Ear Wax, Tinnitis, and Here Be Monsters

[Lone Rider]

A little history first, if you don't mind....

When I was a kid and riding a moto, I have no idea whether or not I ever had tinnitis. Picking up riding again, later in life, I did contract tinnitis. On a personal scale of 1 to 10, I was at a 1, and later moved to a 2. 10, on my personal scale, is when you go eat a 12g, drink Draino, or do something similar.

I stopped riding for a couple of years, and my level 2 tinnitis eventually dropped to zero, but it took right at two years for that to naturally occur. I didn't stop riding because of the tinnitis - only noticed that it went away after two years.

After getting back on a bike again, tinnitis came back right away - like at my level 1, and then later level 2. Ok, I was used to this. No prob. I usually did not use any type of ear plugs. I thought they were a bother, although I have tried many different types at different times. I rode a couple of hundred thousand miles in the past w/o ear plugs. Level 2, for me.

I decided to get religious about ear plugs on my last trip. The best ones I found for truly abating noise were the cheap foam Winchester branded foam plugs that can be found cheap at Wally. Inserted well, they really do shut out the sound. You compress them, insert them deep, and they try to swell back to there natural shape. There's a trick/practice to getting them 'fully' in.

Supposedly meant/stated for one-time use, I reused them until I lost them, and then grabbed another pair of the orange things.

After a recent concentrated six-day run back to the States, I noticed a large increase in my level of tinnitis. Call it Level 4 or 5. Not seppuku time, but uncomfortable.

The short of this post is:
Try cleaning/douching your ears of possible compacted wax.
I did this today, and am now back at Level 1.

This post is meant for everybody, but especially towards the riders who use ear plugs.

I lied about Monsters....

[bananaman]

Originally Posted by Lone Rider

A little history first, if you don't mind....

When I was a kid and riding a moto, I have no idea whether or not I ever had tinnitis. Picking up riding again, later in life, I did contract tinnitis. On a personal scale of 1 to 10, I was at a 1, and later moved to a 2. 10, on my personal scale, is when you go eat a 12g, drink Draino, or do something similar.

I stopped riding for a couple of years, and my level 2 tinnitis eventually dropped to zero, but it took right at two years for that to naturally occur. I didn't stop riding because of the tinnitis - only noticed that it went away after two years.

After getting back on a bike again, tinnitis came back right away - like at my level 1, and then later level 2. Ok, I was used to this. No prob. I usually did not use any type of ear plugs. I thought they were a bother, although I have tried many different types at different times. I rode a couple of hundred thousand miles in the past w/o ear plugs. Level 2, for me.

I decided to get religious about ear plugs on my last trip. The best ones I found for truly abating noise were the cheap foam Winchester branded foam plugs that can be found cheap at Wally. Inserted well, they really do shut out the sound. You compress them, insert them deep, and they try to swell back to there natural shape. There's a trick/practice to getting them 'fully' in.

Supposedly meant/stated for one-time use, I reused them until I lost them, and then grabbed another pair of the orange things.

After a recent concentrated six-day run back to the States, I noticed a large increase in my level of tinnitis. Call it Level 4 or 5. Not seppuku time, but uncomfortable.

The short of this post is:
Try cleaning/douching your ears of possible compacted wax.
I did this today, and am now back at Level 1.

This post is meant for everybody, but especially towards the riders who use ear plugs.

I lied about Monsters....

I spend a lot of time on a tractor, using a chain saw, and pounding fence posts. I'm religious about wearing a helmet with built-in ear muffs. On the bike, I use the cheap disposable foam ear plugs. Like you, I re-use them until I lose them. I go half-deaf without them, but never tinnitus. Either way, ear-cleaning can't hurt to keep the monsters away.

[RexBuck]

Thanks for that. I have tinitis - started about 5 or 6 years ago riding motorcycles. Don't know how your 1 - 10 scale works but I would say I vary between 1 and 3. It doesn't keep me awake at nights but it's always there. Other than the last couple of years when I was able to ride in the winter, the tinitis would receed dramaticly when I parked the bike for the winter.

I wear foam earplugs most of the time - usually if I am riding at speeds over about 50 mph or if I'm riding all day at various speeds and in and out of traffic. Wear em till the accumulation of ear wax starts to take over the foam. Bought a case of earplugs from an industrial supply store for cheap - they will last me and my family for decades.

