riding with tinnitus

[OCMagnum]

Hi Guys,

So I have had Tinitus (constant ringing in the ear) for about a year and it gotten quite a bit worst over the last 3 months or so. So Doc focused on noise sources and of course riding comes up. While I wear 33db ear plugs every time on the bike and have a fairly quite helmet (Schuberth SR1), I guess it is hard to argue that the constant wind noise does not at least contribute a bit to the condition.

Does anybody else here suffer from Tinitus and how did you feel riding impacts it for you? Any additional mitigation methods you deployed that helped?

I'm at a point where I think that maybe I should start commuting in a car again (would have the added benefit of making my wife happy ) and reserve the riding for weekend fun rides and only occasional commutes, instead of it being my primary transpotation.

Any thoughts or pointers for anybody experiencing Tinitus as well would be appreciated.

Be safe!

[csmith12]

Dang, that sucks. I am of no help here but interested in what you find out.

[IF13]

I sometimes have ringing in the ears but usually any background noise would alleviate it. I'm surprised wind noise hasn't droned it out. You must have a really nice helmet and a great set of ear plugs or just a really serious case of tinitus.

Either way, I hope you find a solution since it'll be at least be one less thing to distract you while riding.

[IF13]

I sometimes have ringing in the ears but usually any background noise would alleviate it. I'm surprised wind noise hasn't droned it out. You must have a really nice helmet and a great set of ear plugs or just a really serious case of tinitus.

Either way, I hope you find a solution since it'll be at least be one less thing to distract you while riding.

EDIT: Guess I kind of skipped your gear talk. I'm impressed. Maybe I have the wrong grasp of what tinitus is because it only happens to me when I'm in pure silence.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by IF13

Maybe I have the wrong grasp of what tinitus is because it only happens to me when I'm in pure silence.

The sound of silence is deafening.

[OCMagnum]

Sorry, should have been clearer in my op. It's not that it distracts me so much from riding as the noise will drown it out, it's that the ringing is constant and getting worse, which people around me feel might be at least partially caused by riding a lot.

It's a pain in the rear to wake up in the middle of the night and there is a slim chance of falling back asleep because of the noise in your ear. That's when it is at it's worst, during the day I can hear it, but normally there is enough noise around me to not make it too much of a distraction.

Thanks again!

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by IF13

I sometimes have ringing in the ears but usually any background noise would alleviate it. I'm surprised wind noise hasn't droned it out. You must have a really nice helmet and a great set of ear plugs or just a really serious case of tinitus.

Either way, I hope you find a solution since it'll be at least be one less thing to distract you while riding.

Originally Posted by IF13

I sometimes have ringing in the ears but usually any background noise would alleviate it. I'm surprised wind noise hasn't droned it out. You must have a really nice helmet and a great set of ear plugs or just a really serious case of tinitus.

Either way, I hope you find a solution since it'll be at least be one less thing to distract you while riding.

Sometimes I think I'm seeing double.

Originally Posted by OCMagnum

Hi Guys,

So I have had Tinitus (constant ringing in the ear)

Be safe!

I also have ringing in my ear. What I do is put the phone on vibrate. I found the ringing is a constant call from kids in need of everything and anything.

[broilmebk]

What kind of windscreen do you have? Perhaps a DB or touring will mitigate amount of wind your head is exposed to.

edit: just realized you have a monster listed. Don't those things have no windscreen, or at least one that doesn't do much? I can see how wind is a big factor..

[OCMagnum]

Originally Posted by broilmebk

What kind of windscreen do you have? Perhaps a DB or touring will mitigate amount of wind your head is exposed to.

edit: just realized you have a monster listed. Don't those things have no windscreen, or at least one that doesn't do much? I can see how wind is a big factor..

Good thought, but yeah, I do have the Monster and it has what I believe they call a bikini screen. It's probably good for keeping bugs from the display...

[adouglas]

I also have tinnitus, but yours seems worse than mine.

Just MHO, but I think that in between the helmet (I have the same helmet) and the earplugs, you've already got the wind and engine noise cut down to the point where you aren't doing any additional damage. Therefore... don't worry about it.

My personal solution, and the best I've found, is a pair of PlugUp S-Plug earbuds. Even if I'm not listening to the radio, they're still terrific earplugs.

