[flamaest]

Go to tinnitustalk.com and look up a new neuromod unit. it appears that this will be coming out next year in Europe and the year after in the United States.

There was also a recent huge medical trial in Michigan for a similar device which generate electric pulses on the nerves of your neck which appears to reduce or resolve these types of hearing issues.

I have the same hypersensitivity issue that you do and I wear cotton everywhere which is just enough to block the hypersensitivity butt not enough that I can't hear things around me. In my case, I believe it was caused by high blood pressure drugs.

[SamuelBRoberts]

Audiologists are useless for this shit. Frankly I'm not sure why audiologists even exist, they don't seem to actually know a goddamn thing about anything.

So here's the deal. You've properly identified the symptom, which is that there's an overactive muscle in your ear that's fucking you up.
There's three basic causes of this that I know of. Your symptoms can caused by any of these, or all of these at once.
1.) Nerve damage due to hearing damage (From too much loud noise). As far as I know there's fuck all that can be done about this.
2.) Actual tension on the muscle itself, 'caused by a number of possible things. We'll talk about this in more detail below, 'cause here's where you can do stuff.
3.) Weird shit: medications gone bad (Often high blood pressure meds), obscure diseases, etc. Not really applicable to you.

If it's #1 or #3, there's fuck all I can help you with, but if it's #2, and it might be even if you think it isn't, here's some stuff to try.

1.) You need to get to a dentist and get tested for TMJ. Also, get tested for sleep apnea and allergies. You're a smart guy and odds are good you've probably already done this, but if you haven't, this is step one. TMJ can cause inflammation on that muscle, leading to hyperacusis. Sleep apnea and allergies can cause tooth grinding which can have the same effect. I know you're a buff dude, so you MIGHT honestly have enough muscle on your chest that it's causing you to have sleep apnea, leading to your problem. This isn't a diagnosis, 'cause I've never even seen you, but it's something you need to go talk to a doctor about. Fixing the TMJ/Sleep Apnea/Allergies will improve your symptoms a lot.

2.) Do these stretches to help relax the muscles in your neck, which will in turn reduce stress on the muscle and (potentially) alleviate the hyperacusis. There's more in the 'stretches for better posture' in my sig, but starts with these.

Quote:

Towel Neck-Bending Myofascial Release
Step 1: Put a towel over your left shoulder, holding it with your right hand in front of you and your left hand behind you. (Fold the towel a few times so it looks like a long strip)
Step 2: Sitting up straight, with chin tucked slightly, tilt your head to the right to stretch out the left side of your neck. This stretch should be GENTLE. If it hurts, you’re doing it too hard and won’t see the benefit. Hold this position for 10 seconds.
Step 3: Tilt your head down and to the right, bringing your nose close to your shoulder, as if you were looking at something below you on your right side. Hold this position for 10 seconds.
Step 4: Switch sides and repeat.

When doing this, make sure that the shoulder you’re holding down with the towel doesn’t rise up, and that you’re keeping your chin tucked.

Do this three times for both sides.

Stretched-Arm Diagonal Neck Myofascial Release
Step 1: Sit up straight in a chair (Preferably one with no arms) Put your right hand on your left shoulder, and fully extend your left arm downwards and behind you. (As if you were in the front of a car and trying to grab something from the back. Let me know if this analogy doesn’t make sense and I’ll try to come up with a better one.)
Step 2: With chin tucked, tilt your head to the right, bringing your right ear towards your right shoulder.
Step 3: Then turn your head to the right, so that your nose is close to your right shoulder. Hold this position for 20 seconds. Again, do this GENTLY. If it hurts you’re doing it too hard.

Make sure you’re sitting up straight and not bending your body to the right, and that your left shoulder doesn’t rise up.

Do this three times for both sides.

Stretched-Arm Vertical Neck Myofascial Release
Step 1: Sit up straight in a chair (Preferably one with no arms) Put your right hand on your left shoulder, and fully extend your left arm downwards and behind you. (As if you were in the front of a car and trying to grab something from the back. Let me know if this analogy doesn’t make sense and I’ll try to come up with a better one.)
Step 2: With chin tucked, tilt your head to the right, bringing your right ear towards your right shoulder. Hold this position for 20 seconds.

Again, do this GENTLY. If it hurts you’re doing it too hard.

Make sure you’re sitting up straight and not bending your body to the right, and that your left shoulder doesn’t rise up.

Do this three times for both sides. This is the same as the one above, without the final step. This causes it to relax different muscles in the neck.

