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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Tinnitus / June 2005Better earplugs?
I've had T for several years from playing in loud bands in clubs. It's really lessened over the years, or maybe I've gotten used to it. Recently I started gigging again and make sure to wear ear plugs. I've tried them all, with no luck as my T is really aggravated lately. This past Saturday I used some that say they attenuate 29db of audio. The squishy kind that expand in the ear. It didn't seem loud at all when I wear them while performing. But at the end of the night when I try to go to sleep, my ears are screaming, like I didn't use plugs!?? I've tried to limit the volume of the band, my amplifier and everything as to keep the volume reasonable and wear the ear plugs. All with no luck. what else can I try? Will custom fitted ones work better? Have you tried musicians earplugs? http://www.westone.com/ Another to think to think about - what instrument do you play? How much tension does it set up in the body? Do you get rid of the tension after the gig? http://eebee.net/TinnitusIsaPainintheNeck.shtml Elly's Tinnitus Resources http://eebee.net/ >I've had T for several years from playing in loud bands in clubs. It's >really lessened over the years, or maybe I've gotten used to it. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > >what else can I try? Will custom fitted ones work better? Elly, I have some of those universal ones as shown in the link. they only knock down 20db. They don't even work as well as the cheap squishy ones. It's not so much my instrument (guitar) as it's the drum cymbals (high end frequencies). I play guitar everyday with no plugs or problems. It seems that I made my T worse in one gig. Something I tried to avoid by wearing ear plugs the whole time I was performing, thinking I was protecting my ears and I still managed to damage them further. I've learned to live with it at the level I had, and now it seems worse, and sleeping with a TV and a fan doesn't seem to mask it! Would the custom fit plugs help? I made an appointment with an audiologist. I am no expert on earplugs. You can only try them and see what works for you. The audiologist may have more information on that subject. But now about the drums. Can you take note of your body when you are playing your guitar? Does the loud sound cause your body to tense up? Do your neck and shoulders cringe up and away from the noise? What is your interpretation of 'masking'? If you are trying to drown out the sound of your T then it is not going to work. It needs to be a different sound to distract you from the T. Not louder than the T, even a little less. How about getting some pleasant sounds instead? Nice music, nature sounds etc. Put a CD player on permanent repeat. Elly's Tinnitus Resources http://eebee.net/ >Elly, I have some of those universal ones as shown in the link. they >only knock down 20db. They don't even work as well as the cheap [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > >I made an appointment with an audiologist. Have you tried the 20 tips ? > Have you tried musicians earplugs? > http://www.westone.com/ [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Elly's Tinnitus Resources > http://eebee.net/ > I've had T for several years from playing in loud bands in clubs. > It's really lessened over the years, or maybe I've gotten used to > it. An overall quiter lifestyle does lessen it eventually. > Recently I started gigging again and make sure to wear ear plugs. > I've tried them all, with no luck as my T is really aggravated > lately. Ah yes, life is non-simple. I have a theory, my follow up is based on it, but please do remember that it could well be wrong. > This past Saturday I used some that say they attenuate 29db of > audio. The squishy kind that expand in the ear. The classic yellow E.A.R. is my preference, also for loud music. For most contexts I shorten them a bit with a pair of scissors. > It didn't seem loud at all when I wear them while performing. > But at the end of the night when I try to go to sleep, my ears > are screaming, like I didn't use plugs!?? I have never experienced industrial noise that was louder than my tinnitus, not even between the printing units on a newspaper printing press. That said there is a noises source that you have not considered: your own voice when speaking on top of the noise. There is also a noise entry route that is not addressed by any earplug or earmuff: the eustachian tube. > I've tried to limit the volume of the band, my amplifier > and everything as to keep the volume reasonable and wear > the ear plugs. All with no luck. Don't stop living. Yees, you have tinnitus the night after the gig, so your ears are a bit annoyed. Switching to an acoustic guitar and renaissance music could be one way ahead. Another is to answer the question: for how long does your tinnitus stay aggravated. > what else can I try? Will custom fitted ones work better? I do not know this, they differ in that their attenuation is somewhat more linear. Consequently their protection against drumkit and cymbal transients is poorer, some 10 dB poorer probably. It will cost you some 150 dollars or the quivalent to find out. I don't mix live pa sound, so the classic yellow E.A.R. - usually shortened as frequently described in newsgroup posts by me - remains my choice for when it is loud and I just want to hear the music. If it is loud enough for them to be required it also is loud enough for a reasonable full range perception. I think it is possible that you either insert the plugs too late, take them out for communication or remove them too early. Having a somewhat reduced speech perception, especially on right ear, I have found it very helpful to wear the plugs from hóme, ie. at least an hour prior to noise exposure, because I am then better able to perceive speach for the duration of wearing them, no matter what the surrounding noise level is. It is in my opinion critical (!) to be back in a silent environment prior to removing the plugs. It is my personal theory that removing them for a moment to commnunicate is possibly at least as bad as not at all wearing them, because the sense of hearing is totally unprepared for the noise exposure and thus much worse afflicted by the sonic onslaught, similar concerns apply to removing them too early. Another very simple reason for not inserting and removing frequently: cleanliness. I have experienced similar short time increase of tinnitus after noise exposure while wearing plugs, but not something drastic like you describe it. Unless told otherwise I think you have removed them say in the intermissions or while exposed to noise from the drumkit to hear what someone said, it is the explanation that makes best sense to me. I may well be wrong, I would in fact appreciate being it. Kind regards Peter Larsen  Signature******************************************* * My site is at: http://www.muyiovatki.dk * ******************************************* On 6/25/05 8:16 AM, in article 42BD7552.752C2244@mail.tele.dk, "Peter Larsen" <SPAMSHIELD_plarsen@mail.tele.dk> wrote: > I do not know this, they differ in that their attenuation is somewhat > more linear. Consequently their protection against drumkit and cymbal > transients is poorer, some 10 dB poorer probably. It will cost you some > 150 dollars or the quivalent to find out. Custom fitted ear plugs run 25 dollars in Los Angeles from the audiologist or hearing aid dealers.
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