The Traveling Ear Health / Eustachian / Sinus / Pressure / Etc. Thread
Jan 21, 2015, 3:59 pm
#1
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The Traveling Ear Health / Eustachian / Sinus / Pressure / Etc. Thread
As a trained Medic - First Aid - Rescue - Master diver, I've got a lot of clearing experience. We only experience changes up to ~8,000 feet MSL of cabin pressure (unless your flight begins or ends at a very high altitude airport) but water's density mean we experience one entire atmosphere (ATA) of pressure change with every 10 meters / 33 feet of vertical change in the water column. I've made thousands of scuba dives over 59 years, with major no ear troubles. (I've been a pilot as well, and this applies equally, or nearly so.)
From the renowned Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota:
The connecting air spaces in our head. NIH
When the air pressure is higher on one side of the eardrum than the other, we do not have a state of equilibrium. If air gets trapped, particularly behind the ear drum into the eustachian tube (or the sinus cavities), the expansion in particular can cause what is often called a "squeeze" - and resultant pain, tissue engorgement, swelling, hearing difficulty (like you're hearing through a wet wad of cotton), even blood engorgement, a ruptured eardrum and barotrauma.
The ear structure and Eustachian tube.
So, we deal with lots of issues equalizing if we have narrow canals, obstruction (mucous being one possible culture), have a cold, are dehydrated, have narrow eustachian canals or even bony growths surrounding the canals (exostoses), etc. Add in the extensive sinus cavities surrounded by bone, and we can have some severe pain when they suffer "squeeze" and congestion.
Sinus cavities and surrounding bone structure. Public domain
On a recent Jetstar (Australia) flight one woman across the aisle from me was in abject pain as we descended toward Sydney (Kingsford Smith) airport. The crew expressed concern, but other than cups around her ears and telling her to pinch her nose and blow (the Valsalva maneuver, which is harsher than some others and can actually increase obstruction in the Eustachian tubes etc. by forcing mucous plugs into even narrower areas), but that didn't help much. She was in greater pain of descent than on our ascent; that's pretty normal (the higher pressure is "pushing in" on our air spaces). I was able to demonstrate some clearing techniques she could begin using prior to ascent and descent and continue to use in those phases of flight - whilst the crew looked on (apparently, they're not teaching cabin crew these things - yet they must fly, even if they get congested).
Divers Alert Network (DAN) says (directing to divers, but the same applies to flyers):
The symptoms you don't want include pain in the ears, sinuses, or / and increasing headache pain including these areas.
I prefer a hybrid maneuver that's second nature to me that includes jutting my jaw forward and downward, raising my palate and doing what I'd call a "simulated swallow"; this stretches the tubes and allows me to equalize whether in an aircraft cabin or diving without having to use a hand to pinch my nose, etc. As a pilot or diver, I prefer my hands to have ready access to gear, controls, etc. and not fluttering about my face.
Other things we can do:
Stay hydrated! Drink plenty of water; that will help keep things loose (including mucous).
Avoid dehydration. The aircraft cabin air has one thing in common with scuba diving gas: they are both extremely dry and have dedicating effects on lung and other tissue. This includes drinking alcohol, coffee and other diuretics, and consuming processed foods (much airline food uses sodium salts to preserve and add cheap flavor,) on top of which salty snacks such as nuts and pretzels compound the problem.
Try to not fly if you have a cold or related respiratory condition. If you must fly, even more than normal keep extra hydrated. LOTS of water.
You might find nasal normal saline spray you can use periodically can help keep your passages moist.
Some take a mild antihistamine or decongestant (such as loratadine). Some have had a spray (like oxymetazoline - Afrin, Dristan, Nasivin, Logicin, etc. - to use before flying (usually this spray has a duration of about 12 hours, and if used more than a very few times can have a "rebound effect" that will ultimately make things worse).
Caveat: I'm not a doctor, so consult with your healthcare professional about any medication.
Children have a problem in that if they're very young, they can feel the pain coming on and then feel frightened by what's happening. Those aircraft cabin infants are sometimes crying on descent because it hurts and they have no control.