3.) There are a couple OTC supplements which are said to help. Niacin is one. Melatonin is another. Niacin I don't know about, but melatonin is effective provided it's taken properly. Take a half mg or so (Get the smallest dosage you can and split it in half) around 7:00 PM or so.


In theory, if it's really nerve damage that's causing your symptoms, none of the above should help. But then again, I thought that with Kona and evidently it helped him, so there's not a lot you have to lose. Hard to make shit worse with a couple doctor's visits and some gentle neck stretches.

PM me if you want some more info, and lemme know how it goes.

[kbell]

How do you fix TMD? You always have it! You can take meds that reduce it but its always there.

[SamuelBRoberts]

Depends on the causes. (Also what meds do you take that reduce it? I've never heard of that. There's that spray stuff whose name I forget that you can put on the neck muscles to relax them.) Do you mean steroid/botox injections?

If it's not caused by something big and obvious (You took serious damage to the joint when somebody hit you with a wine bottle in a barfight 5 years ago) and just kind of came on suddenly, start by checking for allergies and sleep apnea like I said. The next big cause is neck tension and facial tension which pulls on the TMJ joint. There's some jaw exercises you can do too that help, but I'm kinda reluctant to give them out because they're a little more intense than just gentle neck stretches. Try the stretches I gave above though.

[joost]

I think I might have that shit. I hear "too well" and many sounds bother me. In my twenties I used to stay near the speakers at rave parties.

[Ringo]

I'm sorry to hear about this LINUX.

I've been going to loud techno clubs for years and even though my hearing is still fine, I'm definitely becoming more sensitive to the noise.

In any case, your thread prompted me to finally get a pair of good ear plugs for next time I'm out clubbing. Thank you.

[RatInTheWoods]

For those guys working in heavy industry, especially around turbines... wear you fucking hearing protection religiously.

They are hot, they are annoying, but your ears a precious.

Don't be that tough guy that doesn't need to wear girly earmuffs.

You only get one set of ears to run you all through life.

[Dulceácido]

There are a TON of dudes with this problem who are modern-day prior military. Were you prior military LINUX? Because your use of a "primary care doctor" in order to see a "specialist (audiologist)" is indicative of being so... If so, I suggest you check the VA and their TBI (traumatic brain injury) clinics. Lots of dudes have this and the current treatment (because the condition is incurable) is the issuance of very small hi-tech (very expensive) hearing aids. They are customizable (form fitting, they do a mold of your ear and make inserts) and fit deeply inside your ear, practically unnoticeable. They connect via blu-tooth to your cell phone. They are both amplifying and noise cancelling and you can adjust the digital synthesizer with an app from your phone. It's totally customizable. So you can tune out those "clanks" from coffee spoons, without diminishing conversation and so on. The combinations are limitless if you have the patience to sit there and run test after test until it's "perfect." "Perfect" is going to vary for different situations, so you can set up "modes" to jump to that scenario which you have assigned: "At a ball game," or "At the restaurant," or "In class," or "At work," etc.

As a bonus, you can also: play tunes through your phone to your hearing aids... Leave your phone in a room while you "go away" and listen to people talk shit about you when you're outside...LOL. Tune it to other devices, so you can watch tv while others around you fuck off without interrupting you (helpful with kids/wives, I'm told), you can "super-tune"it to give you incredible hearing if you want to be alerted to anyone coming around you (like when you're on security in a field hide site--or looking at porn and you wanna know when your girl is creeping in on you). You can use them at the shooting range to muffle gunfire without affecting your ability to hear or have a conversation... They're really like little bionic ears.

..and probably good for you, you can download apps: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sonic/id986999895?mt=8
https://www.tmsoft.com/white-noise/

White noise... Frequency adjust... Etc.

You can do A LOT with these things... Check with the VA if you are prior military, if not, check with your insurance. This is a treatable problem--just not curable.

[CaptainChardonnay]

I wear these when I go to the bar/club.
https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/hearin.../er20.html

When I'm at the gun range I wear Peltor Comtacs.

Indoor range I double up with both the above.

Experience: 5 years artillery.

[gmoneysauce]

I also have tinnitus, and sensitivity to loud noises, from shooting a lot as a child/teen and then clubbing a lot in my 20's.

I also use Etymotics which I found out about from Roosh posting on them.

When shooting now I actually wear my Etymotics and then noise cancelling electronic shooting earmuffs which if I wear by themselves I do not get enough noise cancelling and have some ringing after shooting. I have actually noticed some other shooters wearing both earplugs and muffs recently. It also depends on the eye protection I wear and how well the muffs seal around them.

