Kapusta

I tried Cat Ears a few years ago. Could not get them to work well.

cyclezen

just wandered here....
I've had tinnitus for over 40 yrs ? maybe more... became seriously noticeable about 30+ yrs ago. Constant high pitch background which obscures much... too much...
I have a very difficult time in groups of people with conversation, since it all comes in at the same level and the high frequency are obscured. The high pitch sound in words form the clear definition of the word, otherwise it's just a bunch of mumbled sounds... So I tend to hang back and shy away in group conversations where the speech is fast and many participate.
Riding - I started using foam earplugs for riding many decades ago. Found they work great for any activity where wind noise or constant generated noise.
These - Howard Leigh Laser Lites
They're claimed to do 30 dB reduction - sure is significant - the tinnitus is always there, but the wind/helmet noise is greatly reduced.
Nice thing is they mostly reduce the high frequency , which is most of wind noise, have much less effect on low frequency - SO - I can still hear traffic and approaching vehicles, so no loss in safetly margin IMO. I get about 5 rides out of each pair. I carry earplugs with me everywhere I go, most everything I do - except for when you have nothing to carry them in... LOL!
I wear them for everything which produces wind or environmental background noise - every ride - except when I'm in a peloton/tight ride group.
Some people think I'm anti-social on rides, but it's cause I can;t make out conversation well - due as much to tinnitus as the ear plugs. SO in a 2up paceline, I change riding partners frequently, more for their benefit than any preference on mine.
Side Benefit is, I'm always aware of the 'riding' and what's going on - developed a strong awareness of everything around me - super great benefit for my time on the motorcycle.
Tried Cat-Ears, didn;t work for me - given away
Tried Wind-Blox, those help in addition to the ear plugs. A lot varies with the helmet and strap design (have a bunch of helmets...)
I also fashioned some home-made ear flaps - they span across the helmet straps to cover the ears - old lycra from done cycling shorts with liners cut from surgical face masks. Those work great also but can be overly warm on really hot days - so they're on helmets I use in cold/cool/mild weather.
4 hard years of heavy Chemo, greatly heightened the tinnitus, which was already overwhelming. Now thatI've been off Chemo for a while, the tinnitus can sometimes reduce a bit...
But, it's always there to a great extent.
no real remedies found.
Have not moved to hearing aids, because I can hear 'sound' ok, it's just the masking of the important high frequencies - attenuation is not gonna help that.
Ride On - do your best, enjoy being in the moment, be stronger than your adversities, love a lot....
Yuri

Korina

@cyclezen, I beg to differ; I suspect you would benefit greatly from hearing aids. They're not just amplifiers, they're tuned to amplify the frequencies you're having trouble with. Talk to an audiologist. Your hearing loss is causing you to be more and more isolated, and that's not healthy.

cyclezen

Thanks...
It's likely not 'hearing loss' , more like 'hearing masking' - at least masking of the frequencies which the tinnitus reigns in...
Interesting is that when listening to some music, particularly string, like a violin in the very high notes, the sound comes thru fine along with the 'character of the sound.
But speech is somewhat affected. I'm ok in conversation, issues arise in places with very high ambient sound/noise, which is when I have distinction problems - like restaurants which do little to control the reverb acoustics...
Not feeling isolated - I've always chosen my engagement with others, rarely enter into chit-chat for the sake of it.
But I do appreciate your advise, and doing newer tests (last done 2 yrs ago when under heavy Chemo), it's prolly time - and then have a discussion of possible remediation.
Thanks for the nudge .
On to your crotched ear flaps - do you do them in black or slate blue ???? for sale ???? LOL!
Ride On
Yuri

MinnMan

I was told when I got hearing aids that it might reduce the tinnitus. Tinnitus isn't purely a physiologic thing, and supposedly, restoring hearing in the high frequency range can diminish the perceived tenor (loudness) of the tinnitus. Truth be told, hearing aids haven't changed the tinnitus much, which continues to seem louder as I age. But others report differently.

cyclezen , it seems that you should at least consult with an audiologist and find out the frequency range of your hearing. Odds are that you do have high frequency hearing loss.

Korina

Mine's straight-up hearing loss (on top of the tinnitus); right in the range of human voices, making conversations in crowds nearly impossible. Hubby is still learning to turn the TV down if he wants to talk to me. Hearing aids are definitely in my future.

I don't have black on hand, but I might be able to find some. What fiber are you looking for; heavy wool, light wool, cotton blend, acrylic? I do have some silvery grey, and possibly a dark grey, in the light cotton/acrylic blend. PM me and we'll talk.

cyclezen

My spouse happens to have a Masters in Audiology, but hasn't worked in the field for some decades now - and we're both retired now. She hasn;t kept up with the latest develepments, but certainly has a strong understanding of the human/physio side of the issues. We've discussed, frequently.
The very strong and years long chemo I had caused a marked increase in the tinnitus, and my most recent hearing test was during that heavy period. I've now been off of it for almost a year, and the tinnitus has backed off a bit. I'm hoping that trend will continue for a bit more reduction.
I can do fine when the background noise isn;t overpowering or high pitched.
Hearing loss is not always a steady degradation, depending on the cause/source so I hope yours stabilizes to as workable a level as possible.
We'll catch up...
Ride On
Yuri

KJL

I have had it for a few years now - mostly does not bother me unless I focus on it... dammit I'm focusing on it! I too have the change in pitch where it goes crazy for a few minutes. Thankfully that only happens like once a week. I don't know if it's related but lately wind noise on my road/gravel bike really bothers me. Especially going downhill fast - the wind noise almost feels like my eardrums are bursting. I use ear buds when I can and that helps a little - I just ordered those fuzzy cat ears so hopefully that helps. At night I use podcasts, a fan or even a noise machine that plays summer sounds/crickets... I am sure my concerts in my youth and listening to loud music has caused this as well as getting older. Hope you have success in dealing with yours as wella s all teh other poor souls on this forum. You would think they would figure out a treatment for this at some point.