Child's head and Eustachian tubes that can suffer "squeeze". NIH
Some parents give them small amounts to drink as the aircraft is descending from liquid they have on hand. Sometimes just moistening the lips or a pacifier can help. Getting the child to swallow or yawn helps - ironically, so does crying.
Finally: If you're still having a lot of pain post-flight, or you have trouble hearing and it feels like you have insulation or a feeling of fullness and / or balance problems, or pain or blood leaking from the ear, contact an ear, nose and throat specialist (otolaryngologist) to assure you don't have any damage. If you have chronic problems with clearing, do the same.
More on ears and diving (with definite interest to flyers): http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/he...an+15+STANDARD
From the renowned Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota:
Airplane ear is the stress exerted on your eardrum and other middle ear tissues when the air pressure in your middle ear and the air pressure in the environment are out of balance. You may experience airplane ear at the beginning of a flight when the airplane is climbing or at the end of a flight when the airplane is descending. These fast changes in altitude cause air pressure changes and can trigger airplane ear.
Airplane ear is also called ear barotrauma, barotitis media or aerotitis media.
Usually self-care steps — such as yawning, swallowing or chewing gum — can prevent or correct the differences in air pressure and improve airplane ear symptoms. However, a severe case of airplane ear may need to be treated by a doctor. (link)
Airplane ear is also called ear barotrauma, barotitis media or aerotitis media.
Usually self-care steps — such as yawning, swallowing or chewing gum — can prevent or correct the differences in air pressure and improve airplane ear symptoms. However, a severe case of airplane ear may need to be treated by a doctor. (link)
The connecting air spaces in our head. NIH
When the air pressure is higher on one side of the eardrum than the other, we do not have a state of equilibrium. If air gets trapped, particularly behind the ear drum into the eustachian tube (or the sinus cavities), the expansion in particular can cause what is often called a "squeeze" - and resultant pain, tissue engorgement, swelling, hearing difficulty (like you're hearing through a wet wad of cotton), even blood engorgement, a ruptured eardrum and barotrauma.
The ear structure and Eustachian tube.
So, we deal with lots of issues equalizing if we have narrow canals, obstruction (mucous being one possible culture), have a cold, are dehydrated, have narrow eustachian canals or even bony growths surrounding the canals (exostoses), etc. Add in the extensive sinus cavities surrounded by bone, and we can have some severe pain when they suffer "squeeze" and congestion.
Sinus cavities and surrounding bone structure. Public domain
On a recent Jetstar (Australia) flight one woman across the aisle from me was in abject pain as we descended toward Sydney (Kingsford Smith) airport. The crew expressed concern, but other than cups around her ears and telling her to pinch her nose and blow (the Valsalva maneuver, which is harsher than some others and can actually increase obstruction in the Eustachian tubes etc. by forcing mucous plugs into even narrower areas), but that didn't help much. She was in greater pain of descent than on our ascent; that's pretty normal (the higher pressure is "pushing in" on our air spaces). I was able to demonstrate some clearing techniques she could begin using prior to ascent and descent and continue to use in those phases of flight - whilst the crew looked on (apparently, they're not teaching cabin crew these things - yet they must fly, even if they get congested).
Divers Alert Network (DAN) says (directing to divers, but the same applies to flyers):
Why Must You Equalize?
As a diver descends in the water (or as a flier descends in altitude), environmental pressure increases on the body. For the pressure in the middle-ear cavity to increase accordingly, the volume must decrease or more gas has to be added. Upon descent, divers can reduce the volume of the middle ear by bowing the eardrum inward. But after the eardrum stretches to its limits, further reduction of middle-ear cavity volume is not possible; if the descent continues, the pressure in the middle-ear cavity remains lower than its surroundings.
To prevent pressure-related injuries such as bleeding, the swelling of soft tissues, leakage of fluid into the air space or membrane rupture, vertigo, divers must enable air from the throat to enter through the Eustachian tubes and into the middle ear by using equalization techniques. To effectively equalize the ears, divers can use one or more of these techniques:
Passive: This occurs during ascent and requires no effort.
