I've always worn them for playing music, going to concerts, riding motorcycles etc. No noticeable hearing loss at 39. In the following paragraph I am NOT suggesting NOT protecting your hearing, you absolutely need to take care of your ears! I am suggesting that it IS possible to overdo hearing protection in some circumstances.
I developed tinnitus last year - and with that came a sensitivity to specific noises, keys landing on the kitchen counter, loud 'sharp' noises etc. After discussing with the audiologist, we determined that a likely cause of this was not the tinnitus itself, but instead the fact that I wear noise cancelling headphones 40-50 hours per week (I run a commercial cleaning business), and the house I live in has double glazed windows and is as silent as a tomb inside. The Audiologist explained to me that I had trained my ears to get used to no background noise, so much so that my ears were straining to hear/tune out that noise, so the sensitivity was an involuntary muscle spasm because my ears were quite simply not used to processing sound in that way anymore. From that appointment onwards, I started sleeping with ocean/rain sounds playing, and only use the noise cancelling function on my headphones when required. After a couple of months, the sensitivity stopped completely and although I still have mild tinnitus, my hearing is fine.
I have commented here because based on my experience, it IS possible to overdo it. If you spend 24/7 in a controlled cone of silence, your ears may begin to adapt to that. Some people may never have an issue, but it is worth considering. I literally was in a cone of silence 24/7 - if I was out of the house I had the NC earbuds in and if I was home it was silent.
Source - my own 6 months of ENT specialist, GP & Audiologist appointments & tests.
Choofthur t1_j8bvf1a wrote
Reply to LPT: Wear Earplugs everywhere when reasonably possible. by Longjumping-Basil-74
I've always worn them for playing music, going to concerts, riding motorcycles etc. No noticeable hearing loss at 39. In the following paragraph I am NOT suggesting NOT protecting your hearing, you absolutely need to take care of your ears! I am suggesting that it IS possible to overdo hearing protection in some circumstances.
I developed tinnitus last year - and with that came a sensitivity to specific noises, keys landing on the kitchen counter, loud 'sharp' noises etc. After discussing with the audiologist, we determined that a likely cause of this was not the tinnitus itself, but instead the fact that I wear noise cancelling headphones 40-50 hours per week (I run a commercial cleaning business), and the house I live in has double glazed windows and is as silent as a tomb inside. The Audiologist explained to me that I had trained my ears to get used to no background noise, so much so that my ears were straining to hear/tune out that noise, so the sensitivity was an involuntary muscle spasm because my ears were quite simply not used to processing sound in that way anymore. From that appointment onwards, I started sleeping with ocean/rain sounds playing, and only use the noise cancelling function on my headphones when required. After a couple of months, the sensitivity stopped completely and although I still have mild tinnitus, my hearing is fine.
I have commented here because based on my experience, it IS possible to overdo it. If you spend 24/7 in a controlled cone of silence, your ears may begin to adapt to that. Some people may never have an issue, but it is worth considering. I literally was in a cone of silence 24/7 - if I was out of the house I had the NC earbuds in and if I was home it was silent.
Source - my own 6 months of ENT specialist, GP & Audiologist appointments & tests.