I've done mashable foam, the little "christmas tree" foam ones on a cord, custom-molded rubber from a kit (DIY), wax and the S-plugs. Of all of them, I like the S-plugs best, followed by wax (which custom molds and adjusts itself when you put your helmet on).

[subxero]

check out these guys if you haven't already

http://www.etymotic.com/

They make some cool stuff, I used to be into hearing loss research back in the day. That being said we were never really able to make many break throughs with understand tinnitus. I have been out of that field of research for a few years now but I doubt much has changed.

best of luck

[OCMagnum]

Originally Posted by subxero

check out these guys if you haven't already

http://www.etymotic.com/

They make some cool stuff, I used to be into hearing loss research back in the day. That being said we were never really able to make many break throughs with understand tinnitus. I have been out of that field of research for a few years now but I doubt much has changed.

best of luck

awesome link, did not know about these guys. Thanks Joe!

[alex.s]

sorry to one up etymotic, they're good. what's better is bose' new ear-bug nose canceling headphones. only $300.

i warn you though. having had tinitus for as long as i can remember, the silence of the bose can sometimes be deafening so put on light music or something

[broilmebk]

^Added to wishlist.. I don't even have tinnitus.

[NevadaWolf]

Wow... Those are cool. Why does the cool stuff have to be so expensive?

[Thorgrim]

If I had to do a lot of slab, I'd be all over it. But, I mostly do 30-55mph country roads, and my RS-1 Bell shuts out most of that kind of noise. If you use the visor lock, very little gets to your ears.

Having been a miner in my greener years, i do have what the audiologists call a "frequency loss", meaning (IMO) that I can't hear sounds in the frequency range of wifely and children's whinings. i don't consider that a fault. It does, however, cause problems in those and other situations. I'm a grown-ass man, I can deal with it.

If i had to do a lot of slab I'd use the foam earplugs I keep in my bags to ward off the mind warbling tinniitus, but I so religiously avoid that kind of riding that they serve in the capacity of a first aid kit.

[old3]

Would somebody answer that damn phone!!!

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by OCMagnum

Sorry, should have been clearer in my op. It's not that it distracts me so much from riding as the noise will drown it out, it's that the ringing is constant and getting worse, which people around me feel might be at least partially caused by riding a lot.

I have had it for about five years.
Vitamins of group B have helped me.

Here, you can identify your particular sound:
http://www.ata.org/sounds-of-tinnitus

According to my doctor, the source are the nerves connecting the ears and brain, rather than problems inherent to the ears, which in my case and according to his tests, are OK (after decades of motorcycling, airport work and construction-industrial environment).

He may be wrong, but he charged me anyway.

There is a recent long thread about the subject:
http://advrider.com/forums/showthrea...hlight=tinitus

[Agucua]

I have a little tinnitus, probably caused by riding bikes with no earplugs when I was younger. I always wear earplugs now. They seem to help the tinnitus too.

[bruce71198]

Originally Posted by alex.s

sorry to one up etymotic, they're good. what's better is bose' new ear-bug nose canceling headphones. only $300.

i warn you though. having had tinitus for as long as i can remember, the silence of the bose can sometimes be deafening so put on light music or something

Do these ear plugs eliminate the ringing?

[OCMagnum]

Originally Posted by bruce71198

Do these ear plugs eliminate the ringing?

Hi Bruce,

been reading up on these this weekend and how they possible assist with tinitus. They appear to be helping for some, but there is not scientific proof that they do and why they would (as they are designed to reduce "outside" noises). For me, they likely still be worth a shot, but results to appear to vary.

Thanks to all who have commented and provided links. Lots of good material and input.

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by bruce71198

Do these ear plugs eliminate the ringing?

tinitus is caused by the nerves in your ear dying from too loud of noises. they will prevent the ringing. once you get tinitus, it never goes away. at least it never has for me

[bruce71198]

I've had it for some time. Even as I sit here watching tv and typing my ears are ringing. Keeps me up if I wake up at night. Basically irritates me whenever there isn't sufficient back ground noise. I was just wondering if any of these devises cancel it out.

[alex.s]

i use a fan at night to cover up the ringing. the fan is easier to tune out than the ringing and it seems like the quieter it gets the louder the ringing is. a small fan makes it easier. because its not a real noise outside your head nothing can cancel it out i think