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Comment by mettamage | Hacker News Reader

I have tinnitus. Before I had tinnitus I could simply use earplugs. Problem when I sleep: when I use earplugs it presses in my ear and it aggrevates my tinnitus.

Solution:

- Bose QC 35

- Earplugs

Now the earplugs don't get pushed in and don't aggrevate the tinnitus. The bose QC 35 gets pushed onto whatever is directly outside your ear, which is a bit uncomfortable but fine.

This is my new earplugs setup and it works.

View on HN

I cut the earplugs in half and use the tip. It’s a bit annoying to take them out. I’ve once had to resort to tweezers.

Also if you’re a regular earplug user, you can get something like: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W3DE3BO

I have these and cut off the stalks. They’re easy to take out and don’t get pushed in.

Finally, there are (more expensive) “concert earplugs designed to retain the auditory experience while reducing loudness only. Worth checking out if you like your hearing but are often in loud environments.

I have hearing loss in both ears which runs in family. Tinnitus is just a serious side effect that I somehow manage. I was hoping that a biological solution to hearing loss would be available by 2020, but even with some hope a lot of projects are running late. Guess most of the approaches want to convert stem cells/ molecular sources etc. to hair cells inside the cochlea. I really hope something is available within 20 years and I can experience normal hearing.

I really like the Ohropax wax or silicon earplugs. They don't penetrate your ear canal as much as the foam plugs, but still provide a good enough 23 db noise reduction. They definitely make my tinnitus more noticeable, but I'm kind of used to it anyway at this point.

If you sleep laying down wearing earmuffs, you'd better also place something - like some string - between earmuff and skin: otherwise, you risk suction of the tympanum (and aggravate the situation).

Something that worked for me: playing low volume noise on a stereo in the bedroom. Even barely audible noise would suppress the beeps and drone of my tinnitus.

Also: try multiple shapes and brands of earplug. People have different ear canals and the level of comfort and effectiveness changes a lot.

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