How Are You Guys Able to Avoid Sudden Loud Noises...

[Red]

...unless you are a hermit or literally wear earplugs everywhere outside home (work, park, store, etc.) I am exposed to at least one unexpected noise a day. And yet people here are concerned being exposed to a handclap (not trying to pick on you Jurgen). I want that to be me. I want to be the person who worries about permanent increase over a hand clap. Because that to me implies you must be doing something right.

 

[Bill Bauer]

...unless you are a hermit or literally wear earplugs everywhere outside home (work, park, store, etc.)

I do the above.

Being a hermit beats listening to loud tinnitus for the rest of your life.

 

[Red]

I do the above.

Being a hermit beats listening to loud tinnitus for the rest of your life.

I have to make a lot of life changes to make that happen. I can't just be there. We have to make changes and pursue it but you should count yourself fortunate for where you are. Not many are in your spot.

 

[Vincent R]

I do the above.

Being a hermit beats listening to loud tinnitus for the rest of your life.

Save from being a hermit and cultivating an enlightened paranoia, I've recently added "work myself to death" to my list of strategies. I've felt a lot more at ease since I made the decision. I used to be fairly social, but one have to go with the times.

(@Red You might want to consider to wear earmuffs while you are outside at least. You'll still be exposed to loud noises at school/work/with friends etc. but the number of incidents will go down.)

 

[linearb]

I moved to the woods, but, city life had been making me crazy well before tinnitus was my big concern.

I wear dubs 12db filters when I drive, so that I feel okay about listening to music or podcasts over the ~70db din of dirt roads, and I wear earmuffs when I'm splitting wood or shooting guns. Other than that I try hard not to worry about it; periodically, someone is going to honk when they're right next to me, or lightning is going to strike, or a glass pan is going to shatter on the stove. Some of these things cause a threshold shift, and of those, some cause temporarily increased tinnitus. 19 years in, the only thing that's ever increased my ringing long term was a pretty severe ~120+db environment that I stayed in for two hours because I was dumb.

There's no point in obsessing; your hearing is GOING to get worse over time, period. So is your vision, and cognition, and muscle tone. I think that people who wear earmuffs when they're operating chainsaws are being sensible, and that people who obsess over an ambulance blasting past them on the street have some kind of anxiety disorder which they should work on.

 

[Leodavinci]

wear earplugs everywhere

I got custom ear plugs that are molded from my outer ear but I only use them in loud environments and recently, probably not enough. They filter frequencies other than voice by reducing their volume 10-20db. They cost about $120 at Sams Club

 

[glynis]

I just pass it off as a unexpected sound and don't dwell on it or react to it.
Spikes come and go so worrying will just add to the spike.
Love glynis

 

[Vincent R]

I moved to the woods, but, city life had been making me crazy well before tinnitus was my big concern.

I wear dubs 12db filters when I drive, so that I feel okay about listening to music or podcasts over the ~70db din of dirt roads, and I wear earmuffs when I'm splitting wood or shooting guns. Other than that I try hard not to worry about it; periodically, someone is going to honk when they're right next to me, or lightning is going to strike, or a glass pan is going to shatter on the stove. Some of these things cause a threshold shift, and of those, some cause temporarily increased tinnitus. 19 years in, the only thing that's ever increased my ringing long term was a pretty severe ~120+db environment that I stayed in for two hours because I was dumb.

There's no point in obsessing; your hearing is GOING to get worse over time, period. So is your vision, and cognition, and muscle tone. I think that people who wear earmuffs when they're operating chainsaws are being sensible, and that people who obsess over an ambulance blasting past them on the street have some kind of anxiety disorder which they should work on.

People should listen to you after they've been exposed to a loud noise and are freaking out, and to me before it happends.

 

[JurgenG]

I always freak out, but am in the process of learning that this will most likely not hurt you.
But I do try to avoid things, but I need to make a living, I like to be around people from time to time, I like to be able to move at least a bit. So I will try to get of the bandwagon of over-fearing everything and scanning my surroundings all the time. Some relaxing is also good for the ears you know.

 

[Kibakiru]

I can't really avoid loud noises, but It doesn't bother me unless i have to be around it for a long time. Besides, If i'm going to be a Surgeon, I'm going to have to get used to loud noises anyhow.

