I’ve Been Inserting My Earplugs Incorrectly This Whole Time...

[wonderful9235]

So, I was doing this improve group that involved a lot of yelling/loud singing, and I went to this loud activities fair. My tinnitus got slightly worse but I thought it was because of stress/lack of sleep/sickness/poor diet/too much caffeine.

Well it turns out that my 33 dB earplugs weren't inserted deeply enough! I was still rolling them up and sticking them in my ears, but a lot of the plug was still sticking out, which I now know is a bad thing.

They were never actually inside he ear canal—they were in my ear pretty tight by not as deep as they were supposed to be. I know how to properly insert them now, but I'm frustrated because I was so cautious trying to bring ear protection wherever I went (at improv, when practicing piano, etc) but it was all in vain.

I just assumed the plugs were working because the sound was still muffled. Ugh. Do you think I damaged my ears further?

 

[Bill Bauer]

Do you think I damaged my ears further?

If you never got any T spikes or ear fullness afterwards, you are probably ok. But please keep in mind that even correctly-inserted earplugs can provide a false sense of security.

 

[Honky]

I've worn ear plugs, napkins, cigarette butts and anything else that will fit religiously for 15 years, at shows, using power tools etc.

I didn't have them in when my acoustic trauma happened this year.

Bummer!