Here I Go Again

[dboy]

There was this posted in its own thread recently as well:

Clinical evidence of the "gain" being turned up in the cortex to compensate for reduced hearing input.

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-01-brain-amplifier-compensates-lost-ear.html

The article seems to suggest a couple of relevant possibilities. One is that damage to hearing takes place more often than we realise, but is hidden because "natural plasticity can compensate for inner ear damage to bring sound detection abilities back within normal limits." This would seem to reinforce the idea that the guidelines about what is safe might possibly be misleading, at least for some people, because much hearing loss goes undetected.

The article also seems to go some way to explaining why those with significant damage perceive some sounds as being louder than do other people with less damage:

""Like feedback from a microphone, having too much gain in the system can push neural circuits toward becoming pathologically hyperactive and hypersensitive," said Dr. Polley. "By establishing the actual cellular components of the brain's amplifier, we hope that one day we might be able to turn the volume knob up and down to find that 'sweet spot' where people can reconnect to the auditory world without hearing phantom ringing or cringing at a loud noise that most people would shrug off as 'tolerable.'"

Not quite sure how this helps @LeQuack. My take away from it is that little is known with certainty about what is absolutely safe for hearing. 'Everyday' sounds might be damaging for our ears or they might just be producing temporary but unpleasant increases in our symptoms. I'd guess that both are true in different situations and with individual differences in biology and/or possibly levels of previous damage.

One thing I would say is that although addressing psychological issues like anxiety or depression might be helpful in itself because of the suffering they can cause, it probably isn't helpful to assume that if somebody suffers because of exposure to 'everyday' sounds then this must be caused by some psychological issue.

 

[Ed209]

*Are you one of those people that hand out bad advise Ed? Could your advise cause someone to hurt themselves further?

In a word, no. A lot of stuff written on forums can be considered bad advice if you come at this from a purely impartial point of view. What's to say everything you say is good advice @Telis? All we can do is give our thoughts and opinions based on what we know. Hopefully delivered with a degree of interegity based on what you have read and learnt through personal experience.

There is always going to be one opinion against another; even in subjects that are well studied. There will be times where even experts disagree. I'm sure people can take what they read and use it how they want.

My personal opinion is that forums have good and bad aspects to them when considering T. Firstly they can be a superb support network, but on the flip side they can also be a vehicle for keeping your attention on tinnitus. If you're on a forum talking about it daily then you could argue that it's unlikely you will habituate as soon, if ever maybe. It's a form of fixation and that's probably what separates us from the majority who don't suffer with their T symptoms like we do.

I don't think people should wear earplugs all the time (in my opinion). We should use them when exposed to loud noise, because the majority of daily noise (again in my opinion) is safe. If it's on your mind to the point where you obsess over going out, then it can't be good. Your mental state is doing you more damage then the sound itself.

Take the people with T who aren't bothered by it as an example. They have the same symptoms as we do, but after a few weeks/months they move on and never talk about it again. The big difference is how they react to it, it's monumentally important to overcoming it.

 

[dboy]

@Ed209 I think Telis was inviting you to comment on the content of the New York Times article that he posted. I am curious myself whether you would be willing to say this:

Your mental state is doing you more damage then the sound itself.

...to this lady from the article:

Three years ago, Ann Lesky, then a math teacher in Newton, Mass., was subjected to a wolf-whistle mere inches from one ear. The pain was excruciating. Within an hour, the ringing started, resembling a whistling teakettle.

Struggling with pain from classroom noise, Ms. Lesky had to leave her job. Pain, which she describes as "a steel rod stabbing and turning in my ear canal," is always present in her bad ear. Tinnitus plagues both ears.

Routine sounds, like the beeping from a store scanner or a vehicle that is backing up, can trigger hours of additional pain. "Louder noises hurt more and last longer," Ms. Lesky, 57, said. "I feel like I am getting better, and then some noise sets me back."

She manages with earplugs, protective earmuffs and noise-canceling headphones. "It is difficult to communicate," she said. "People think I am rude."

