Hopefully riding a bike does not make @Clerkp's tinnitus worse. Earplugs wouldn't be much good. If a person's tinnitus were made worse by riding a bike, it is the internal physical exertion of pushing the peddles that create vibrations traveling up through the feet, legs, upper body and head that would spike the tinnitus.
Apologies if I sounded combative - it was not my intention. I am slowly coming to accept that this condition is no longer something I can freely ignore as the increase is more than insignificant so I do need to focus on doing my best to make sure it doesn't get worse. Sadly just about everything I enjoy in life is linked to making the tinnitus worse - a beer in the evening, pizza, headphones, sporting events, concerts ... what a cruel disease. I will have to try to find a balance so the tinnitus doesn't overtake my enjoyment of life.
If my tinnitus increases following vigorous exercise which I do 7 days a week, I'm almost certain it is a temporary effect.
I accept your apology and I understand your disquiet. There is no reason why you cannot participate in the things that you want to as long as they are in moderation. You don't know for sure at the moment what has caused your tinnitus to increase? Therefore, my advice is calm down and take things slowly. I enjoy my glass of lager more than one to be honest and suffer no ill effects with my tinnitus. Please read my post: Food drink and tinnitus, in the link below.
I would not use earplugs. Pressure changes upon ascension with deeply sealed plugs can do damage to your ears. I would use earmuffs.
Well, FWIW, I went for my first bike ride today sans headphones and sadly, that wasn't a good idea. The wind noise without protection was quite loud. Much louder than isolating IEMs plus low volume music. My tinnitus is definitely elevated right now but it's hard to know if it's from the wind or perhaps a BP spike or a little of both. Perhaps using my IEMs without the music turned on would have help cut down the wind noise. Hopefully it is only temporary but back to the drawing board. Gonna need a better solution as no cycling would devastate me.
Yeah agreed. This happened to me recently - I was able to get the IEMs out quickly but I took a burst at full volume. Although this risk seems to be everywhere in life. Absent wearing earplugs everywhere you go, it seems we are at risk for terribly loud noises all around us. Children screaming, vacuums, lawn machines, the risks are endless.
I missed this question earlier but wanted to answer it. In short, I do not know. I have been locked down due to COVID-19 for nearly 18 months. Certainly no major noise trauma. As mentioned, I do use IEMs about 3 hours a week but at very low volumes and have done so for years in varying amounts. Having recognized my tinnitus in my 20s, and since about 30, I've been very careful with my ears. Not perfect but careful.
As I have previously said, ruling out hearing loss or an underlying medical problem within the auditory system. The main causes for noise induced tinnitus to increase are:
I respectfully disagree about bicycle riding and earplugs. Riding a bicycle is considered low-impact exercise and is recommended for people with hip, knee and ankle issues, unlike running. I ride a bicycle every day, and I fail to see how pedaling could possibly create more "vibrations" than, say, walking or, as you mentioned, using an elliptical.
No apparent reason for many days. Some events like car horns, 2 dentist visits, loud exhausts on street (would cover ears), etc. normal activities but these would be rare events. Many times I'd wear earplugs or noise cancelling headphones on the street. I sit a lot at home. Maybe high blood pressure but apart from that, I was better in the summer. These past few months have drastically worsened without cause.
Thank you for your comments. Please be advised of the following: I said in my previous posts, certain aerobic exercises like running can make noise induced tinnitus worse for "some people". I did not say all. I have corresponded with people that have had noise induced tinnitus for quite some time. Some have told me they stopped running, doing karate and other forms of exercises because their tinnitus increased. A few have mentioned they have had to stop long distance bike riding for the same reason. I mentioned this to the member on this thread for consideration, I did not say riding a bike was the cause for the increase in his tinnitus.
I think perhaps you misunderstood my comment. I don't disagree that cycling could potentially cause an increase in tinnitus. I merely suggested that using earplugs might be worth trying if you experience worsening tinnitus after cycling, as wind noise could be the culprit.
I am tackling wind noise next. I actually think the solution will be to just use my normal true wireless earbuds but without turning them on. They do a good job of isolating. I also picked up a few items that strap to your helmet and apparently cut wind noise - waiting on them. I never once considered wind noise a potential issue until I found this forum and then after riding yesterday with a nice breeze and no headphones I realized it is definitely louder than I would want.
The study is fascinating and not shocking but at least for me, a 15MPH wind would be fairly unusual. In addition, no one cycles to 60mph. That said, I do believe a 10MPH headwind combined with a 20MPH cycling speed likely gets you awfully close to 85 dBA based on my anecdotal experience.
We are all different so trust your ears and listen to music at a volume that is comfortable for you. If you want to listen to high quality music at home, then you need to do some research and buy the best equipment that you can afford. I have been an Audiophile since my teens, so the reproduction of music in high quality is very important to me. I used to listen to music through high-end headphones that eventually gave me tinnitus, because I wasn't aware of listening at levels that were too loud. I haven't used headphones in 25 years. I now listen to music through high quality speakers and enjoy it a lot.
Here's just my opinion when it comes to speakers; if you don't have any abnormal sensitivity to sound (like hyperacusis, or spikes to low-moderate sounds) then the general recommendations for safe volume levels should apply, and that means anything below 70 dB should be fine. However, if we spike to sounds below that level, the volume of the speakers should probably be turned down further to not cause further spiking.
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