I became disabled after a music festival last year. The music was too loud and something broke in my ear.
Now every sound hurts me, my voice is far too painful, going for a walk outside is too painful. Basically I can't do anything but sit in a silent room and browse the internet.
Pain hyperacusis sucks. I wish I'd been more careful with my hearing.
Sorry that you're going through that. As someone who once had severe hyperacusis, I sympathize with your situation as my own whispers as well as keystrokes would hurt my ear. It was challenging to browse the web due to the inability to type in a website URL or input into a search bar.
One of the hardest parts of this disability is that it is invisible and so difficult to explain to a third party. People think you are overly dramatic.
In many cases, hyperacusis does get better on its own with time, so keep hanging in there.
These things can happen suddenly and without warning. When I was 18 I was in a nightclub, my mate shouted a bit too loud into my ear (because the music was loud) and permanently damaged my hearing in my right ear, it hurts to hear certain frequencies in that ear now, and sounds like water stuck in there when it happens.
I'm sorry to hear you have it (or something worse) in both
Got Tinnitus from working as a concert photographer. It's not so bad. I've learned to live with it. But yeah... It's permanent. So, to not make it worse, I've bought protection that I carry with me when I go to loud clubs or concerts. I use it religiously. Highly recommended! Especially if you work in a bar or club, or in some capacity at concerts. Do it now, because Tinnitus doesn't go away. Some of them are very discrete, but if you like making a splash there are ones that look quite stylish as well.
Original comment was talking about Hyperacusis, and it sounds like for them it's way worse than Tinnitus, causing them physical pain just going outside for a walk. I have Tinnitus also and going outside is actually soothing for my ears, as the ambient noise of nature masks the ringing a bit.
Tinnitus does interfere with my ability to concentrate from time to time, though. Not great for a job where concentration is required most of the time.
Is there any particular type or brand of earplugs you recommend, that are comfortable enough to wear for multiple hours and don't make the music sound too muffled (while still reducing the volume to safe levels)?
If you can see an audiologist, they should be able to get you custom molded ear plugs. You can buy filters for different sound levels, so that you can reduce the volume and still be able to hear enough to enjoy music at a concert etc. If they're well made, you can probably wear them for a few hours without too much discomfort.
They're more expensive than something that is off the shelf, but being able to choose the appropriate filter for the venue you're in is really helpful. Also, the filters should give cut down the volume more evenly across the spectrum. If you get cheaper ear plugs, loud music may not be as enjoyable because certain frequencies may be more aggressively filtered than others.
I'm quite happy with mine. I can play with a loud band and still be able to hear enough of my own amp and everyone else to be able to play along, but my ears aren't ringing at the end of the evening.
To add to this, expect to pay around $200 or so for custom earplugs, plus the cost of the audiologist exam. If you live close to a company that makes these, you may be able to visit them for an in-person exam at a bundled price.
While obviously this isn’t cheap, it’s well worth paying for if you’re a musician or you go to concerts frequently.
I got mine from Sensaphonics, they’re in Chicago. They also make in-ear monitors for professional musicians using the same molding process.
I've been wearing BTE (behind the ear) hearing aids since I was a kid. So I have the custom molded ear plugs (with hole for tubing) like you mention. I enjoy that they're a magical always-ready pair of earplugs.
But recently trying to use some actual ear plugs to help sleep at a noisy location... I thought they weren't helping, and then I learned from my wife that I wasn't using them correctly. It seems the trick was getting them further in the ear (I think further in than my ear molds go), and voila, more of a difference; better than turning off my hearing aids. I've also noticed the difference recently, using ear plugs when using power tools in the garage (dremel, jigsaw).
So I'm curious if the fitted ones are all equivalent to properly inserted earplugs or not. It's also possible the hole for tubing is the culprit of my observations.
Just another anecdote that might be interesting: audiologists have been doing molded ear plugs since at least the 90s. I remember the posters of cool colorful "swim plugs" back then.
...re-reading: I see now your mention of using various filters. I'll have to read up on that too.
From using regular ear plugs, my experience is that you really need to get them in there quite far. Also, I find that the disposable ones are really basically single use. After they've compressed and expanded I find they don't seem to work as well on subsequent uses. So, taking them out and putting them back in is something I would try to minimize. Maybe they've improved in the meantime?
The molded plugs to me do feel a lot like a properly inserted ear plug and with the filters in, there should be no gaps. It should be a very snug fit. I've got 10db, 17db and 26db filters. The 17db filters are the sweet spot for me, but it's nice to have options.
With (high power) hearing aids, it's reasonably easy to know if you have a gap in the mold: I'll get a feedback loop (annoying noise, naturally) if one is loose or a poor fit. Interestingly, for the past few molds (a 4-6 year life per pair these days) the left ear definitely has more of a problem with feedback loops when my jaw is opened wide (i.e. eating) - the shape evidently varies more with this movement than the right ear does.