I wear my Etymotics in every environment where the noise increases and have them on my keychain at all times. But I do try to tolerate the noise when I can and do not think I should have to put my earplugs in.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is pressurization or equalization. If I have been diving and had to equalize my ears then my ears work better. I have one ear, that has the worse tinnitus and also is the one that is harder to equalize. If I just dive one or maybe two days then my ear stays a little clogged and I do not hear as well for a few days then it pops and I can hear great. However, if I dive and equalize for several days then it really 'clears' out my ears and they seem to hear much better and 'feel' better. I am not sure why. I did have an ear infection in late childhood that seems to have 'clogged' or scarred my eustachian tubes.

G

[BaatumMania]

I own Etymotics and also a Gun Range ear muff. I can put the two together for 2 layers of sound protection. Might even call it 3 layers of sound isolation considering I can put music on. I've gone through airplane rides where the person asked me: "did you hear that kid who wouldn't shut up" and I told them "nope".

[Oberrheiner]

Same here, there was a concert hall in my hometown which was basically my second home when I was a teen. Mostly metal stuff.

What should be said is that no matter the protection you use, it won't work for low frequencies - and yes those do have an impact too.
Nowadays some PAs go down to 25hz or so, you can look at the frequency attenuation graphs from the muffs you use, none go that low.
I know some home-cinemas where such frequencies must be attenuated, and you basically need a meter of stone wool for that.

Also, noise-cancelling headphones can be more dangerous than beneficial in some situations : if you want to hear your own music in the gym for instance.
You're basically ending up listening to your stuff louder than the outside music for over an hour, and that's not good.
Unless you listen to podcasts with only people talking, at moderate levels, and accept still hearing most of the outside music in the background, there you should be ok.

But with headphones it's always difficult to judge relative sound levels, and it always appears more innocuous than it really is.

[Mage]

Sounds like an unpleasant condition, sure, but the title suggestion to wear earplugs so to not catch something there is 1 in 50000 chance of getting is ridiculous. How are you going to hear something useful and communicate? Also some people find earplugs unpleasant per se.

Just stay clear of loud concert halls/bars/clubs and listen music and play games at your home at moderate sound levels. Unless your lifestyle relies on the so called night-game it should be no problem. But realize that clubs are a toxic place for men - alcohol, noise, you have to pay for stuff women get for free - is it really worth it?

[Dulceácido]

(12-31-2018 06:11 AM)Mage Wrote:  

Sounds like an unpleasant condition, sure, but the title suggestion to wear earplugs so to not catch something there is 1 in 50000 chance of getting is ridiculous. How are you going to hear something useful and communicate? Also some people find earplugs unpleasant per se.

Just stay clear of loud concert halls/bars/clubs and listen music and play games at your home at moderate sound levels. Unless your lifestyle relies on the so called night-game it should be no problem. But realize that clubs are a toxic place for men - alcohol, noise, you have to pay for stuff women get for free - is it really worth it?

I'm with you 100% on avoiding that lifestyle. It's not for me. It's toxic.

I think your comment neglects the fact that there are people who work in noisy environments. It's not like going to the club. Maybe you work on an aircraft carrier? Maybe you spend 1000's of hours at the shooting range? Maybe you launch a lot of shoulder-fired rockets? Maybe you are in the business of hurting people and things that hurt people go boom or have loud engines...

And it's not 1 in 50,000. It's absolutely 100% once you push the barrier.

Come on, Man...

[General Stalin]

Crazy stuff man. Never heard of this condition before but glad I know about it.

I have tinnitus and some hearing loss from years of abusing the hell out of my ears and also having a lot of ENT issues when I was a kid. It can be hard for me to fall asleep if it's really quiet as I just hear mild ringing and my own blood/pulse in my head. It mostly effects me when I'm hunting or trying mix/master music at a really low volume as hearing subtle low-volume sounds can be tough.

[Kona]

How's the ears doing buddy?

Aloha!

[lunchmoney]

I purchased the Bose QuietComfort about a year ago, and honestly has been the best headphones ever used. I am sorry to hear those who have suffered/are suffering from any hearing issues on here.

[LINUX]

(01-06-2019 05:55 PM)Kona Wrote:  

How's the ears doing buddy?

Aloha!

Still the same, Kona. Thanks for asking.

I'll seek a few more options recommended here in this thread when I return to the USA next month.

