection such as noise cancelling headphones? It's supposed to be relatively quiet.

Noise cancelling headphones give spikes to some people (this is likely very rare). I always wear earplugs underneath my Bose noise cancelling headphones, to protect my ears from the headphones. The headphones are great at reducing the noise of an airplane.

 

[Juan]

If the plane is an Airbus, there is no reason to worry about it.

They're noisy too. The A380 is exceptionally quiet but the medium planes are loud too.

 

[Deamon22]

I'm taking a flight Boeing A380... 8 hours.

Should I wear hearing protection such as noise cancelling headphones? It's supposed to be relatively quiet.

What do frequent flyers do?

Hi Candy, I took a few flights since tinnitus onset and always had in foam earplugs and noise cancelling headphones. On my Airbus flight that was complete overkill, I agree with @Bill Bauer there. Maybe bring both and see how you feel.

 

[Capstan]

A few years ago when I was flying home from a trip, on the descend I found myself getting both an extreme headache and earache.

It was so painful I was in tears. I was hoping it was a one time only thing... but unfortunately it was not.

I have flown a few times since, and on my last trip the pain was so bad I had to go to the hospital.
They said both my ear drums had burst and hemmoraged. It left me in pain for weeks, and also I developed tinnitus in my left ear and significant hearing loss.

My question is, has anyone experienced anything like this and have you ever flown again? Did your hearing loss or tinnitus get worse?

I am petrified to take a chance to fly in a plane again.

Does anyone have any advice?

A little late to this one - but yes I had serious congestion on a flight to Atlanta once. I could not get my ears to adjust to the pressurized cabin. My eardrums did bleed, but unsure if they fully ruptured. I didn't have any weird noises after landing and it surprisingly didn't change my tinnitus. It was a horrible 2 hr flight in extreme pain until finally landing. I mean not just horrible but was close to torture. I recommend skipping any flight if you're super congested.

 

[Candy]

Thanks all x

 

[Bill Bauer]

They're noisy too. The A380 is exceptionally quiet but the medium planes are loud too.

I've flown on the medium Airbus planes, and they can't compare to Boeing planes...

 

[Juan]

I've flown on the medium Airbus planes, and they can't compare to Boeing planes...

I think it depends on the actual aircraft and its maintance... there is a big difference between planes, even when they are exactly the same model, also depending on weight for a certain flight, weather conditions and other considerations that have an impact on the noise they make.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I think it depends on the actual aircraft and its maintance... there is a big difference between planes, even when they are exactly the same model, also depending on weight for a certain flight, weather conditions and other considerations that have an impact on the noise they make.

I don't know. Since I got tinnitus, I had been on about 10 Airbus planes, and none had been loud. I had been on about 20 Boeing planes and all had been loud...

 

[MRItechssuck]

I think it depends on the actual aircraft and its maintance... there is a big difference between planes, even when they are exactly the same model, also depending on weight for a certain flight, weather conditions and other considerations that have an impact on the noise they make.

Exactly. I have been in 100s Airbus, Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, Bombardier, etc.

Some Airbuses are loud, some Boeing's are loud. The newer airplanes are better, and the 737 will always suck, thanks to Southwest. The new Airbuses are advertised as some as the quietest, A350 and A380... however... have a bad door seal squealing the whole flight and the "stats" don't matter. Be prepared.

Earplugs or earmuffs, whatever you can tolerate. With muffs, you could have wired earbuds (on low), underneath to watch a movie on an 8 hour flight... I just did a 14:30 flight.

Earplug (foams are fine) should be on the second you leave your house if you have hyperacusis. The airport is loud, people putting luggage, slamming the overhead is loud, the PA announcements are loud (95db on a flight a week ago). Heck, you can run into poorly behaved children anywhere... but on planes and trains... you can't get away.

If someone's ear bled after a flight... you have bigger issues. :-(

Pressurization... NO valsalva!!! Too many people do this without knowing the proper way and they cause bigger problems.

@Candy CHEW GUM, SWALLOW, move your jaw, yawn... bring AFRIN.

Some airports do not sell gum, FYI... so bring it with you.

I have mentioned these things before but it gets lost in the 100s of topics and threads. If you wear noise cancelling headphones, have even a 10dB earplugs in just in case under them... or a sealing earbud will do the same function... I still don't trust the ANC headphones with possible 16kHz side tones.