Is Hitting Earmuff Cups Dangerous to Hearing/Tinnitus?

[Jaysterk]

After hitting my earmuffs with a swinging water hose (coin car wash), I must ask the question. Can hitting our earmuffs with things cause more damage to our ears?

Most of us here use earplugs as a form of protection. A lot of us also use earplugs. I've been
using earmuffs for a good year now since my tinnitus/hyperacusis started. However, I have managed to hit them plenty with my keys, walls, doors, and in other various ways.

I've done some research but can't find any conclusive answers or convincing arguments as to if hitting the cup on the earmuffs will cause additional damage.

As for me, this is something I will really like to know. We use earmuffs to help us protect our ears from potential damage. It would be a shame that constantly hitting them will outweigh the benefits of using them.

I think if we gather more data from people here that use earmuffs and their experience with "banging them" on onto things we can maybe come up with a more definitive answer to the question.

 

[Dunderklumpen]

Hi @Jaysterk. Long time since your question. This just happened to me. How did it go for you? Anyone else? Thanks!

 

[Benjaminbb]

It would be hard to have an answer to this because you can't really attribute long term damage to tiny individual moments. Maybe if someone hit their earmuffs and had a sudden increase in tinnitus. But it's like any loud sound really. If it's loud enough and your ears are damaged enough, it could increase your tinnitus.

 

[Mike TerMaaten]

What a cool question LOL. I've done this quite a few times. If your tinnitus is driven by the state you're in and you're the high strung easily agitated personality type, then temporarily you can hear a change your tinnitus.

But if you're suggesting that it could worsen your hearing damage/tinnitus, the answer is no.

If it was bad enough, and what you're describing doesn't even come close, you would develop a NEW TINNITUS from doing this.

Tinnitus comes from PROLONGED EXPOSURE to some awful noise. The human ear fatigues. Machinery and electronics always win.

 

[benjd2016]

Be careful with Sony WH1000XM4 headphones. I accidentally knocked the side of them pretty hard and really got an incredibly loud noise.

Not sure if it caused my distortion in the left ear. It could well have but I have no way to conclude or prove that.

But it was a very loud sound. At least 125 dB to my ears.