RB1-luvr

Someone (here on BF I think) clued me into the possibility that tinnitus can be related to blood pressure. I have come to see that mine is. When my ears are ringing loud, my bp is up.

ZHVelo

OP, I have tinnitus, but mate, if yours is so bad you hear it over the wind, I feel for you!

Yes, every time I am out, it's worse, every time I drink, it's worse. However, I would say this is a factor that can exacerbate it. Not that it is the cause for it.

streetsurfer

I've been using a set of bossa. They help while worn but I don't like the delay in the hearing aid aspect of them.

I don't want to retrain my brain to accept that. My hearing is fine. I avoid them when watching tv for instance.

I use them to help get to sleep where it is quiet. They reduce the (my) tinnitus markedly. And it remains gone for half hour or an hour after they are removed. This allows me to get to sleep easier.

streetsurfer

I've purposely checked for this. Mine is not related to bp. In fact I had it at 116/54
53 pulse.

aspirin is one source of mine but I get it without aspirin lately. I've noticed it more with sinus congestion and exposure to food sensitivities that inject/inflame my ear canals.

Bugspit

I found the Cat Ears work for me, the straps have to be a bit snugger than my usual looseness but to be effective they need to be against the cheeks in front of the ears.

I don’t think I mentioned this before but workers comp furnished me with hearing aids. They are very helpful in crowded situations like restaurants. I also use them at night to listen to ambient noise or music which hides the ringing.

MinnMan

BTW, hearing aids were stupid expensive here in the US when I got mine 2+ years ago, though fortunately insurance covered almost all the cost. Supposedly they were supposed to become cheaper now that FDA has allowed over the counter sales? Has that happened?

In Europe, hearing aids are sold in shops not so different from how glasses are sold by opticians in the US, with much lower prices.

Duragrouch

I don't suffer from tinnitus, thankfully. But a dumb engineering question: So I guess that the high-pitched ringing is generated directly within the ear, not by the eardrum. So my question is, can you apply noise-cancelling? Noise cancelling headphones sample the ambient noise and generate the same frequency, but 180 degrees out of phase, to effectively cancel the noise. So I'm wondering if the same device, or earbuds, with the ability to manually tune the generated noise (because it cannot hear your ringing), you adjusting it to frequency and phase (that's the harder part, especially at higher frequencies), if this might cancel the ringing? Ideally, if the device could hear the ringing (I don't know if audible with very sensitive sensors, or just goes directly into your brain), that would allow automatic frequency and phase control. I know, easier said than done. But they are doing pretty amazing things these days with robotics, prosthetics, etc, both required extremely sophisticated automatic control theory, audio cancelling is child's play by comparison, and it's been done, the question is whether the device could "hear" the ringing?

MinnMan

I'm no expert, but my understanding is that it's not so simple. The noise isn't real noise. It's a stray signal in your nerves, or at least, that's how it's been explained to me.

Duragrouch

Thank you, that is very helpful. Alas, won't solve the problem, but at least accurate information. Thanks.

VegasJen

I don't hear it over wind noise. It's that certain things trigger it, wind noise is one of those triggers. I get off the bike, especially after a long or fast ride, and it's very loud.

lex further

Dealing with this ringing since childhood has been tough, especially when it flares up like it is now after recovering from the flu. It's strange how something like tension in the neck can set it off, but I've noticed it happens after sitting at my desk for too long. Surprisingly, not many people talk about this as a trigger. Thankfully, I make regular visits to Audiology Island to keep track of my hearing and any changes in the ringing.

Smaug1

I think a lot of cyclists lose hearing later in life, but don't necessarily correlate the two things.
Educated motorcyclists know that wind blast can damage hearing. We wear ear plugs inside our helmets.
Cyclists think they're not fast enough, but riding 10 mph into a 20 mph wind is enough to be significant, especially hours on end.

For you, I recommend foam ear plugs.

For others whose hearing isn't damaged yet, look into Cat Ears; they really work. Not as well as ear plugs, but they don't give any sensation of losing the desired type of hearing:
https://www.cat-ears.com/

I finally bought a pair for my regular road helmet. I added a helmet with built-in LEDs recently, went for one ride on a windy night and came home with an earache. I'm ordering another set. Oh, and they're US-made.

curbtender

Had Bells Palsy on my left side and among other things I've developed tinnitus. If anyone finds a cure let us know.

Smaug1

For now, it's one of those things that uncurable. Once you have it, you HAVE it. Focus on prevention, if there are any unafflicted.

My wife (45) got an ear infection last year and now has tinnitus.

t2p

same - after heavy exercise (bike / run / etc) - the ringing can be worse … running seems to be more of a trigger / worse (?)

t2p

I had to wear ear plugs when riding road motorcycles - but did not when riding off road motorcycles

( made a difference when riding on the road despite full face / coverage helmet - but no difference when riding off road … kinda odd )

also had to wear ear plugs when riding snowmobiles … absolute must … most of the problem source appeared to be from the mechanical noise / whir from the engine and CVT clutch / trans - more than the exhaust noise …