Surprise noises are the hardest to deal with, she said. "I am always thinking, what noise will hurt, and how do I avoid it? The quality of my life is almost unbearable. Silence is my only comfort."

Like many patients, Ms. Lesky visited multiple doctors seeking relief. None helped. One ordered a loud M.R.I, which led to months of increased pain and added another permanent tinnitus tone, like breaking glass.

 

[Ed209]

@Ed209 I think Telis was inviting you to comment on the content of the New York Times article that he posted. I am curious myself whether you would be willing to say this:


To this lady from the article:

The lady in the article was extremely unfortunate. Having someone wolf whistle into your ear is not an everyday occurance in the same way that I wouldn't plan on being run over by a bus either. Some things are just unavoidable but that's the unfortunate reality of life. There really isn't a solution as it was a random act of malice.

I would argue in her case that wearing earplugs could possibly make it worse though, as it sounds as though she has hyperacusis on top of the tinnitus. Most the approaches I've read on improving H involve gradually reintroducing the brain to louder sounds, wearing earplugs completely stops that from happening.

There really isn't one simple solution though is there? I sure as shit don't have all the answers and neither do the experts and that especially goes for information posted on forums. We should just combine what knowledge we can and formulate our own opinions. If some one wants to wear earplugs 24/7 then all the power to them, it may help them and it effects me in no way whatsoever. I'm just giving my thoughts and opinions like anyone else on here.

 

[Ed209]

"Significant relapses occur with new noise exposure," he said. "We continue to hear from people who follow the bad advice they receive and who go right back out into the world, confused and hurting themselves further.""

The article stipulates "Significant relapses occur with new noise exposure." This is very vague. What exactly do they consider noise exposure as they don't give any details. The commonly believed threshold for noise exposure is >85dba; is this what they are basing the term "noise" on because it's all subjective and not very precise in detail. If it is referring to noise >85db then you should be wearing earplugs.

 

[dboy]

There really isn't one simple solution; I sure as shit don't have all the answers and neither do the experts and that especially goes for information posted on forums. We should just combine what knowledge we can and formulate our own opinions. If some one wants to wear earplugs 24/7 then all the power to them, it may help them and it effects me in no way whatsoever. I'm just giving my thoughts and opinions like anyone else on here.

Absolutely, I agree with what you say here. Although we sometimes become heated in discussing these things it is not about animosity - it is about trying to clarify murky waters as best we can. We have to be willing to learn from each other in order to do this.

If several people say everyday sounds cause them a problem then you should perhaps consider that they might be right. I hear sounds like wind noise, driving in a car, etc. as much louder than I did before suffering damage. They can give me nasty spikes in my tinnitus that spoil my quality of life sometimes for weeks on end. Scientific research that has been quoted seems to back up that these perceptions are real. The lady in the article has a worse problem than me, and I am grateful mine is not so bad. I do not disbelieve her or think that she must have a psychological disorder such as phonophobia to experience what she describes.

 

[dboy]

The article stipulates "Significant relapses occur with new noise exposure." This is very vague. What exactly do they consider noise exposure as they don't give any details. The commonly believed threshold for noise exposure is >85dba; is this what they are basing the term "noise" on because it's all subjective and not very precise in detail. If it is referring to noise >85db then you should be wearing earplugs.

Yes, of course it is vague because the article highlights that absolute certainty about what is dangerous does not exist. The official guidelines might not be 100% accurate in every case, with differences in biology and previous damage possibly influencing what is safe. Noise damage can be cumulative and subtle, and the ways we have to determine when it takes place are imperfect (as the article about amplifier gain suggests). Put all these things together and it is possible to realise that the guidelines are just that - arbitrary guidelines and not guarantees. You yourself say that the experts do not have all the answers, but you cling to these arbitrary levels with such certainty, even when people (such as Ann Lasky for example) say that their tinnitus has been worsened by following what the experts and the doctors tell them to do.

