Flying with Tinnitus & Hyperacusis

[Adriel93]

In August I'll be flying from Chicago to Puerto Rico (4hr flight) and I'm afraid that flying will make my tinnitus & hyperacusis worse. My hyperacusis has gotten a lot better and I hardly ever notice it but I'm scared that it'll set me back. And I also have ETD.

Does anybody fly with tinnitus & hyperacusis or ETD????

 

[lapidus]

@Adriel93
I don't think I would be able to fly since my H is very severe so I can't give you any first hand tips. But a lot of people with moderate and mild H seem to have great success with Bose noise cancelling headphones for flying. And if your H is hardly ever noticable I think you'll be fine with whatever earplugs/headphones you choose. Just my two cents.

 

[robHing]

And I also have ETD

ETD may get worse if you fly above 30000 feet in sky.
We need more input about this issue.

 

[Holly1987]

@Adriel93 I'm wondering the same thing, I am meant to be going from Australia to Canada at the end of the year and thinking about cancelling my tickets. Is a boat an option?

 

[robHing]

This is what I found from Google --
"When taking off, the effect on the ears is minimal as the pressure in the aircraft cabin decreases. ... At this time the air in the middle ear is at a lower pressure than the air in the cabin. If your Eustachian tube is blocked, your ears will not "pop" and pressure cannot equalize."

 

[Adriel93]

@Holly1987 I've thought about driving all the way to Florida, then taking a boat to PR but it takes 2days driving from Chicago to Miami lol I'm gonna fly and hopefully nothing aggravates my T or H

 

[Holly1987]

@Holly1987 I've thought about driving all the way to Florida, then taking a boat to PR but it takes 2days driving from Chicago to Miami lol I'm gonna fly and hopefully nothing aggravates my T or H

Let me know how it goes, good luck xxx

 

[dingaling]

@Holly1987 the clue is in your opening statement "afraid". Fear and hypervigilance can be drivers of hyperacusis and tinnitus wfhich suggests that you find ways to relax before and during your flight and to do activities that take your mind of these.

If you fret about your T & H getting worse, then they will.

 

[Adriel93]

@Holly1987 ill def post on here again to update you guys.

 

[Anthony C]

I have T and fly very long flights to Asia from US. 20 hours in the air within a 30 hour span. Worst case scenario.
I use foam air plugs the entire time. I have tried air muffs for shorter flights but the foam air plugs are most comfortable. Make sure you insert them correctly.
I dont have a problem with my ears adjusting to pressure with the foam ear plugs in but if you are concerned you can use ear muffs for takeoff and when the plane has stabilised you can switch to foam ear plugs.
If you want to watch a movie or listen to music put regular headphones over your air plugs and you will still be able to hear the sound. The ear plugs get rid of the high hissing noise of the plane. I have measured the noise level on planes and they are around 77-82 db. I have not noticed them being much louder during take off or different in different locations on the plane. I usually sit on aisle. I have not noticed an increase in my T using this method

 

[Noah121]

I just got back from Michigan on Monday. I came from Montana to Detroit and back. My T and H we're off the charts on the planes I was using noise cancelling headphones, earplugs just drove me even more crazy. I used to love planes so much as a kid, the noises, the feel you get, the whole experience. Now I despise trips greatly. I would avoid air travel but that's just me and my T.

 

[Adriel93]

Feeling nervous about flying tomorrow !!!

 

[uae96]

Feeling nervous about flying tomorrow !!!

My advise: buy bose quite headphones they're pretty expensive but I promise it's worth the investment for the long term specially for hyperacusis

 

[Adriel93]

@uae96 I'm worried my tinnitus or hyperacusis will get worse with the change of air pressure

 

[uae96]

@uae96 I'm worried my tinnitus or hyperacusis will get worse with the change of air pressure

It won't.

 

[Adriel93]

My T &H did not spike during my 4hr flight!!!!

 

[coffee_girl]

I have flown to Spain, Austria, India, and Vietnam this year and some of them were 15 hour flights, never had issues and never had problems.

 

[robHing]

@coffee_girl
Based on your frequent long distance traveling this year,
you already have a success story against T.

 

[coffee_girl]

@coffee_girl
Based on your frequent long distance traveling this year,
you already have a success story against T.

Yeah, i still have panic attacks though...im going to the dentist soon and the nervous feeling i get is enough to cause a few sleepless nights

 

[Tony Phylactou]

I have flown to Spain, Austria, India, and Vietnam this year and some of them were 15 hour flights, never had issues and never had problems.

Do you have tinnitus or hyperacusis or both?

 

[Johan_L]

I have severe H since 3 weeks, so not sure of how to handle things and how H will react. (Level: Normal conversations hurt slightly)

Those of you who fly without problems using protection, how bad is your H? Better? Or as bad?

 

[Adriel93]

My H must be real mild since, I used no protection on the plane. My H only bothered me like twice since I've been on vacation. Maybe that's a good sign??

 

[Bill Bauer]

I used no protection on the plane.

Why wouldn't you use protection on the plane?!

 

[noitseuq]

There's no ear pain at all? Your ears pops more than normal? Then it shouldn't be a problem but if the scenario it's differente then I think ear protection might be a need....

 

[Adriel93]

@Bill Bauer @noitseuq i brought ear plugs on the plane just Incase but I did not need to put them on. As the plane was taking off, and my ears feeling full due to the air pressure, I got anxiety attack cause I was afraid that my T or H would start acting up but it never did. Luckily the person next to had Xanax, and it put me to sleep right away

 

[Adriel93]

@noitseuq but yes my ears did pop due to the air pressure

 

[Bill Bauer]

@Bill Bauer @noitseuq i brought ear plugs on the plane just Incase but I did not need to put them on. As the plane was taking off, and my ears feeling full due to the air pressure, I got anxiety attack cause I was afraid that my T or H would start acting up but it never did. Luckily the person next to had Xanax, and it put me to sleep right away

You got lucky. If you search this site, you will find multiple stories of people getting permanent and temporary spikes as a result of flying without wearing any hearing protection. I hope you will consider protecting your ears the next time you fly.

 

[Adriel93]

@Bill Bauer true, but I've also read a lot of stories of people that travel for a living and never had a problem or spikes. I hoped on 3 flights this past week and I did not get a spike.

 

[Bill Bauer]

@Bill Bauer true, but I've also read a lot of stories of people that travel for a living and never had a problem or spikes. I hoped on 3 flights this past week and I did not get a spike.

I am only aware of @Alue doing a lot of traveling as part of his job and not getting spikes. This might be due to the fact that he protects his ears. Even if you are aware of the people who are pulling it off, the fact that some people can't pull it off means that the probability of getting worse is nonzero. So the cost, should you fail to pull it off, is infinite. But what is the benefit of not wearing protection?! It is avoiding the cost of protection - how difficult it is to insert 10 cent plugs in?!

Why would you be willing to risk losing everything (by making your body uninhabitable) in order to save 10 cents + the effort of inserting earplugs???!?!?!?!

 

[Adriel93]

@Bill Bauer you are absolutely right! I should've put the plugs in. Next time I won't gamble with my ears!