 

[fishbone]

...unless you are a hermit or literally wear earplugs everywhere outside home (work, park, store, etc.) I am exposed to at least one unexpected noise a day. And yet people here are concerned being exposed to a handclap (not trying to pick on you Jurgen). I want that to be me. I want to be the person who worries about permanent increase over a hand clap. Because that to me implies you must be doing something right.

Living in constant fear is never helpful. Yes, protect your ears, but going overboard is never healthy.

 

[Zug]

I have molded earplugs that I wear in noisy situations, and try not to obsess too much about it.

 

[Christophe_85]

...unless you are a hermit or literally wear earplugs everywhere outside home (work, park, store, etc.) I am exposed to at least one unexpected noise a day. And yet people here are concerned being exposed to a handclap (not trying to pick on you Jurgen). I want that to be me. I want to be the person who worries about permanent increase over a hand clap. Because that to me implies you must be doing something right.

Unfortunatly we cannot avoid all sudden loud noises...

But what I do nowadays is putting my earplugs the mornings when I go to work by bus, because there is a lot of traffic and everyone is in a rush so they make the engine scream !

And the station where I take the bus is quite busy, with quite a lot of buses coming, so I feel much more comfortable with my plugs in...

But once I get to my office, I take them off, and sometimes there is a loud noise but as I said we cannot avoid all loud noises... !

At least we can protect ourselves from a lot !!!

Take care !

 

[Jomo]

I go out and about with nothing but if i am going to a loud event or city i wear custom musician plugs...if i see an ambulance i jus cover my ears but sudden lil loud spurts of noise arent always bad...if you are going to beat hyperacusis i feel like its the only way you will get better and i have definitely seen a major improvement...sounds dont bother me as much as they used to...even loud ones

 

[Red]

Living in constant fear is never helpful. Yes, protect your ears, but going overboard is never healthy.

I have ear muffs only right now. They protect better than any ear plugs I have used so far. But they didn't prevent me from getting a new baseline.

I have molded earplugs that I wear in noisy situations, and try not to obsess too much about it.

This for example, if you spend most of the day outside your home, you have to choose between worse hyperacusis but being prepared or the reverse. And if you choose the latter then your earplugs will not do you any good when a surprise pops up.

 

[Zug]

I have ear muffs only right now. They protect better than any ear plugs I have used so far. But they didn't prevent me from getting a new baseline.

This for example, if you spend most of the day outside your home, you have to choose between worse hyperacusis but being prepared or the reverse. And if you choose the latter then your earplugs will not do you any good when a surprise pops up.

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying @Red. Are you worried that wearing earplugs will make your hyperacusis worse? So, 2 things here:

First, as far as I know wearing filtered plugs diminishes the chances you'll get Hyperacusis, since they filter more evenly between frequencies, there'll be less distortion in what you hear. So, it is a good idea to wear filtered plugs instead of the industrial foam models.

Second, I wear my custom plugs when I know I'll be exposed to continuous loud sounds. For instance, I'll wear them during an action movie (Just saw the new Star Wars), but not in a drama. I've been near barking dogs, crying children and so on without plugs. It's not always comfortable but I doubt those situations harmed me for the long term. It's a factor between time and exposure. So, for instance, I didn't wear plugs when riding a Roller Coaster, because even though it's loud it's over in such a short time that it's ok, but I did wear to a friend's marriage.

Hope it helps,
Zug

 

[Fangen]

You can't. I understand your worry, we all fear the T becoming loud. I have avoided places, stop hanging with friends, all that because I am scared to make it worse. All I do is work, go home, play video games and sleep. I never do anything during weekends beside sitting at home. It's nice because I am an introvert but T is my main reason I don't go out. But you can't avoid sudden loud noise forever unless you really want to stop living a good life. You'll live but you're not enjoying life. We don't need to expose ourself to damaging levels or be stupid (like gpin to loud places without plugs) but we can't go around with that fear in a normal environment. I want to enjoy life and also be smart about the loudness. It's a delicate balance between these two. Also the fire alarm went twice over my head at home so being in home is not a safe place either. Like it's not more or less likely for something to happen inside or outside your home. You never know if somebody drops a plate, fire alarm going off, a car honking, accidentally hit your earmuff and get a loud echo from it. Like we can't stop living our life!