I am not saying nobody should ever leave their house. We have to find what we can and what we want to expose ourselves to and go with that. It is an individual judgement call based on our individual lives and on the knowledge and experiences we encounter. We do the best we can. We don't want to live curtailed lives from unnecessary fear, nor do we want to increase our suffering from carelessness. It is not easy and there are few certainties.

 

[Ed209]

I just think its about time GPs took tinnitus more seriously. The reason why I believe the brain and mental state to be so important is because of the differences in how people handle the condition. It is just so utterly different, like black and white. I know there are people that are totally devasted by it and on the flip side there are people who aren't really bothered at all. There surely must be a personality type/mental attribute that causes such huge differences in reaction.

Let me be straight here, it's a horrible condition in any circumstance and I'm not undermining it. Why would I, I'm suffering as much as the next guy, but there is a real difference in how individuals handle the crisis of having T, which seems to boil down to how they are wired up. It's the same as how we handle other stresses or problems in our life. Some people sail through problems with ease while others are stopped dead in their tracks over things that wouldn't make another person blink.

The perception of T is real and for me personally it's a pain in the ass. Saying that though it's there and there's no cure so we might as well strive to continue our lives the best we can. I just don't think fixating on it and worrying about how loud every sound you come into contact with helps at all, because it keeps T front and centre of your consciousness. I accept we handle things differently, but again there's no cure! A life spent sitting in my bedroom so I know I'm safe is even worse to me. That's all I'm trying to say.

I will always wear earplugs around noise that I believe is dangerous, there is no question about that. It just seems we all disagree about what constitutes a dangerous level.

 

[Ed209]

Yes, of course it is vague because the article highlights that absolute certainty about what is dangerous does not exist. The official guidelines might not be 100% accurate in every case, with differences in biology and previous damage possibly influencing what is safe. Noise damage can be cumulative and subtle, and the ways we have to determine when it takes place are imperfect (as the article about amplifier gain suggests). Put all these things together and it is possible to realise that the guidelines are just that - arbitrary guidelines and not guarantees. You yourself say that the experts do not have all the answers, but you cling to these arbitrary levels with such certainty, even when people (such as Ann Lasky for example) say that their tinnitus has been worsened by following what the experts and the doctors tell them to do.

I am not saying nobody should ever leave their house. We have to find what we can and what we want to expose ourselves to and go with that. It is an individual judgement call based on our individual lives and on the knowledge and experiences we encounter. We do the best we can. We don't want to live curtailed lives from unnecessary fear, nor do we want to increase our suffering from carelessness. It is not easy and there are few certainties.

But that's my point though @dboy, if danger levels don't exist then that causes concern amongst the more anxiety prone of us, because there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. A life spent avoiding everything would cause me severe depression far worse then my T.

If they claim that any sounds are damaging I'd want to see conclusive proof, because it makes life near impossible to live without damaging your ears otherwise. If they did provide proof then I don't even know what that would achieve other than making me feel worse. If 60-70db is damaging (or anything below that as there is no threshold stated) then why aren't the majority of the population suffering? Even with earplugs 24/7, you can't avoid a non existent subjective "noise threshold" if it doesn't exist.

There has to be more detail than that from a scientific standpoint.

 

[dboy]

@Ed209 I agree with much of what you write, but I think you are insisting on a level of certainty that is not possible for everybody. We are not all the same genetically and there also seems to be evidence that previous damage predisposes to further damage (as well as temporary increases of symptoms that can be very unpleasant). These factors are all mentioned in the NY Times article.

So, again, I don't think anyone should avoid doing everything. I think we've each got to be reasonable about our own experience and go from there. Unfortunately the reality of doing this is depressing for many people and legitimately so. I agree that because of personality some folks are hit harder by this than others, but we are who we are and we do our best with that. There is not always an easy answer, unfortunately.

I'm aware I'm repeating myself and it probably is not too helpful to @LeQuack, so I'll try to shut up for a bit. Thanks for an interesting discussion.