Voluntary tubal opening: Try yawning or jaw wiggling. (We do this unconsciously sometimes as our aircraft ascends.)
Toynbee maneuver: Pinch your nostrils and swallow.
Frenzel maneuver: Pinch your nostrils while contracting your throat muscles, and make the sound of the letter K.
Lowry technique: Pinch your nostrils, and gently blow air out of your nose while swallowing.
Valsalva maneuver: Pinch your nostrils, and gently blow through your nose. (Though this is what many of us do first, it's not the gentlest maneuver and in my opinion should not be the first attempt.)
Edmonds technique: Push your jaw forward, and employ the Valsalva maneuver or the Frenzel maneuver.
As a diver descends in the water (or as a flier descends in altitude), environmental pressure increases on the body. For the pressure in the middle-ear cavity to increase accordingly, the volume must decrease or more gas has to be added. Upon descent, divers can reduce the volume of the middle ear by bowing the eardrum inward. But after the eardrum stretches to its limits, further reduction of middle-ear cavity volume is not possible; if the descent continues, the pressure in the middle-ear cavity remains lower than its surroundings.
To prevent pressure-related injuries such as bleeding, the swelling of soft tissues, leakage of fluid into the air space or membrane rupture, vertigo, divers must enable air from the throat to enter through the Eustachian tubes and into the middle ear by using equalization techniques. To effectively equalize the ears, divers can use one or more of these techniques:
Passive: This occurs during ascent and requires no effort.
Voluntary tubal opening: Try yawning or jaw wiggling. (We do this unconsciously sometimes as our aircraft ascends.)
Toynbee maneuver: Pinch your nostrils and swallow.
Frenzel maneuver: Pinch your nostrils while contracting your throat muscles, and make the sound of the letter K.
Lowry technique: Pinch your nostrils, and gently blow air out of your nose while swallowing.
Valsalva maneuver: Pinch your nostrils, and gently blow through your nose. (Though this is what many of us do first, it's not the gentlest maneuver and in my opinion should not be the first attempt.)
Edmonds technique: Push your jaw forward, and employ the Valsalva maneuver or the Frenzel maneuver.
I prefer a hybrid maneuver that's second nature to me that includes jutting my jaw forward and downward, raising my palate and doing what I'd call a "simulated swallow"; this stretches the tubes and allows me to equalize whether in an aircraft cabin or diving without having to use a hand to pinch my nose, etc. As a pilot or diver, I prefer my hands to have ready access to gear, controls, etc. and not fluttering about my face.
Other things we can do:
Stay hydrated! Drink plenty of water; that will help keep things loose (including mucous).
Avoid dehydration. The aircraft cabin air has one thing in common with scuba diving gas: they are both extremely dry and have dedicating effects on lung and other tissue. This includes drinking alcohol, coffee and other diuretics, and consuming processed foods (much airline food uses sodium salts to preserve and add cheap flavor,) on top of which salty snacks such as nuts and pretzels compound the problem.
Try to not fly if you have a cold or related respiratory condition. If you must fly, even more than normal keep extra hydrated. LOTS of water.
You might find nasal normal saline spray you can use periodically can help keep your passages moist.
Some take a mild antihistamine or decongestant (such as loratadine). Some have had a spray (like oxymetazoline - Afrin, Dristan, Nasivin, Logicin, etc. - to use before flying (usually this spray has a duration of about 12 hours, and if used more than a very few times can have a "rebound effect" that will ultimately make things worse).
Caveat: I'm not a doctor, so consult with your healthcare professional about any medication.
Children have a problem in that if they're very young, they can feel the pain coming on and then feel frightened by what's happening. Those aircraft cabin infants are sometimes crying on descent because it hurts and they have no control.
Child's head and Eustachian tubes that can suffer "squeeze". NIH
Some parents give them small amounts to drink as the aircraft is descending from liquid they have on hand. Sometimes just moistening the lips or a pacifier can help. Getting the child to swallow or yawn helps - ironically, so does crying.
