Minimizing Risk of Hearing Damage / Worse Tinnitus: 3-Hour Flight vs. 30-Hour Train Ride?

[another sean]

I need to travel in 3 weeks, and I have a choice between going by train (Amtrak Starlight upper deck) or by plane (Boeing 737 Max 8 2nd row aisle). What would have less of a chance of causing damage to someone with reactive tinnitus? 3 hours on a plane or 30 hours on a train? After doing some Google searches, the Boeing 737 Max will be around 75 dB whereas the train will be around 65 dB.

3 hours at 75 dB or 30 hours at 65 dB?

 

[JeffToob]

I understand your concern about traveling by train with ear sensitivity. I've not had the opportunity to travel by train since the onset of my ear sensitivity. In the past, I've flown and driven long hours, and I would always opt for the flight without hesitation. Once you're up in the air, it's a steady noise that I found manageable with earmuffs + foam earplugs, even on a 6-hour flight. However, I acknowledge that this may not be the best solution for everyone, as it's a personal decision.

Look up flight threads on here to see what other people have done. If the 30-hour train ride has frequent stops, it will be very noisy. 30 hours is a long time to have your ears exposed.

I think both options will be louder than what you have listed here. The plane will be loudest on take-off/landing. The train seems like a slow, prolonged assault. But I have no idea! Maybe it's pretty comfortable with just minimum hearing protection.

Hopefully, other people who have taken trains will chime in. Safe travels to you.

And yes, I have reactive tinnitus in both ears as well. It settled about 3 hours post-flight, with occasional ear drum flutters mixed in. Then, it was back to usual.

 

[MindOverMatter]

Hello, @another sean.

I understand where you are coming from and your concerns, given that I have lived with reactive tinnitus for many years.

However, I've traveled many times with all types of transportation with reactive tinnitus, and it turns out that the fear of worsening is bigger/more of a stress factor than the actual risk of getting any permanent setback.

I'm not you, but I think you are overthinking scenarios here. If you are using sufficient protection for your ears, say on a plane, you will probably have ear fatigue and a spike. Hours, days. It's hard to tell, but usually, it won't last for a long time (weeks +).

If you calm down before a trip like this, your ears will also be less tense, which will help a lot in these situations.

Unless your LDL levels are very low, you will be fine. You will probably be stressed about it, tense up, have some fatigue, and maybe a spike, but in the end, it will be okay. That is the most likely scenario.

Personally, it's an easy choice. Plane. 30 hours on the train will probably give you a lot more fatigue.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[CMIH]

Use some good-quality foam earplugs. I always take them on flights. If necessary, you could double up by using headphone-type hearing protectors (the kind people use while woodworking) in addition to the earplugs.

 

[ringingfeet]

I fly a lot with severe tinnitus.

Most modern airplanes are not that loud.

I wear some earplugs and chew bubblegum, which helps decompress the ears.

 

[dipp]

I would choose the train because I had problems equalizing the pressure even before I got tinnitus. If you don't have this problem, I would choose the plane.

 

[Kumashi]

Hi @another sean, what did you end up doing?

I'm waiting to hear updates that may help me with my travel.

 

[Terry23]

This is an old thread, but having traveled extensively for many years with tinnitus, I wanted to share my experience.

I've had a couple of tinnitus spikes after air travel. One of those spikes completely resolved, although it returned while I was working and living on a ship at sea but eventually went away again.

Unfortunately, I did experience a spike in my left ear that may have become permanently worse. I say "may have" because I'm mostly habituated and unconsciously ignore my tinnitus most of the time.

I've never had any issues with train or bus travel.

So why did this happen with air travel? It could be due to pressure changes, or maybe from turning up the volume on headphones while watching movies for hours (I strongly advise against this). It could also be the result of early starts while lugging around a heavy backpack, or perhaps a combination of these factors.

That said, the majority of my air travel didn't affect my tinnitus at all, even long-haul flights from Australia to the UK. Interestingly, the worst spike I mentioned occurred on a very short flight from Italy to the UK.

I use earplugs when I travel, as long as it's safe to do so (e.g., when I don't need to be alert for my own safety or that of others, especially in remote areas).

By far, the noisiest journeys were bus trips in India, where constant horn honking even at night was common. I wore earplugs as much as possible on those trips, and I had no problems.

Overall, 95% of the time, my tinnitus wasn't affected during all the years I've traveled, and I've certainly been around. Just make sure your ears can equalize, use earplugs whenever possible, and don't have your earphones or headphones too loud. Take regular breaks from them, and you can always watch films with subtitles.

It's best not to have earplugs in when the plane is taking off or landing so that your ears can equalize.

Always seek medical advice if you're in doubt. Those with any actual eardrum injuries may need to wait some time before air travel.

 

[Stayinghopeful]

I fly a lot with severe tinnitus.

Most modern airplanes are not that loud.

I wear some earplugs and chew bubblegum, which helps decompress the ears.

Literally this.