[scrambled]

For night game

http://downbeats.com/

[amity]

Sorry to hear of your problems @LINUX. I also have Hyperacusis for the last few years and also a related condition called TTTS, this is the condition you referred to where a tiny muscle in your ear won't fully relax which causes tension in your eardrum and results in discomfort and sensitivity generally around the ear area.
Contrary to what one or two other posters suggested, while there's no currently no cure for hearing damage due to overexposure to sound(although that may change in the future), there IS some hope for Hyperacusis sufferers, a practise called TRT may help.
I say 'may' because it seems to vary from person to person, some people report significant improvements in their Hyperacusis or Tinnitus while others have little or no improvements from it, however it can take many months, even years of constant daily use of these WNGs (white noise generators) to gradually retrain the brain into not overreacting to the frequencies you are sensitive to.
Some people give up after a few months of no real progress, it takes patience and time though to see results.
From my research into the topic (and I've done quite a bit), if your Hyperacusis improves, your TTTS will also improve, as the very fact of your ear no longer overreacting to certain frequencies, allows the muscles in your ear to begin to relax again, hence any discomfort and sensitivity in the ear area reduces.
I've been on tinnitustalk for a while now and it's a very useful website.
I'm just starting off with TRT now and am getting my WNGs in a few weeks time, so I'll keep you posted as to my progress.

[fmman]

Sorry about your hearing condition LINUX. I have tinnitus yet seem to have very sensitive hearing but not as bad as yours. In the past I've worked in noisy workshops with racks of equipment with fans that can really add up to a high level of noise.
Also cinemas these days can be very noisy, the levels are very high. Could be a place for the earplugs.
I also do DJing, the PA can be loud and often people want it louder than I can tolerate. Again headphones for use in that regard needs to be loud and also if you are live on radio DJing which I've done much of.
Getting the wax out of the ears help with the tinnitus. If I'm staying in a dead quiet place as I am right now in Ireland it also makes the tinnitus more noticeable. A quiet drone from a fan will drown it out.

[Ringo]

After going through this thread a while back I purchased these earplugs. This weekend I was at a music festival and got to try them out for the first time - not just that specific model, but actually using plugs.

It was stunning how loud the music was but I remained comfortable even when relatively close to the speakers.

From time to time I'd take one of the plugs out to see how different music sounded. It muffed some of the mids and treble, but still sounded clean. It was very hard to tolerate the loudness without the plugs!

One thing I noticed was that using the plugs made me feel more insulated from the whole experience. For example, I could hear the music fine, but it was almost impossible to hear people talking to me. It cut out talking and noises almost entirely - all I could hear was the music. Every time I had to interact with someone, I had to take the plugs off. I feel like that took a bit from the whole experience.

That said, I can't believe it has taken me this long to start using them. I cringe at the thought of how many clubs and festivals I've been to without hearing protection. Even if it takes a little from the experience, using hearing aid will allow me to keep going to these places while minimizing any damage - and that's more than good enough for me.

Thanks LINUX.

[Heuristics]

I found these earplugs at a Guitar Center or similar store. They're basically earplugs but they retain sound fidelity because of their unique design. They reduce the decibels like normal earplugs, but unlike regular they retain all the fidelity of the sound across all the hear-able frequencies.

So you can wear them in shows, raves, etc, but still enjoy the entirity of the music without missing out on the bass notes and the trebles.

A quick google search, something like "best ear plugs for live music / electronic music" should get you going. I don't think I paid much more than 15 bucks. Sure enough, I take em to a rave the first night and they work wonderfully. I could hear everything. Just without the painful loudness.

I have tinnitus as well, so I wear noise cancelling headphones a lot. There is sort of a wooshy drone to them. And thus they're great for getting rid of the ringing in my ears.

For younger guys as well, be careful of listening to music at loud volumes on headphones. Serious damage can be done even listening to loud music for short periods of time. Read something somewhere that said your ears are more sensitive of loudness when working out too, so be careful about volume when working out.

Also the obvious shit: wear protection when mowing, doing other loud activities. Even planes, get some noise-cancelling phones. That jet noise is fucking loud.

And for that matter subways or public transit is really loud. Be careful... Everything is louder these days.

[nomadbrah]

I've been hearing these low rumbling noises sometimes at night. Like a truck engine running far away or bass sound from someone playing music. Someone say this is low frequence tinititus, but then there's that whole "the hum" thing, with people saying it actually is sound or maybe some other waves. It's weird, because it definitely doesn't happen all the time and ear plugs seem to work. Maybe I've just gotten sensitive to some low spectrum sounds? What do you think?