Finally: If you're still having a lot of pain post-flight, or you have trouble hearing and it feels like you have insulation or a feeling of fullness and / or balance problems, or pain or blood leaking from the ear, contact an ear, nose and throat specialist (otolaryngologist) to assure you don't have any damage. If you have chronic problems with clearing, do the same.
More on ears and diving (with definite interest to flyers): http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/he...an+15+STANDARD
Last edited by JDiver; Aug 31, 2017 at 2:45 pm Reason: Add illustrations
Jun 12, 2015, 6:17 am
#3
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 44
Upcoming flights : recently diagnosed chronic tinnitus
I hope to goodness that nobody on here suffers with this awful condition, however on the off chance someone does or knows of people who do I am seeking some advice.
My DH and I have four BA award flights booked for the rest of this year. I am going to cancel the long haul flight and the flight that is imminent as I am still shell shocked by this (also have hyperacusis with the T).
However does anyone on this board travel with this condition successfully or know anyone that does ? Are people allowed to wear noise cancelling headphones on take off and landing ? I've never owned these so if they are a possibility it might be helpful to know what brand/model is recommended for the future if I ever consider flying a possibility again.
My DH and I have four BA award flights booked for the rest of this year. I am going to cancel the long haul flight and the flight that is imminent as I am still shell shocked by this (also have hyperacusis with the T).
However does anyone on this board travel with this condition successfully or know anyone that does ? Are people allowed to wear noise cancelling headphones on take off and landing ? I've never owned these so if they are a possibility it might be helpful to know what brand/model is recommended for the future if I ever consider flying a possibility again.
Jun 12, 2015, 6:25 am
#4
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Ipswich
Posts: 7,543
I don't believe noise cancelling headphones work for tinnitus as they sample the sound coming in from the microphones on the outside of the cups/buds and generate the opposite sound waves to cancel the noise.
My brother suffers from this. I don't think he has any particular issues with flying - at least he's never mentioned it when we've travelled together.
It's a nasty thing. You have my sympathies.
My brother suffers from this. I don't think he has any particular issues with flying - at least he's never mentioned it when we've travelled together.
It's a nasty thing. You have my sympathies.
Jun 12, 2015, 6:31 am
#5
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: EWR
Posts: 36
My sympathies. I posted on
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/disability-travel-224/
when I first lost some of my hearing and what was leftover became a
buzzing, you may find a fellow sufferer over there.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/disability-travel-224/
when I first lost some of my hearing and what was leftover became a
buzzing, you may find a fellow sufferer over there.
Jun 12, 2015, 6:36 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: South Oxfordshire
Programs: Yes please
Posts: 564
You should really be asking this question of someone medically qualified to opine, not the ill-informed like us. That said, I find that air travel goes some way to mitigating my own mild tinnitus; apparently the continual background noise within the cabin gives my brain something to chew on instead of focussing the tinnitus.
Again, get competent medical advice; YMMV.
Again, get competent medical advice; YMMV.
Jun 12, 2015, 6:49 am
#7
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 635
As said, speak with your doctor.
My mother suffers from Ménière's disease following an inner ear infection that wasn't treated quickly enough, leading to permanent nerve damage. The nausea and dizziness is in the most part dealt with through medication but she has very severe tinnitus leading to hearing loss in both ears (at slightly different frequencies). She has found that hearing aids have significantly improved her quality of life by reducing the tinnitus whilst wearing them. She has no problem travelling by any mode of transport. And of course you can wear hearing aids at all times.
I cannot say whether this will be the same for you and particularly cannot comment on the hyperacusis. Speak with your consultant.
My mother suffers from Ménière's disease following an inner ear infection that wasn't treated quickly enough, leading to permanent nerve damage. The nausea and dizziness is in the most part dealt with through medication but she has very severe tinnitus leading to hearing loss in both ears (at slightly different frequencies). She has found that hearing aids have significantly improved her quality of life by reducing the tinnitus whilst wearing them. She has no problem travelling by any mode of transport. And of course you can wear hearing aids at all times.
I cannot say whether this will be the same for you and particularly cannot comment on the hyperacusis. Speak with your consultant.
