Riding with Tinnitus

[mantsel]

I am wondering if anyone has experience riding while using hearing protection who is also experiencing tinnitus in their daily life.

I find that my earplugs exacerbate my tinnitus; wind noise does not mitigate the tinnitus.

[Royce]

Man, that sucks for you. Sorry to hear it. I have sporadic tinnitus and so I am OK on the bike--most of the time. Good luck.

[RobA]

Hello Mantsel, I suffer with tinnitus and use foam ear plugs. After riding, I find the tinnitus much worse for a couple of hours then it settles again. I think there is a connection between constant noise levels an increase in the "whistle" of tinnitus. I have the same problem with loud music but at 72 I don't go to many clubs or discos these days!! Rob.

[Bogbody]

I suffer from tinnitus as well. I've found that if I dont use earplugs then the tinnitus gets worse while and after riding my bike. I use the silicone plug type earplugs and can still hear comms/scattynav ok.

[Runmyownlife]

A couple of thoughts based on my experience.

1) I think pressure and more specifically, constantly varying levels of pressure are a factor.
2) Not all ear plugs are created equal (and I don't mean just the decibel rating.) It took me a couple of tries to find the right type of foam and shape.

I don't think the situation every really disappeared for me. More likely my various efforts minimized the ringing and I learned to ignore the remaining.

[XR1000]

I've not had my hearing officially tested, but my general doctor believes I have tinnitus symptoms. I hear just fine, but do have a background of medium frequency whistle. About the last 10 years I've started using foam earplugs (Leight Sleepers by Howard Leight) and for me, they help a lot. They knock out the engine and wind noise, but still allow necessary hearing of emergency vehicle sirens, horn blasts or conversations at stops. Now, if I don't wear them, normal highway noise really bothers me. I haven't noticed any negative affects from having them in all day and if anything I think having the noise levels down, kinda keeps me relaxed and more comfortable while riding. Good luck, hope you find something that works for you.

[Thumpin]

My Tinnitus is more like a constant soft roar.....like a vacuum cleaner. Every so often I get a tinkling sound like a chandelier in the wind. In the car the sound of the tires and wind are far louder for me than high pitched sounds (like my wife's voice).

The wind noise in my helmet is pervasive - I bought a Shoei GT Air to get as quiet of a helmet as I can.

For me the SPlug works very well, as it cuts down on the wind noise, is pretty comfortable, and can plug into my helmet communication (Sena).
https://www.rka-luggage.com/A49%20SPlug/S_Plug.html

I have also found the Mack's Snore Blocker earplugs to be the most comfortable and the most effective at reducing noise.
https://www.walmart.com/grocery/ip/M...saAhKJEALw_wcB

[rcb78]

I think I'm one of the lucky ones, the frequency I hear completely disappears in wind noise. I sleep with a fan on and don't hear a thing, no fan and it can be bad. I have done hearing tests and don't have any real issues other than background noise, and that's more a mental focus issue with me. Too much noise can be overwhelming and I kind of shut down. So it's hard to say if I'm not hearing something, or just spaced out. Which actually brings up a good point about hearing protection on the bike, the more wind noise I block out, the more I can focus on riding well and not be distracted by the noise itself.
I have the same issue others do where it gets worse with excessive wind noise so I have spare ear plugs everywhere so that I never *forget them.

[Oleran]

I have tinnitus, verified by multiple audiologists, at at least 4 different pitches....kinda like: a running refrigerator, an exhaust fan in the distance, a large engine running somewhere, crickets and a high pitched whine off in the distance. I have a F800St and a growing collection of helmets. The tinnitus is always there, so I just accept it....but the wind noise through the helmet gets on my nerves. I find well seated earplugs help, but donning the helmet often dislodges them...gets fiddly. I love riding the bike, so I'm still working on the best combination. I also have an HD Ultra Classic. On that thing, I can wear a half helmet (or no helmet ) and am perfectly comfortable with the noise. If I wear a 3/4, or full face while riding the HD, the wind noise is awful. My point is that if the tinnitus plus wind noise is really bothering you, maybe you should try a touring bike with a big faring and true windshield like a HD, Kaw, Goldwing etc. that will keep you in the bubble. Tinnitus is with you....always. Seems unlikely the moving air and road/engine noise is changing it. Noise cancelling headphones may help. Of course, they may also allow you to concentrate on the tinnitus. Hope you find a solution (and share it!!)! A good ride should never go to waste!