From what I hear a lot of audio techs wear Alpine MusicSafe Pros, so if anything wearing ear plugs will make the music sound better since you're matching what you're hearing to what the audio tech is hearing.
I got myself a pair and if nothing else they are decently comfortable to wear.
I got Loops on Amazon based on someone's recommendation and they work pretty well for me. They're cheap enough to try once and see if they work for you.
Standing too close to a speaker at a house party gave me permanent tinnitus. Took me a long time to accept it mentally and emotionally. Now I’m a lot more careful with my hearing.
A baby's (or toddler's) voice, the meowing of a newborn kitten, quieter sections of my favorite songs, the sound of a car that's backing my way while I'm not looking in its direction...
I don't care about that as much as never hearing silence, or near silence, without a constant ringing sound. Man do I miss the "sound" of silence.
And no, that one Tinnitus trick of thumping the back of your head with your fingers that everyone shares doesn't really work for that, at least not for me. For me it just turns the volume down on the ringing a slight bit, and even then only lasts about 30 seconds, which isn't really worth it.
I, too, miss silence. My tinnitus is in one ear and is like a roar of cicadas/grasshoppers with an extra harmonic an octave above that that gets louder as my environment gets louder. Then unfortunately stays at the elevated volume for a good duration afterwards.
Some people have tinnitus worse than others, making it harder for them to ignore. In addition, some people become acclimated to it; my tinnitus used to make it impossible to sleep without some form of white noise, but nowadays I only remember that it's there when I read comment threads about people discussing their tinnitus. Time for some white noise...
Same here. Reading about people anguishing about it online only made me sink further into despair about it. And white noise, while it helped at first, eventually became sort of a crutch and didn’t really help me get over it in the long term.
What eventually worked for me ironically was reading a study that the vast majority of people with tinnitus do improve over time, whether it’s an actual reduction in the noise or at least the perception of it. Tinnitus is funny in that it bothers us because the brain sees a sound it is creating itself as a threat, and eventually it learns to longer treat itself that way.
Mine did eventually get better. I don’t know if it actually got better, or if I just stopped caring about it so much. But I do enjoy silence again because for me, this is my new form of silence. It’s still there in some form, and some days like when I’m stressed it is noticeably louder. But it no longer bothers me.
Would recommend to everyone / have bought as a gift a pair of ear plugs that fit onto your key chain. They are like $10 and are honestly the most useful thing I carry on that ring aside from the actual keys. Plus they can be useful in random situations (Needed them to sleep while camping recently because the wind was so strong)
I realize this is going to sound dumb, but please also consider that we all (almost all) carry natural ear plugs with us in the form of our hands/fingers. When sound gets loud, do not hesitate to plug in quickly. Damage to our hearing apparatus depends on intensity and duration, so the sooner you plug the better.
It may be safer to plug your ears with your fingers quickly than to spend a few seconds looking for your fancy -33 dB ear plugs, as unexpected loud noises tend to surprise us but not last very long (ambulance, fighter jet, honking, etc).
In addition to this, there are lots of sound level measuring apps for our smartphones and it can be helpful to measure long lasting levels at venues (concerts, bars, etc). Airplane cabin noise is surprisingly loud. Noise canceling headphones are a great tool for this scenario.
Finally, remember that hearing damage is cumulative: what many of your peers will tolerate fine may not work for you and vice versa. Watch for "the straw that breaks the camel's back".
If your hearing apparatus has already been insulted, treat it with lots of care. If it hasn't already been insulted, treat it with lots of care.
I was standing near a speaker at a concert, and all of a sudden my ear just sounded like an amp that was overdriven, all distortion, fortunately I recovered, but I don't go near speakers at concerts any more.
I’m really sorry. I got temporary hyperacusis from a similar situation a few years back and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. It did eventually subside, and I hope it does for you too, although the time scale of recovery varies. I’m hopeful that people start finding ways to treat this as it’s probably becoming a bigger problem as our generation ages.
I have got my right lung busted by a sub-woofer at the techno rave party in 2011. Still hurts from time to time as there are some wierd scars left inside.
I think the concert\rave\nightclub sound levels should be revised globally. It is so stupid to blast mostly shitty music that loud. It will not make it better...
This is off topic but the last ten or so years, the volume level at shows has gone over the top. I did indoor and outdoor shows in the 80s and 90s without plugs and worst case was a little ringing the next day. I mostly did outdoor concerts in the 2000's so I don't know what indoor shows were like but in 2013 I started taking my daughter to shows and holly shit balls it was loud. The last show that I went to I had to step outside to get a break even though I was wearing -32db plugs.