Jun 12, 2015, 6:56 am
#8
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 44
Than you so much for your kind replys. I will ask my medical practitioners although to be honest chronic tinnitus seems to be a bit of an unknown to some of them, and advice goes from, 'live your life as normal', 'get used to it' to 'protect your hearing'.
As we are heading to retirement the live life as normal was going to involve air travel, but the protect your hearing implies flying may not be a good idea.
We didn't want to do anything fancy farmhouses in Majorca etc but now may be off the cards.
Thank you voyages99 for your sympathy, I will head over and read your link, and thank you for your sympathy
I think I was looking for anecdotal information. I've tried tinnitus forums but they are very scary places.
As we are heading to retirement the live life as normal was going to involve air travel, but the protect your hearing implies flying may not be a good idea.
We didn't want to do anything fancy farmhouses in Majorca etc but now may be off the cards.Thank you voyages99 for your sympathy, I will head over and read your link, and thank you for your sympathy
I think I was looking for anecdotal information. I've tried tinnitus forums but they are very scary places.
Jun 12, 2015, 6:56 am
#9
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Chessington World of Adventures
Programs: BA SILVER!! (After 7 years of trying...)
Posts: 205
You should really be asking this question of someone medically qualified to opine, not the ill-informed like us. That said, I find that air travel goes some way to mitigating my own mild tinnitus; apparently the continual background noise within the cabin gives my brain something to chew on instead of focussing the tinnitus.
My tinnitus seems to have been caused by a mix of over-exposure to loud music (doh!) and a nasty ear infection - so I try to limit my exposure to unnecessarily loud music / movies in the hopes of stopping it from getting worse.
For that reason, proper noise-cancelling headphones are essential for me on trains, planes and buses because they allow me to listen to music or movies etc at a sensible volume and still hear it properly. Trying to listen to anything on a plane with normal headphones is a big no-no, when you consider how loud you have to turn it up to hear anything over the engine.
Jun 12, 2015, 6:59 am
#10
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Chessington World of Adventures
Programs: BA SILVER!! (After 7 years of trying...)
Posts: 205
Than you so much for your kind replys. I will ask my medical practitioners although to be honest chronic tinnitus seems to be a bit of an unknown to some of them, and advice goes from, 'live your life as normal', 'get used to it' to 'protect your hearing'.
As we are heading to retirement the live life as normal was going to involve air travel, but the protect your hearing implies flying may not be a good idea.We didn't want to do anything fancy farmhouses in Majorca etc but now may be off the cards.
Thank you voyages99 for your sympathy, I will head over and read your link, and thank you for your sympathy
I think I was looking for anecdotal information. I've tried tinnitus forums but they are very scary places.
As we are heading to retirement the live life as normal was going to involve air travel, but the protect your hearing implies flying may not be a good idea.
We didn't want to do anything fancy farmhouses in Majorca etc but now may be off the cards.Thank you voyages99 for your sympathy, I will head over and read your link, and thank you for your sympathy
I think I was looking for anecdotal information. I've tried tinnitus forums but they are very scary places.
I think as long as you don't do anything crazy like put your head in the engine or listen to movies on the plane using BA's supplied World Traveller headphones, you'll be fine.
Maybe you can research where the quieter seats on the plane are?
Jun 12, 2015, 7:03 am
#11
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,203
Speak with your Doctor and look here for more information and contact details for information.
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...t/public/en_gb
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...t/public/en_gb
Jun 12, 2015, 7:04 am
#12
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 44
As said, speak with your doctor.
My mother suffers from Ménière's disease following an inner ear infection that wasn't treated quickly enough, leading to permanent nerve damage. The nausea and dizziness is in the most part dealt with through medication but she has very severe tinnitus leading to hearing loss in both ears (at slightly different frequencies). She has found that hearing aids have significantly improved her quality of life by reducing the tinnitus whilst wearing them. She has no problem travelling by any mode of transport. And of course you can wear hearing aids at all times.
I cannot say whether this will be the same for you and particularly cannot comment on the hyperacusis. Speak with your consultant.