Have never tried douching myself . . . um, my ears. May give it a shot sometime.

[Lone Rider]

Originally Posted by RexBuck

Thanks for that. I have tinitis - started about 5 or 6 years ago riding motorcycles. Don't know how your 1 - 10 scale works but I would say I vary between 1 and 3. It doesn't keep me awake at nights but it's always there. Other than the last couple of years when I was able to ride in the winter, the tinitis would receed dramaticly when I parked the bike for the winter.

I wear foam earplugs most of the time - usually if I am riding at speeds over about 50 mph or if I'm riding all day at various speeds and in and out of traffic. Wear em till the accumulation of ear wax starts to take over the foam. Bought a case of earplugs from an industrial supply store for cheap - they will last me and my family for decades.

Have never tried douching myself . . . um, my ears. May give it a shot sometime.

Just my experience with the douch/cleaning thing.

I sleep OK at night. Not really a prob major prob for me at this time.
I understand that it can really bother some people, and eat them up.

Just a post here.

[Adv Grifter]

I have used Ear Plugs for years ... and still got Tinnitus over time. I've tried many many different plugs. I've settled (for last 5 or 6 years) for Howard Leight Laser Lite or Max or Max Lite plugs.

These are soft and smooth and don't abrade your skin and can be worn for 12 hours a day, day after day. Depending if you use the MAX or Laser Lite, they provide either 32db or 33db of attenuation.

Using them until you lose them may not be the best strategy. Any moisture means replace them. Moisture in your ear can cause an ear infection. Dirt, ear wax? Replace. I use a set for a few days of riding at most, no more. Fresh ones go in easier and reduce more noise.

Keeping ears clean is a good idea but won't cure Tinnitus. An Audiologist can do a really good job on cleaning using warm water. Be very careful sticking Q tips and stuff like that in your ears. Warm water once a month, more than enough.

I buy the Howard Leight Laser lites for about $25 to $28 a box, 200 pairs.
Shop around for best deals.

http://www.howardleight.com/ear-protection/earplugs
http://www.howardleight.com/earplugs/laser-lite
http://www.northernsafety.com/Produc...r-Plugs-NRR-33

Inserting the ear plugs is where most riders screw up. Check out the Video on the site. It's important to have Clean hands. Roll the plug down very small. Wet tip of plug, pull Ear open and insert as far as possible and hold for a few moments. This takes a bit of practice. You won't hear much conversation after the plugs are in. But you won't damage your hearing either! I can no longer ride at any speed without ear plugs.

Lots written about their benefits ... it's not just hearing protection You'll ride better.

[markharf]

As is customary, lots of people commenting here believe their personal experience is universally applicable. Hint: it's not.

I clean my ears daily using dry q-tips. If I don't, I get impacted wax. Impacted wax hurts like hell, interferes with my hearing, and needs to be professionally removed. Cleaning daily works for me. It might not work for you.

I also dry my ears whenever I get water in them. Q-tips again. If I don't, I get ear infections. Ever wake up in the middle of the night by the sensation of your eardrum rupturing due to infection? I have.....but not in the 20 years since I learned to get methodical about drying my ears out.

I use earplugs. I use them until I lose them. This works for me too, but also might not work for you. I do throw them away if they get thoroughly wet, since they swell up and get difficult to insert. They don't give me infections, no matter how dirty. Sometimes they start looking kind've gross, I'll admit.

FWIW, I don't like the way they feel, but I've already lost much of my hearing due to power tools, rock and roll music, the above-mentioned ear infections, and poor choice of parents (a.k.a. heredity). I'm doing my best to preserve what's left. Some folks come from a better gene pool than I, and they might be able to get away with stuff that I can't.

Executive summary: YMMV.

Mark

[Airhead Wrangler]

Never had an ear infection in my life. (hope I didn't just jinx myself) I also subscribe to the "use 'em till you lose 'em" ear plug policy. I usually use the cheapos. A certain dealership in seattle has a giant 'candy jar' of free ear plugs. I've been known to grab a handful occasionally. By "handful" I don't mean a few, I mean literally as many as will fit into one hand. One pocket of my riding jacket is packed with new ear plugs. I use a pair until I lose one or both of them or I drop them in something gross. I've also found the cheap ear plugs to be the most effective and comfortable. I've tried the fancy finned silicone plugs, but they didn't fit my ears right and consequently let in a lot of sound. They also chafed after not very long. Cheap foamies for me all the way.

