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Tinnitus/ ear problems

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NewbieFZ1

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Hi guys (and girls!),

This is a slightly unusual topic for the forum! but I wanted to see if anyone else has suffered a similar problem!

I'm new to bikes.. I learnt to ride October/November last year.
While I was learning I didn't wear ear plugs and (possibly coincidently, possibly not) I developed tinnitus at the same time.
As soon as I passed my test I bought ear plugs and have used them ever since.

As time went on my tinnitus got worse, I started getting bad headaches and dizziness etc.
I went to the doctors and had loads of tests done but they found nothing wrong.

I've since been experimenting with periods off the bike and then riding again. When I'm off the bike the problems die down.
When I've been riding they get worse.
I thought maybe the foam ear plugs weren't fitted properly so I got some custom ones. But still no change. Exact symptoms are:
When I come back from a ride of say 3 hours (mainly on national speed limit roads so let's say mostly*50-80mpH) I initially feel fine. The after 2 hours or so my head and ears feel like they're under pressure, I get really loud, high pitch ringing in the ears and a headache. This lasts for a day or so before it dies down to just mild tinnitus (which now seems to be permanent).

My helmet is definately the right size and not too tight.

Anyone got any thoughts?

Thanks!
Ian
 
Goodness Ian, I feel bad for you buddy. My ex-father in law had the very same issues some time ago. He must have went to 5 specialists and they couldn't find anything wrong. That Tinitus is a bad deal for those who have it. Because of the dizzy spells getting worse he actually had to retire. I think he still takes medication for the equilibrium problems but has learned to live with the ringing, which sucks. Just be careful though cause you don't want to ever have dizziness while your on two wheels.
 
What brand and model of helmet do you have? Some are very loud compared to others. I recently changed from a Shoei RF1000, to a Shoei RF1100. The difference in noise is night and day. The RF1100 is very quiet, with foam ear plugs is pretty much silent.

Another consideration is the height of your head/helmet in relation to the windscreen. If the burble from the windscreen is breaking at the level of you helmet the noise is terrible. If that is the case you either need to go higher or lower with the windscreen. Personally I like a low wind screen and clean air for my helmet to pass through. That and a high windscreen is simply too hot here in the summer.
 
Had the same problem on & off , I always use earplugs the foam ones & the custom made type, I used an over the counter pill for Tinnitus for a day or two & it cleared the problem. it was driving me crazy it felt like the remnant sound of the big bang or something, also check your ears for excessive wax.
prolonged wind noise aggravated my symptoms & ear plugs made it more pronounced.
 
I had the same problem with Meniere's disease / tinnitus. The doctor had me cut down my sodium intake. No more soda, chips, and salty foods. You can also replace table salt with sea salt when cooking. I have also increased my consumption of water too. Doing this will help keep the right amount of fluids in you inner ear. When these fluids are low the little hair sensor things in your inner ear become discombobulated, triggering tinnitus and dizziness. Since I've changed these habits I'm much better now. Be careful with Q-tips in your ear they cause more damage than good. You can buy over the counter ear wash / rinse kits that remove buildup. Never put something smaller than your elbows in your ear. You may want to schedule an appointment with an ear nose throat doctor.
 
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Good points. Helmet and wind angle can make a lot of difference. Make sure you fasten the helmet strap tight so that the helmet doesn't shift at high speed.

Also make sure you are fully hydrated before riding. Eat something. Had your coffee or tea if you normally take in caffeine. Another thing could be your blood pressure. Is it ok? If you take medicine to control hypertension, some of them make you more susceptible to becoming dehydrated, affect neurotransmitter function in the brain, some effect kidney function, etc. Diagnosed tinnitus often can eminate from multiple etiologies and it varies in degree of effects.

Being tired or dehydrated can exacerbate tinnitus. If it is not permanent (and no diagnosed hearing loss at prescribed frequencies), you may get past this annoying issue.

ALWAYS earplugs. Triple flange work well.
 
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double J said:
I had the same problem with Meniere's disease / tinnitus. The doctor had me cut down my sodium intake. No more soda, chips, and salty foods. I have increased my consumption of water too. Since I've changed these habits I'm much better now. Be careful with Q-tips in your ear they cause more damage than good. You can buy over the counter ear wash / rinse kits that remove buildup. Never put something smaller than your elbows in your ear. You may want to schedule an appointment with an ear nose throat doctor.
Click to expand...

Agree. See an EENT physician, if possible. I had tinnitus diagnosed at age 29 from an accident. It is managable, but if severe enough it doesn't ever go away.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys, glad to know its not just me!
I am under an ENT at the moment and have had several tests done but they havent shown anything untoward. They've ruled out Minieres and the other nasties!

The points about windscreen and helmet are good ones! I pretty sure the wind breaks on my shoulders with my current screen (I think.. I'll pay close attention next time I'm riding to check). But the helmet is a possibility.

How do I know which helmet would be quieter? I currently have an HJC CL-ST2 Krave.
 
firefly said:
Had the same problem on & off , I always use earplugs the foam ones & the custom made type, I used an over the counter pill for Tinnitus for a day or two & it cleared the problem. it was driving me crazy it felt like the remnant sound of the big bang or something, also check your ears for excessive wax.
prolonged wind noise aggravated my symptoms & ear plugs made it more pronounced.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply man. Which medication did you get? I wasn't aware there was medication for tinnitus but I'd be really keen to try it!
 
I found switching to a bike with no screen actually made the ride quieter. The clean air passing over my helmet is a lot better than the buffeting I used to get on my 6R. I hope you get to the bottom of this and can enjoy riding without having to worry.
 
welcome to the world of noise.
you can never get away from the ringing it is with you for life, yes it can get worse. but take care now and it will with luck not to much worse.
have ear plugs on every time you ride or are around noise.
get a sound generator (aka waves, birds, etc) for your bed room, for some reason some "other: soft sounds lessens the ringing so you can sleep/live better.
drink water and keep hydrated, avoid salt. it is added to everything so read labels.

i have the shoei rf 1100 and use plugs and yes quiet while rideing, so keep a eye open as even a fire truck will not be heard.
 
double J said:
I had the same problem with Meniere's disease / tinnitus. The doctor had me cut down my sodium intake. No more soda, chips, and salty foods. You can also replace table salt with sea salt when cooking. I have also increased my consumption of water too. Doing this will help keep the right amount of fluids in you inner ear. When these fluids are low the little hair sensor things in your inner ear become discombobulated, triggering tinnitus and dizziness. Since I've changed these habits I'm much better now. Be careful with Q-tips in your ear they cause more damage than good. You can buy over the counter ear wash / rinse kits that remove buildup. Never put something smaller than your elbows in your ear. You may want to schedule an appointment with an ear nose throat doctor.
Click to expand...
I suffer from menieres disease and ringing in the ears I had the ringing years before from shooting, all it takes is one time and the damage is done.
I also lost the nerve in my right ear from a virus so I can hear with it but has no value for balance. I spent 5 weeks in a chair with that one until my brain got used to just one side. I saw a number of ent docs and no help. I was lucky enough to find a guy at Yale in New Haven CT Dr John Keveton. Did all the testing right there the day of my office visit except for a cat scan of the mandibal bones(looking for a hole leaking spinal fluid) put me on low salt, gave me dyazide for the water(had to double the dose) and valium when I felt a attack coming on. I have been holding my own and haven't gotten to the point of throwing up from being dizzy maybe because I take the valium when I feel my head not right.
The ringing will not ever go away sometime louder and then it calms down a little.
 
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