My mother suffers from Ménière's disease following an inner ear infection that wasn't treated quickly enough, leading to permanent nerve damage. The nausea and dizziness is in the most part dealt with through medication but she has very severe tinnitus leading to hearing loss in both ears (at slightly different frequencies). She has found that hearing aids have significantly improved her quality of life by reducing the tinnitus whilst wearing them. She has no problem travelling by any mode of transport. And of course you can wear hearing aids at all times.
I cannot say whether this will be the same for you and particularly cannot comment on the hyperacusis. Speak with your consultant.
Thanks again for you comments.
Last edited by MsMyles; Jun 12, 2015 at 7:27 am
Jun 12, 2015, 7:21 am
#13
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 44
Obviously I don't know whether my tinnitus is less or more pronounced than yours (and I've not been to the doctor about it because I know there's nothing they can do), but I'm only 36 and I'm damned if I'm not going to take any more flights in my lifetime in the vague hope of it getting better.
I think as long as you don't do anything crazy like put your head in the engine or listen to movies on the plane using BA's supplied World Traveller headphones, you'll be fine.
Maybe you can research where the quieter seats on the plane are?
I think as long as you don't do anything crazy like put your head in the engine or listen to movies on the plane using BA's supplied World Traveller headphones, you'll be fine.
Maybe you can research where the quieter seats on the plane are?
I am taking some comfort from these posts as it looks like air travel may not be the no no I was at first thinking.-
Which headphones do you use, will any noise cancelling ones be ok the name Bose seems familiar, sadly I have probably used BA world traveller headphones in the past.
I will look into quieter seats on the plane incase such a thing exists.
Jun 12, 2015, 7:30 am
#14
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
This topic was originally posted in BA forum, however, as the topic probably is more on flying and health (particularly since the OP mentioned that the flights coming up shortly are to be cancelled) than specifically about BA or BAEC, it has been moved to Travel Health & Fitness section which fits this topic well and should receive a wider audience where more people may be able to help with practical tips.
LTN Phobia
Moderator: BA forum
===
Changing the post to a personal capacity, as I suffer from tinnitus on and off and hyperscusis (probably comes from excessive exposure to something much louder than jet aircraft cabin) as well as being close to someone who suffers quite badly from both, if anything, the constant aircraft noise helps to mask it. Many people who have tinnitus use a white noise generating machine to mask their tinnitus noise and this probably explains why the aircraft noise may actually help.
Exposure to sudden, loud noise can make it worse, and your risk isn't really the background aircraft noise as such (they actually aren't that high a noise level to pose a hazard to occasional travellers although it can be problematic to crew members as their exposure time is very high), but other loud noises - for instance, shrieking from children and PA that is too loud, as well as listening to music or films etc too loudly, being far worse than a constant, rumbling sort of noise (which aircraft noise is).
To enable you to listen to music or film more quietly, a good noise cancelling headsets are a good idea. There are active noise cancelling types (it's a bit of an over-simplification but they basically generate opposite waves to the noise to cancel out the noise) and passive noise isolation (basically an earplug principle). Make sure that you keep the volume as low as you can to avoid further ear damage as well as to avoid being exposed to sudden loud noise (e.g. watching a film with a scene of explosion etc).
Active noise-cancelling types are not very good with high-pitch noise like children's shriek but work well to reduce the aircraft noise. Passive types work fairly effectively with both although not entirely well either.
If you can tolerate in-ear earphones, I recommend doing what I do. I have a good active-noise-cancelling in-ear earphones but fitted passive noise-isolation earbuds onto them. You can in fact get earbuds made custom-made which will offer you a very good passive noise isolation.
You can use these types of headsets for take-off and landing on BA. BA has active noise cancelling circuits on their headsets for CW and First although they are 'on-ear' types and not as good as in-ear types with noise isolating earbuds as they do not offer much noise isolation.
I continue to have problems with high-pitch noise from shrieking children etc but that is something I have to live with, as noise cancelling does not work well with that type of noise. But I fly well past the normal leisure traveller frequency (my frequency of air travel is more akin to that of crew) so I do what I can to increase my comfort. For an occasional traveller, it's probably not even necessary even for those suffering from tinnitus.