 

[Ed209]

I strongly believe you need to look at the flip side of the situation, and use caution with how you tell people about the danger of sounds. It can easily be taken out of context and cause more anxiety for some. It can become a slippery slope to hearing something and then believing it's damaged you in some way. If this belief system becomes engrained in someone's mind, they could become obsessed in an unhealthy way; monitoring every knock or bang they encounter.

Being sensible and using earplugs in loud environments and worrying about a door slamming are two very different things in my opinion. I just don't see how it helps to think this way?

I can see your point about certain sounds spiking your T, it seems anything spikes mine. It's mostly just random and I have no idea why half the time (most likely the attention I'm giving it and lack of sleep being two prime examples). It's not just certain sounds though, lack of sound is just as bad if not worse for some of us. Using ear plugs that are too strong for the environment for example would spike my T considerably.

 

[Ed209]

Sorry to drag this up again, but I just stumbled upon this website from a well respected tinnitus clinic in London. It pretty much hits the nail on the head to how I perceive some of the advice on support forums. Especially with how they include phonophobia in the expandable tabs.

There is a bit of a skewed perception when coming to a forum like this. I still believe it's perhaps the worst place you could end up as a new sufferer. The main reason is that it is full of people who are suffering and barely anyone who's not bothered by it. In the real world the majority of people with tinnitus are not actually all that bothered by it, we are unfortunately the minority. It doesn't lessen our suffering, and it certainly doesn't help new people who read all the negative stuff.

Here's a quote from the site:

"Many accounts and treatments of tinnitus are based on outdated ideas. Many of the support groups are simply phobic training camps! Read the articles and references on this site (and Jastreboff's) and make up your own mind."

Phonophobia:

"fear of environmental sounds. Fear that they may damage hearing or make other symptoms worse…"

I certainly see a lot of that here, even if it seems the members themselves are not aware of it.

Feel free to disagree.

http://tinnitus.org/

 

[Ed209]

This is also an excellent read. It perfectly sums up what I've been trying to say.

http://www.tinnitus.org/DST_NL2_PJMJ.pdf

 

[dboy]

Feel free to disagree.

Personally, I don't want to disagree in a big way because I think we both have some valid points and that it is all about balance - what I called above "being reasonable about our own experience". However I will make these observations:

The website you link to is advertising TRT services. Always be sceptical about what people say when they are trying to sell you something. For example: "Once you know that the important parts of tinnitus and hyperacusis distress are NOT due to damage that can't be fixed, then you can figure out treatments that will work." This is pure advertising speak. Even our ex-contributor Dr. Nagler (himself a provider of TRT) objected to the "total BS" on that site:

Magpie, I am so glad you posted that quote from Mr. ChineseHazell.

And here's why. Not only is it incorrect, but it shows an incredible lack of understanding on Hazell's part of the mechanisms involved in habituation. Worse than that, it demonstrates a complete disregard for what tinnitus sufferers deal with each and every day of their lives. And Hazell's notion of somehow making your tinnitus your "friend?" Absolutely nauseating! What has that man been smoking??!!

As a (former) tinnitus sufferer, I find Hazell's statement quoted above in red to be appalling. More than that, having been a tinnitus clinician myself, I find it embarrassing to read that sort of nonsense from a supposed authority.

And get this: I approached Hazell years ago and asked him to change the wording, but he thought it was just fine.

So kudos to you, Magpie, for recognizing it for the total BS it is.

Stephen Nagler

Regarding the PDF, there are a couple of obvious slippages/fudges. It is not really discussed that sounds can cause increases in symptoms and that this is why people might be "phobic" about them. If something causes an increase in unpleasant symptoms then it is not a pathological disorder to avoid it, it is simple human (and animal) nature. The one time they do approach this their muddled thinking is apparent:

At the behavioral level, it is manifested by a patient experiencing physical discomfort as a result of exposure to sound (quiet, medium or loud). The same sound would not evoke a similar reaction in the average listener.