[crashmaster]

I've got pretty bad Tinnitis, FWIW. Too many years in and around turbine engines and inside the tubes they propel. Roughly about 20,000 hours in big recips, turboprops and jets has done a number on my hearing and I have always worn earplugs religiously, 100% of the time, in the airplane, walking around on the ramp, on a bike, etc.

I've had my ears professionally douched several times and it helps slightly but the end result is that I have lost about 40% of my hearing.

Not sure why I bother to wear earplugs on the bike anymore. I guess I prefer the high pitched ringing in my ears to the wind noise.

Out of curiosity last week a brought a sound meter into the cockpit of a 747 doing Mach .88 at 33,000 feet...............102 Db!!!

That explains a lot.

[bananaman]

Originally Posted by Airhead Wrangler

Cheap foamies for me all the way.

Also applies to beer and other things.

[Misery Goat]

huh???

[Reryder]

Originally Posted by markharf

As is customary, lots of people commenting here believe their personal experience is universally applicable. Hint: it's not.

I clean my ears daily using dry q-tips. If I don't, I get impacted wax. Impacted wax hurts like hell, interferes with my hearing, and needs to be professionally removed. Cleaning daily works for me. It might not work for you.


Mark

Doctors say you should not clean your ears with Q-tips because is pushes wax back into the ears that would otherwise naturally works its way out, and they cause impacted wax.
Syringing ears with cleanser is supposed to be the only way to clean ears properly.

And regarding reusing earplugs, I use Max brand foam plugs (the softest i have found) so I dont hear my OL's snoring and found you can reuse them for a long time if you have a big handful of them and rotate which ones you wear each time. Gives them time to dry out and regain their "spring" in the days between use.

[Adv Grifter]

Originally Posted by Reryder

Doctors say you should not clean your ears with Q-tips because is pushes wax back into the ears that would otherwise naturally works its way out, and they cause impacted wax.
Syringing ears with cleanser is supposed to be the only way to clean ears properly.

And regarding reusing earplugs, I use Max brand foam plugs (the softest i have found) so I dont hear my OL's snoring and found you can reuse them for a long time if you have a big handful of them and rotate which ones you wear each time. Gives them time to dry out and regain their "spring" in the days between use.

Plus One + Soft is good. I hate the stiff, scratchy plugs. Plugs are also a god send traveling ... as I'm sure all you guys know. Noisy Hostels and Hotels ... loud snoring at Campgrounds ... Ear Plugs guarantee much needed rest!

[Klay]

Originally Posted by Adv Grifter

Using them until you lose them may not be the best strategy. Any moisture means replace them. Moisture in your ear can cause an ear infection. Dirt, ear wax? Replace. I use a set for a few days of riding at most, no more. Fresh ones go in easier and reduce more noise.

Send them through the wash. They're like new after you get them out of the dryer.

[markharf]

Originally Posted by Reryder

Doctors say you should not clean your ears with Q-tips because is pushes wax back into the ears that would otherwise naturally works its way out, and they cause impacted wax.
Syringing ears with cleanser is supposed to be the only way to clean ears properly.

Yeh, doctors say all sorts of stuff, but I'm reporting a lifetime of experience, and I've been paying close attention the whole time. That was the point of my post: what works for me might not work for you or your doctor, but it sure works for me.

Mark

[cliffy109]

I have given up on ear plugs for riding. Before getting back into riding, I already had severe tinnitis. I would call it a 4-5 on normal days with occasional 6-7. It is constant. My hearing was checked a few years ago and my left ear suffers from 50%+ loss in higher frequencies. My right ear was pretty good. My damage is doubtless from hunting trips.

I tried various ear plugs and honestly, I don't notice a lot of difference. Wind noise is low frequency sound and seems to come through no matter what I do. I have read that these noises actually come from outside the ear canal, actually vibrating that little pocket behind your ear lobe. Plugs just block high frequency noises and that isn't my problem on the bike. At least not with my Shuberth helmet.