I have to stress that it's extremely important not to let the tinnitus rule your life. It may sound silly when the doctors say get on with your normal life, but that's the best advice anyone can give, once any sinister causes have been ruled out (being discharged to the GP by the ENT suggests that's indeed the case).
It's an extremely common condition and you will learn to live with it. The more you focus on it, the more it will bother you and the louder it will sound. The less you pay attention to it, the less you will hear it. It's easier said than done, but it's really true.
LTN Phobia
Moderator: BA forum
===
Changing the post to a personal capacity, as I suffer from tinnitus on and off and hyperscusis (probably comes from excessive exposure to something much louder than jet aircraft cabin) as well as being close to someone who suffers quite badly from both, if anything, the constant aircraft noise helps to mask it. Many people who have tinnitus use a white noise generating machine to mask their tinnitus noise and this probably explains why the aircraft noise may actually help.
Exposure to sudden, loud noise can make it worse, and your risk isn't really the background aircraft noise as such (they actually aren't that high a noise level to pose a hazard to occasional travellers although it can be problematic to crew members as their exposure time is very high), but other loud noises - for instance, shrieking from children and PA that is too loud, as well as listening to music or films etc too loudly, being far worse than a constant, rumbling sort of noise (which aircraft noise is).
To enable you to listen to music or film more quietly, a good noise cancelling headsets are a good idea. There are active noise cancelling types (it's a bit of an over-simplification but they basically generate opposite waves to the noise to cancel out the noise) and passive noise isolation (basically an earplug principle). Make sure that you keep the volume as low as you can to avoid further ear damage as well as to avoid being exposed to sudden loud noise (e.g. watching a film with a scene of explosion etc).
Active noise-cancelling types are not very good with high-pitch noise like children's shriek but work well to reduce the aircraft noise. Passive types work fairly effectively with both although not entirely well either.
If you can tolerate in-ear earphones, I recommend doing what I do. I have a good active-noise-cancelling in-ear earphones but fitted passive noise-isolation earbuds onto them. You can in fact get earbuds made custom-made which will offer you a very good passive noise isolation.
You can use these types of headsets for take-off and landing on BA. BA has active noise cancelling circuits on their headsets for CW and First although they are 'on-ear' types and not as good as in-ear types with noise isolating earbuds as they do not offer much noise isolation.
I continue to have problems with high-pitch noise from shrieking children etc but that is something I have to live with, as noise cancelling does not work well with that type of noise. But I fly well past the normal leisure traveller frequency (my frequency of air travel is more akin to that of crew) so I do what I can to increase my comfort. For an occasional traveller, it's probably not even necessary even for those suffering from tinnitus.
I have to stress that it's extremely important not to let the tinnitus rule your life. It may sound silly when the doctors say get on with your normal life, but that's the best advice anyone can give, once any sinister causes have been ruled out (being discharged to the GP by the ENT suggests that's indeed the case).
It's an extremely common condition and you will learn to live with it. The more you focus on it, the more it will bother you and the louder it will sound. The less you pay attention to it, the less you will hear it. It's easier said than done, but it's really true.
Last edited by LTN Phobia; Jun 12, 2015 at 8:05 am
Jun 12, 2015, 7:43 am
#15
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 44
Hello
I put it in the BA forum as all the upcoming flights scheduled are BA flights as I am a member of BAEC so I wondered if anyone had information specific to flying on BA and if you were allowed to use headphones on take off and landing to protect your hearing, stop your tinnitus from spiking etc. I know various airlines have different policies so I was hoping for BA specific information. We tend only to fly BA.
I put it in the BA forum as all the upcoming flights scheduled are BA flights as I am a member of BAEC so I wondered if anyone had information specific to flying on BA and if you were allowed to use headphones on take off and landing to protect your hearing, stop your tinnitus from spiking etc. I know various airlines have different policies so I was hoping for BA specific information. We tend only to fly BA.