 

[JurgenG]

Whole day I used my plugs, just when I biked home I figure the traffic wasn't so busy so I'd be fine without plugs. (It really tires you out plugging them in and out).
And all of a sudden a car honked on 4 metres from me, for no damn reason. And now I am anxious again, my T was just so low..
It's hard to live by what I believe is true.( that overprotecting is not helping).
the anxiousness is always there.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Also the fire alarm went twice over my head at home so being in home is not a safe place either.

I took the batteries out of my fire alarm.

 

[JurgenG]

I took the batteries out of my fire alarm.

Did the same to be honest. False alarms are too common.
I'd only get a new one where I can control the volume and also have CO detection in it, and maybe control via an app or central system. Not these generic cheap things that we have in most rental places.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I'd only get a new one where I can control the volume

Do you know whether the ones like that exist? I have been looking for fire alarms for deaf people, but thus far I couldn't find anything...

 

[JurgenG]

Do you know whether the ones like that exist? I have been looking for fire alarms for deaf people, but thus far I couldn't find anything...

Have not yet looked for them, but I do know that there are some things like Nest Protect which are fairly good and give you a heads up before a real alarm.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Have not yet looked for them, but I do know that there are some things like Nest Protect which are fairly good and give you a heads up before a real alarm.

If you end up buying a good one, please share with us. I will do the same.

 

[Fangen]

I took the batteries out of my fire alarm.

I did the same because the one over me was going off too often and a bit misplaced. The alarm went off in my hand too so like I said, impossble to avoid sometimes even with best intention.
Fire alarm also went off at work. Can't take the battery of out those. I plugged my hands over my ear as putting in plugs at the time would cause me to be unprotected for a few seconds. Can't stop going to work either just in case sometimes happens. Like how they started drilling out of no where close to where I sit at work. I can go and sit in the kitchen for a while until they are done but I can't forsee when something happens and if it does happen it's just how it is. Life that is.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Fire alarm also went off at work.

I carry Peltor muffs with me everywhere I go in anticipation of something like that happening. They are fast to slip on.

 

[Fangen]

I carry Peltor muffs with me everywhere I go in anticipation of something like that happening. They are fast to slip on.

But if it goes off, you still are exposed even for a sec. And that is enough to set most people here into anixety. I can't wear my peltor muffs everywhere I go. Especially not at work where I need to be in meetings and stuff like that. I wear them to and from work but in social environment where I need to be social I can't wear them because I can't hear people. They are also so uncomfortable and give me headaches due to very tight fit.

 

[Bill Bauer]

They are also so uncomfortable and give me headaches due to very tight fit.

I agree.

3M sells softer pads for them.

 

[Fangen]

Today somebody pulled the emergency handle on one of the doors while I stood 1-2m away from it. Loud siren went off and I plugged my ears in a sec or two. But it's life. I stood in the kitchen during lunch and no one have pulled that door by accident for 2 years. So safe to assume I never were afraid of it happening. But its like, should I walk with my earmuffs all day? Nope can't do that. Amps up my T and I can't hear anything at all. It is once in 700+ days. The odds aren't high and it's mostly annoying than being scared at this point.

 

[Bill Bauer]

But its like, should I walk with my earmuffs all day? Nope can't do that.

Can't you wear ear plugs? If you are lucky and your T is only in one ear, can't you wear one ear plug in your bad ear?

 

[Fangen]

Can't you wear ear plugs? If you are lucky and your T is only in one ear, can't you wear one ear plug in your bad ear?

I have T in both ears. One is worse than the other and have been so since onset. I never wear ear plugs at work because sometimes I need to talk a lot or like today, I was about to eat. It is really annoying to hear yourself eat or talk with plugs. My point is that it is impossible to forsee events that have rarely to never happened before. Somebody once dropped a plate very loudly in the sink just next to me. But it doesn't happen often (only that one time). My doctor told me to avoid plugs unless aboslutely necessary (he also have T) due to the problems I've had with wax and "false eardrum", which I needed microsuction for. I rather bet my chances on not wearing earplugs in a normal environment than having plugs in everyday all day and risk suction. That was the worst. Loud suction outside the eardrum. No thanks.