The behavioural level is not the same as the experiential level, but the authors (originators of TRT) fudge this important distinction. Instead, a more responsible approach would explore the relations between what happens at the behavioural and experiential levels. Maybe the Jastreboffs have done this elsewhere - I do not know. But I do consider this material to have an ideological component: selling the TRT approach. For an interesting perspective on TRT, see here:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...rapy-where-are-the-results.13016/#post-159557

 

[Ed209]

The ironic thing is I first learnt about that particular clinic through Stephen Nagler! What are the odds.

He once stated that he had known Jaquiline Sheldrake for 15 years and had the utmost respect for her. I don't want to turn this into quote city but I'll just add the relevant ones in:

"Jacqui Sheldrake is not just a wonderful clinician; she is an outstanding human being."

smn

And:

"As British expats, I presume you still have friends living in the UK. Why don't you consider making an appointment with Jacqui Sheldrake at The Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Centre in London, and combine it with a little vacation for both of you to catch up with friends and family!

All the best -

stephen nagler"

As you can see it was through Stephen Nagler's recommendation that I found the site in the first place.

I'd also just add that I don't endorse any particular treatment over any other. As far as my research goes, there is nothing out there that is concrete enough to spend vast amounts on.

There is a Dirk de Ridder lecture I watched a while back which details the probable chances of success for any given treatment, and it's not very good. Mainly because there are just too many possible causes to have an effective treatment that works on them all.

Here's the link to it for anyone interested:

 

[LeQuack]

Well another huge setback for me. I was feeling pretty OK for most of the day and was looking forward to heading home since it's Friday. But it was not to be, because good things don't happen to me. I went the a store and as I was leaving there was a lot of traffic and I was stuck right at the back of some warehouses with a bunch of trucks loading and unload stuff to my right. And all of a sudden then was this explosion type sound, I am guessing one the shipping containers must have fallen or something, it was so loud that I'm still shaking. Even though I was in my car with the windows rolled up the sound was deafening. I didn't feel any pain but my right ear feels stuffed now. Wish I wasn't here anymore.

 

[Ed209]

Try not to let it get on top of you. Watch a movie, play a game, do anything to try and unwind. It's not easy when your mind goes into overdrive but it's the best thing you can do for yourself.

 

[LeQuack]

I wish I was able to do that. But I can't, all I keep thinking about is how loud that was and how it might affect me and why me and why now and why couldn't I have gone home a few minutes later or sooner and this wouldn't have happened. I'm so stupid.

 

[bill 112]

Just gonna throw my two cents worth in here guys,I developed H at the very beginning of 2014(Had T for 3 years prior)and believe me when I say it pushed me to the edge.I looked up everything I could that may help but nothing seemed to help,except one thing kept popping up on all the forums,noise exposure.So I started the long journey of regaining my tolerances to sound and after two years I was 80% recovered.I felt good again and found a woman that I truly love in October just passed.Since meeting her I was out in slightly louder environments and if it was going to be overly loud I would wear ear plugs just incase.Sure there were times where sounds would smack my ears whether it be screaming kids or traffic noise but I would just tell myself you'll be fine and carry on.The more noise I was around the more sound I felt I could tolerate.So there was me thinking my ears are strong and could handle this and then boom!!It all came down a few weeks ago.My ears hadn't felt the best the last month or so but I wasn't going to let it control me,I had removed my anxiety from sound.But then suddenly my T escalated and my H is in overdrive with horrendous ear pain too.So in my opinion this whole mallark about being around more and more sound is bull,it's only now I've realised that maybe our ears are more susceptible to damage than those with healthy hearing.In a real dark place now,don't know if I've made things worse again,and just as things had gotten so much better for me

 

[dboy]

@LeQuack & @bill 112 sorry to hear that you are having a hard time at the moment. I think I know some of what you guys feel from my own experiences, and to say it isn't a good feeling is an understatement of epic proportions. What you are going through may well still turn out to be temporary though, so (of course) stay strong and look after yourselves physically and emotionally. My thoughts are with you.

