Tinnitus and Very Windy Beach

[mrpetrov]

I went to a very windy (25-30 mph) beach yesterday - big whitecaps on the water, etc. My watch decibel meter indicated the noise was 90+ dB with spikes at just over 100 dB when facing into the wind (and 80-85 dB when facing away from the wind).

Due to the noise, I only stayed about 8 minutes total. I put in my earplugs after about 3 minutes, but even with them in, you could hear the wind buffeting them.

The morning after (or today), my tinnitus seems louder, which has gotten me very anxious.

Could this be permanent damage due to just a few unprotected minutes of this sort of high wind noise? I have no idea if "wind noise" is as damaging as other forms of noise at a given decibel reading.

Thanks!

 

[RunningMan]

I wear well inserted foam earplugs when I go biking because of wind noise, especially when riding into the wind. Some earplugs stick out too much and catch more wind. I bought a pair of silicone corded earplugs recently, and I can actually hear wind noise just walking slowly in my house. It's possible you just have a temporary spike. I really haven't noticed any increase in my tinnitus when I've been out walking on windy days (today is very windy, and I just returned from an hour's walk). I normally don't wear earplugs when walking and I didn't today.

 

[mrpetrov]

I wear well inserted foam earplugs when I go biking because of wind noise, especially when riding into the wind. Some earplugs stick out too much and catch more wind. I bought a pair of silicone corded earplugs recently, and I can actually hear wind noise just walking slowly in my house. It's possible you just have a temporary spike. I really haven't noticed any increase in my tinnitus when I've been out walking on windy days (today is very windy, and I just returned from an hour's walk). I normally don't wear earplugs when walking and I didn't today.

Thanks for replying, I appreciate it! When you say it's possibly a temporary spike, do you mean it's more likely to be permanent - even from just a few minutes in that sort of wind? Thanks again.

 

[RunningMan]

Thanks for replying, I appreciate it! When you say it's possibly a temporary spike, do you mean it's more likely to be permanent - even from just a few minutes in that sort of wind? Thanks again.

Everyone is different, so I can't really say what's more likely, only that it hasn't been an issue with me, but it's not unusual for people to have spikes from noise that settle down over hours, days, or longer. My tinnitus is quite variable, even without any external sounds causing it. I would not panic, and I would avoid any exposures to see if it settles down. If you're having anxiety about it, it might actually seem worse than it is.

 

[DeanD]

Thanks for replying, I appreciate it! When you say it's possibly a temporary spike, do you mean it's more likely to be permanent - even from just a few minutes in that sort of wind? Thanks again.

No, he means more likely temporary - i.e. a temporary spike.

Most spikes often return to baseline after a couple of days, or reset themselves during sleep.

 

[RHL]

I once took a one-hour beach walk on a windy/wavy day at around 90 dB, and I am pretty sure it triggered my tinnitus to get worse for a few days. Sometimes, triggers like that can take a whole week to calm down. But sometimes my anxiety about getting triggered seems to be able to trigger it by itself

 

[mrpetrov]

Thanks all. Actually, this morning, on waking, my tinnitus has settled back down to its more usual level. A significant relief!

 

[Alberte]

Hello! I'm often finding myself in windy places because I like outdoor activities. I sometimes wear a light hat (that cover the ears) or a hoodie. It helps me and my tinnitus...

 

[Jammer]

I never go anywhere without my earplugs.