Withdrawing from Wearing Earmuffs at Home

[in_the_shadows]

I have severe reactive tinnitus and hyperacusis. For the past month, due to a prolonged spike, I've been wearing earmuffs at home to stabilize it.

What I've noticed is that when I take the earmuffs off for more than a couple of hours, even in the quietest room, my tinnitus spikes and becomes highly variable the next day. I'm worried that my environment without earmuffs has essentially become a form of sound therapy, which could make things worse—even though it's really quiet here, around 20 dB.

Has anyone experienced something similar? I'm at a loss because two months ago, I could move around my house without any hearing protection just fine, but now even earplugs aren't enough.

 

[MindOverMatter]

I have severe reactive tinnitus and hyperacusis. For the past month, due to a prolonged spike, I've been wearing earmuffs at home to stabilize it.

What I've noticed is that when I take the earmuffs off for more than a couple of hours, even in the quietest room, my tinnitus spikes and becomes highly variable the next day. I'm worried that my environment without earmuffs has essentially become a form of sound therapy, which could make things worse—even though it's really quiet here, around 20 dB.

Has anyone experienced something similar? I'm at a loss because two months ago, I could move around my house without any hearing protection just fine, but now even earplugs aren't enough.

In my experience, this is overprotecting, which can further sensitize your auditory and central nervous systems.

However, everyone is different, so it's hard to say what will work for you.