Thanks also for posting @bill 112. The unfortunate reality on Tinnitus Talk at the moment is that you risk being accused of scaremongering, or having a psychological disorder, just by describing experiences like that. Even if such an accusation does not come directly, you will probably encounter posts about how newbies are being harmed by the 'negativity' of those who really suffer or for whom the official guidelines prove inadequate. The implication seems to be that the people who suffer the most should keep it to themselves so that others do not have to confront what they go through. What a contradictory place a support forum turns out to be.

I hope you do not mind me commenting on what you wrote in order to try to emphasise my point about what I see going on here. Best wishes to both of you.

 

[Ed209]

@bill 112 and @LeQuack

I know where you are because I've been there, it can take you into a deep dark depression when it grabs hold of you. You have to try with every ounce of strength within you to remain positive. It's almost impossible to do, but you have to try. I stayed in bed for around 4 days when my T spiked; I did nothing and it only made me feel worse. I lay there just totally suicidal. Keep yourself occupied and focus on anything other than your tinnitus, in fact it maybe better for your overall health to stay off the forums for a while. Talking about T all the time is only going to keep you thinking about it.

Invite some friends and/or family over and socialise, play some games or watch a movie together. Socialising can be a good way to take your mind off your problems, even with T ringing in the background.

I overcame a medical condition in the past that made me extremely depressed. I needed £30,000 surgery in the end to sort me out. I used to be on a support forum for that condition as well; it was very similar to here, a lot of people in a very bad place. At the time I would have told you that I'd never get over the way I felt. I thought my life was over and my negative thoughts continued to predict my future as being unlivable and depressing. My thought process was wrong and I did overcome it and overwhelmingly so. What seems impossible to live with now may turn out to be a non issue with you in a years time. Don't trust what your emotions are telling you.

In summary, try not to let your negative thoughts consume you, because they will destroy you if you let them! My T is still bad but I don't feel anywhere near as terrible as I did in those first weeks.

Stay strong, stay positive. I wish you all the best.

 

[LeQuack]

@bill 112 and @LeQuack

I know where you are because I've been there, it can take you into a deep dark depression when it grabs hold of you. You have to try with every ounce of strength within you to remain positive. It's almost impossible to do, but you have to try. I stayed in bed for around 4 days when my T spiked; I did nothing and it only made me feel worse. I lay there just totally suicidal. Keep yourself occupied and focus on anything other than your tinnitus, in fact it maybe better for your overall health to stay off the forums for a while. Talking about T all the time is only going to keep you thinking about it.

Invite some friends and/or family over and socialise, play some games or watch a movie together. Socialising can be a good way to take your mind off your problems, even with T ringing in the background.

I overcame a medical condition in the past that made me extremely depressed. I needed £30,000 surgery in the end to sort me out. I used to be on a support forum for that condition as well; it was very similar to here, a lot of people in a very bad place. At the time I would have told you that I'd never get over the way I felt. I thought my life was over and my negative thoughts continued to predict my future as being unlivable and depressing. My thought process was wrong and I did overcome it and overwhelmingly so. What seems impossible to live with now may turn out to be a non issue with you in a years time. Don't trust what your emotions are telling you.

In summary, try not to let your negative thoughts consume you, because they will destroy you if you let them! My T is still bad but I don't feel anywhere near as terrible as I did in those first weeks.

Stay strong, stay positive. I wish you all the best.

Thanks, it means a lot.

 

[glynis]

Hi @LeQuack,
How are you feeling today after the loud sound?..lots of love glynis

 

[LeQuack]

Hi @LeQuack,
How are you feeling today after the loud sound?..lots of love glynis

Hey thanks for asking. Feeling a bit better, at least mentally, not sure about the ears. Decided to go for some coffee with a mate because it was nice and sunny and it mostly went okay, but there were some folks there with a small dog and the owner kept whistling for him every time he went out of sight. And it was quite a loud whistling and quite annoying since it kept happening. Well hopefully it won't ruin my day since I don't think it was ear damaging loud.

