VegasJen

I have had persistent tinnitus since I went through chemo some 13 years ago. Chemo, along with Vancomycin, which I have also had, are known ototoxins. One thing I've noticed is that wind noise tends to be an aggravating factor. I know it's frowned upon, but I often ride with ear buds and an MP3 player. I use it as much to dampen the wind noise while riding as for the music. Rode this morning, but even as I sit here tonight typing out this post, both my ears are ringing with a near deafening tone.

The irony is that, even though the ringing never fully goes away, when the nerves are calm and the ringing is at a minimum, I have surprisingly good hearing.

Just wondering who else has tinnitus and does riding aggravate it.

jgwilliams

Yes, I've had tinnitus for quite a few years now. I'm not sure that the wind noise exacerbates it but I figure it's not good for it and, in any case, is quite annoying. I don't use ear buds but I do use Cat Ears, which I find help. I'm not sure I'd use ear buds even if it was an option, but I have very narrow ear canals and have never yet found ear buds that were comfortable.

TiHabanero

I have tinnitus as well and do find wind noise is a problem. I don't do anything about it, just accept that I cannot hear traffic behind me like I once did because it is drowned out by the ringing. I have a very difficult time flying as the altitude changes cause something to go wrong in my ears and the ringing is very pronounced. Each time I fly it gets worse, thus I avoid flying as much as possible. As I type, the ringing is loud, but I just put it out of my mind in a kind of numb way. It sucks.

delbiker1 

I have dealt with tinitus for many years. I know that for me, riding while listening to anything with ear buds is one of the worst aggravations. It's not a factor because I really despise doing it.

dedhed

Huh? Couldn't' hear you. Another Cat Ears user. they help some.

spclark 

Have had tinnitus for decades. Myriad circumstances contributed to my hearing loss over many years. First pair of hearing aids in 2007 proved their worth but nothing equals undamaged hearing.

Second pair ten years later far more advanced, no less costly. I use those while riding so I can both maintain awareness of nearby traffic as well as stay 'tuned' to my iPhone (via Bluetooth) should my wife try to reach me while I'm away from home. Mixed blessing.

I do notice increase in wind noise in my left ear – the 'good' one – that's not evident when riding without them. I simply don't feel comfortable riding without them in so I tolerate the noise.

I've been told tinnitus is mostly 'in your head' as your brain tries to fill in the missing information it expects to be coming from the damaged physical structures in your inner ear. These latest hearing aids have a feature that's supposed to have some mitigating effect on that yet in the five years I've been wearing them I've yet to note much of an improvement. Others' results may be different of course.

easyupbug 

The National Institutes of Health say Tinnitus is common, estimating that 10 to 25% of adults have it and over time it can improve or unfortunately get worse over time. I believe mine is a minor but always there, 24/7. If it gets worse I may try some of the approaches my audiologist suggested or one listed on sites like the Mayo Clinic web site. I do use Cat Ears on windy days and think they help with wind noise on helmets where the strap in front of the ear is very close to the ear.

Barry2 

+1 on Car Ears.

I did a blind taste test.
Gave my buddy just 1 of mine (not a pair), he thought they were for warmth.
Took him less than 1/2 mile to realize they cut wind noise.

Barry

spclark 

Hmmm... interesting that. Hadn't considered whether strap was contributing to wind noise in left ear only. Thanks for the thought!

As for Cat Ears... I'm hopeful that what's being referred to isn't this -

- but this -



Again, very interesting. A 'spoiler' of sorts.

KerryIrons

For people who are aggravated by the helmet wind noise, try twisting the straps that go in front of the ears. It significantly reduces the noise caused by the helmet straps.

Salmonchaser

I've had tinnitus for ~6 years now. Initially triggered by a convergence of severe viral inner ear infection and blood pressure meds. Some days are better than others, and some days, especially when I don't have a lot of distractions, are downright terrible. I find that wind while riding definitely exacerbates the tinnitus for me - sometimes I use car ears. In colder weather riding, I also get a great deal of pain deep down in the ear canal along with the increased tinnitus, so I completely cover my ears with a tight cap with extended ear flags under my helmet once the temp gets below ~5C. This helps a lot.

VegasJen

Never heard of the Cat Ears thing before, but since it's a rules violation to wear ear buds during an event, I thought it's worth giving them a try. Just ordered some. Will try out in the 70.3 in Palm Springs next weekend.

Russ Roth

My wife wears a headband that has ear flaps and the helmet straps help to hold them in place. She has a couple pairs that have different thicknesses and materials cause she wears them all year round or she can't handle the wind in her ears. She bought them through a running site since they're just sweatband.

spclark 

Good point that. Learned that trick with flat tie-down (ratcheting) straps atop my vehicle when there's stuff up on the racks needs securing, otherwise the buzZZZZZZZ @ 50mph+ is a major distraction!