[Sundog52]

I have tinnitus, verified by multiple audiologists, ....The tinnitus is always there, so I just accept it....but the wind noise through the helmet gets on my nerves. I find well seated earplugs help, but donning the helmet often dislodges them...gets fiddly. .... Tinnitus is with you....always. ...A good ride should never go to waste!

Wind and engine noise cause fatigue for me, so I wear ear plugs. It took me a while (trial & error) to find a product that would:

1. Fit (one ear canal is smaller than the other)
2. Reduce noise by at least 90% (so that I could at least hear my GPS instructions and COM)
3. Not be dislodged while putting on my helmet

[mantsel]

Six months later, and still with tinnitus, I am following-up on the above posts and now have a much better appreciation and understanding of what can be done to ride comfortably(-ish) with my tinnitus. I am thankful for all the comments from fellow tinnitus riders (really don’t wish to use the term “sufferers”)

Yes, the tinnitus is always with me, fairly high pitched, but the intensity will vary on a daily basis and I cannot identify a trigger. Sleep is rarely an issue, and the initial jitteriness and anxiety I experienced has greatly diminished over the past six months.

For riding, I switched from Howard Leight Max to Leight Sleepers. The latter are much more comfortable and easier to insert, and provide the same high level (33dl) attenuation. BUT, with most road, engine, and wind noise blocked, the tinnitus is, nevertheless, somewhat distracting. When my tinnitus is mild, the earplugs are my choice of attenuation.

But, when my tinnitus is aggravated I use a masking app with my iPhone and after much experimentation, I settled on silicone flange earbuds. They seal well, provide excellent noise reduction, and most importantly do not dislodge either putting on or taking off my helmet. The one caveat is that if you do not pull on your ear lobes when removing them they can slide off the the earphone and making it very challenging to remove them without (spousal) assistance.

The flange brand is Shure, paired with Westone earphones. The masking app is Zen Tinnitus.

[kingswoodkelly]

Interesting subject on a motorcycle forum - well done.
I was prescribed Piroxicam (Feldene in Australia) and after 4 tablets at 1 per day I ended up with persistent and very loud "head noise" I spent over $1000 on books and 2 years of constant research all with no effect. What I have got is described as synaptic noise, ~ 10,500 Hz at 86 dB - constant now for 7 years. And yes, I do get occasional high pitched tinnitus as well, but thankfully very rarely. The top research facility in Australia is the Flory Institute, and when I asked them for answers they told me it was very rare and that to get any answers I would have to wait until somebody took up the issue and did a thesis on it ! It is absolute hell and has driven me to the "Black Dog" on 4 occasions. Now, Buying another motorcycle at 68 Y.O. is not really the norm however what I have found is that the concentration / pleasure that I get whilst riding seems to take all my cares away. My F88ST is a complete lifesaver. By the way, I sleep with in ear canal earphones and listen to British comedy (a-la "The Goons") - soft so that I can just hear it and very repetitive so I am not really concentrating on the voices. As an erstwhile musician listening to music keeps me awake ! The cheap Marley canal phones I have found to be the best as they last well and, although not a patch on my Westone or Bose, they are comfortable and do the job. Cheers - and don't let that bugger of a Black Dog come biting.
David Kingswood Kelly

[Blapper]

Very interesting. After many years of shooting and riding bikes I have some tinnitus but having read what some people have to upt up with I would say my symptoms are light and a high pitched whistle mainly. I got 'Ultimate Ear' moulded in custom plugs which are phenomenally effecting at reducing wind noise and they have earphone speakers in for navigator/ intercom use. I find removing them has to be done carefully or it can spike the tinnitus.