 

[glynis]

Glad you had a better day and got out with your mates....lots of love glynis

 

[LeQuack]

Well just as I was about to think it's getting better I have more bad luck. I just can't believe how a person can have so much bad luck in so little time, it's truly like I'm cursed.

Today was again a big setback for me. One of the coworkers was cleaning the thick heavy glass dish for salads and such, and dropped and it fell on the counter and made this very loud bang. I was standing right besides it and the thing is, I was actually watching it thinking hopefully my coworker doesn't drop it and bang, just as I was thinking it it happened. I don't even dare to think how many dB that was but it must've been 100+ for sure. The only good thing I guess is it didn't break but still, I am in panic mode again.

 

[Telis]

Okay I think we get it, there are loud noises around you everyday and you are bothered by it. You keep posting the same thing over and over and over and over again.

 

[Ed209]

Well just as I was about to think it's getting better I have more bad luck. I just can't believe how a person can have so much bad luck in so little time, it's truly like I'm cursed.

Today was again a big setback for me. One of the coworkers was cleaning the thick heavy glass dish for salads and such, and dropped and it fell on the counter and made this very loud bang. I was standing right besides it and the thing is, I was actually watching it thinking hopefully my coworker doesn't drop it and bang, just as I was thinking it it happened. I don't even dare to think how many dB that was but it must've been 100+ for sure. The only good thing I guess is it didn't break but still, I am in panic mode again.

@LeQuack

You're not doing yourself any favours by constantly worrying about every knock and bang you hear, your stress levels will go through the roof if you keep putting this amount of pressure on yourself. If you are genuinely concerned you may find peace of mind by using molded ear plugs whilst you're at work. Buy a low to medium filter, anything between 10db to 17db should do. You don't want a filter that's too high because it could spike your tinnitus for the rest of the day, and it's generally not a good idea to have your hearing impeded; most importantly for safety reasons (you may injury yourself by not reacting to a dangerous situation). A lighter filter should do the job just fine.

Another option is to buy yourself some impulse earplugs which only drop the decibels when something loud triggers them.

Using earplugs in this way may give you comfort around all these loud bangs and will also give you that extra safety net that you're after.

 

[LeQuack]

@LeQuack

You're not doing yourself any favours by constantly worrying about every knock and bang you hear, your stress levels will go through the roof if you keep putting this amount of pressure on yourself. If you are genuinely concerned you may find peace of mind by using molded ear plugs whilst you're at work. Buy a low to medium filter, anything between 10db to 17db should do. You don't want a filter that's too high because it could spike your tinnitus for the rest of the day, and it's generally not a good idea to have your hearing impeded; most importantly for safety reasons (you may injury yourself by not reacting to a dangerous situation). A lighter filter should do the job just fine.

Yeah I know it's definitely not healthy, but it's usually not a noisy environment the office so I don't really expect these kind of loud noises. I was feeling okay in the morning until this happened, now my day is mostly ruined.

Another option is to buy yourself some impulse earplugs which only drop the decibels when something loud triggers them.

Using earplugs in this way may give you comfort around all these loud bangs and will also give you that extra safety net that you're after.

I'd much rather go for the impulse earplugs if they are really effective. But I've read they're more suited for shooting and only block very high dB like more than 120dB, even though I'd need it to block sounds that are even lower in volume.

 

[Ed209]

I totally get where you're coming from lequack, I'm the same as well but I was a lot worse a few months back.

If someone or something goes bang nearby my instinct is to check on my ears, but you know what? I've decided that doing this all the time is just as bad for my sanity! Once the loud noise has happened there is nothing we can do about it, it's in the past. If you feel its warrantied and the bangs are dangerous, then get yourself some impulse ear plugs.

Other than that life has to go on, we can't all quit our jobs and stay at home all day. Try not to let these issues get you down.