Hadn't grasped helmet straps might be causing the noise I'm hearing vs. plain wind noise but it makes sense. Be awhile before I can put it to use though, temps have dropped below freezing for daytime now, not the kind of conditions I see myself wanting go rideabout in.

Dino_Sore

I have moderate tinnitus that comes and goes. I have not been able to determine if wind noise from riding has any effect. Some days it seems worse after riding, some days better and some days no change. I started wearing Cat Ears earlier this year when I realized that wind noise can get pretty loud, and I want to preserve my hearing as best as I can. So what if I look like an Elvis impersonator when I wear them? They do cut down the noise level, but I do have to fiddle with them a bit to get them positioned correctly.

The one product I might try are "concert ear plugs." They are designed to reduce noise levels equally across all frequencies to avoid hearing damage at music concerts, yet allow you to hear the music. I wonder if they might reduce wind noise on the bike while still allowing you to hear traffic?

Kapusta

So jealous of those with tinnitus that comes and goes. Mine just keeps coming a little louder every year for the past 25 years.

What comes and goes it how much I notice it.

Trakhak

The trick of twisting the helmet straps - that makes sense. Will try it on today's ride.

For those who find ear buds uncomfortable - on the recommendation of several people on a musician's forum, I ordered a set of assorted sizes of memory foam fittings for earbuds. Much more comfortable, and the bass is much improved.

I wonder whether the triathlon organizers who prohibit earbuds would allow them if they were used solely for wind noise control, without an mp3 player attached.

DaveSSS 

I use Wind Blox. I think they work better than cat ears.

https://wind-blox.com/

lex further

I got tinnitus mid June of this year. At first it wasn’t that bad . Then it got really bad about two weeks after. It got so loud right before going to bed. I would wake up every half an hour. This went for about a month. I got a free hearing test online and came out fine. It’s gotten better for some reason. The only thing I hear are crickets when it’s silent but it doesn’t bother me anymore but it’s not loud. As long as it doesn’t get worse I’ll be happy.

VegasJen

Mine never goes away, however, there are times when it is certainly more pronounced than other times. I know prolonged wind noise can be an aggravating factor, obviously. Other things too, but I haven't really identified other triggers.

What I find weird is sometimes I can just be sitting at my table or on the couch, watching TV, and all of a sudden the ringing will change volume or tone. Or both.
Mine is pretty constant, and it can be very distracting, particularly when it's very quite. At night, I tend to sleep with some form of noise machine. The tinnitus itself is a very high pitched buzzing sound that is not conducive to good sleep. I find having something with a low droning sound offsets the buzz and I can sleep better.

Weogo

Hi Folks,

I work in live audio production and wear custom-fitted MUSICIANS earplugs with noise reducing inserts that are available at -9db, -15db or -25db.
My plugs are silicone and comfortable for long periods of time. The -9db inserts are pretty effective, as the plug body itself reduces quite a bit of wind noise.
I can still hear traffic fine.
Optimally, call around and find an audiologist who works with musicians, though any good hearing aid shop can get good ear impressions.

After about five years I lost a pair of plugs and had to get new impressions. The new plugs didn't fit, and were just plain uncomfortable.
I went through three other iterations and a different supplier till I found a comfortable fit with the fourth version, so if they don't initially feel comfortable, take them back till they do.

Thanks and good health, Weogo

ThermionicScott 

I sometimes wear Loop Engage earplugs while on rides. They are pretty good about cutting wind noise without obliterating situational awareness. As a longtime tinnitus sufferer, I'm very interested in keeping it from getting worse.

urbanknight

I suffer from tinnitus but don't notice it any more or less during a ride. If anything, concentrating on the ride helps me to tune out the tinnitus. It's also amazing to me how much I can hear other things despite the tinnitus. To me, the psychological nature of it seems to make it possible to separate it out since it's not part of the real sounds.

Have you looked into notch therapy? I've been trying to learn more about it, but so far can't seem to get any results myself.

ChromeChainstay

i had chemo also. only notice it at home when it it's silent. not a big deal for me and don't notice it all the time.

Bugspit

Long time sufferer of tinnitus, which I fail to understand since I’ve always been an avid earplug wearer but 30 yrs of manufacturing I guess that’s the consequence.
What’s more frustrating is even with wearing custom earplugs AND earmuffs when using loud equipment, mower, blower, skilsaw whatever, the ringing gets louder.

I too noticed wind noise makes matter worse. Haven’t heard of Cat Ears before but I’m trying them.
Fortunately, somewhat, of being in manufacturing my former company has provided custom earplugs and hearing aids at no cost to me for life.

Hearing aids help a lot especially in restaurants or areas with background noise. They also help at night trying to sleep. I wear mine with ambient noise or music on a timer for one hour. Helps me to get to sleep. Might be worth a try if your sleep is suffering too.

Oh, and if anyone is thinking of trying mustard oil or any other natural oil mix they didn’t work for me.