Some questions re: hearing loss

[Malamute]

Thanks everyone for the replies. As I mentioned in the OP, I do always double up on earpro -- I mostly wonder if my damaged ear is more fragile now and is taking additional damage from shooting even with proper earpro.

I also notice that .45ACP sounds much louder to me at the range than 9mm, though I believe 9mm is louder in terms of decibels.

I dont know if its more fragile, but I think additional damage or irritation is more noticeable. I've had serious tinnitus since the 70's. Its really annoying most of the time. I got used to it as best I can, and try to always use some ear pro even when using power tools. I carry foam plugs in the pocket at all times, and wont take a shot hunting without using ear plugs. No game animal is worth losing any more hearing over.

I'm not going to stop shooting, but I do tend to avoid things that seem louder or sharper to me. 16" AR's seem louder, so I have a 20". 357's in any barrel length are really sharp and loud, I'd rather shoot a 44 mag just from a muzzle blast standpoint. Some like the flashbang effect, but when I'm about to shoot anything really sharp or loud, I cringe, and it always hurts instantly and I say lots of bad words. The auditory exclusion thing has so far pretty well passed me by. Now, theres very few things that I shoot that are really sharp, or situations where I'm willing to shoot without plugs in.

Some of this, you just have to figure it out as you go. Good luck with it. Its annoying, but not the end of the world.

[ubervic]

A lot depends on the range of your hearing loss. My loss is mostly in the upper end, right were my wife's voice registers, lucky me, it can be a blessing and a curse.

This is me.
I was dumb enough to shoot lots of rounds of skeet many years ago without any earpro at all...at least until I wised-up. I can't hear/comprehend half of what my wife says, which drives her crazy, as she thinks I'm intentionally not paying attention. And higher-pitched noises really irritate me.

[RevolverRob]

I would of course talk with your doctor about it. I have some hearing loss from excessive ear infections as a kid, and quite a bit more from excessive hot rods and drag racing as a teenager. The noise-induced loss gives me tinnitus that I find is improved dramatically, when there is some kind of white noise (a fan is what I use most of the time). You might try white noise when sleeping/working in a quiet room and see if it helps with the ringing. It, unfortunately, will only get worse as you get older. My father is 70 with a lot of tinnitus and will probably have to have hearing aids in the next couple of years. He can't have a conversation in a loud restaurant or even in a car anymore.

-Rob

[Odin Bravo One]

I would not wait to see an expert, I would see one now.

This.

I am sitting at a 20% loss of hearing in my left ear, and 34% hearing loss in my right ear from exposure to an exceptionally loud event a few years ago.

The key aspect to hearing loss that many youngsters don't understand or appreciate is that it cannot be fixed. It cannot be reversed. It will not get better with time. And it is likely to get worse/more noticeable as you age, and are exposed to additional noise hazards.

Loud music, ear buds + loud music, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, chainsaws, commercial airliners, even dogs barking are all noise hazards where ear pro should be considered. Properly fitting plugs at a minimum. Obviously, the louder the noise, the more you need to consider doubling up with decent muffs as well. The cabin of a commercial plane is not something most people consider a noise hazard, but it most certainly is. Also the duration of the exposure is a contributing factor. Just jamming in your headphones and cranking it up over the whine of the cabin noise is not the answer.

Getting an audiogram, and seeing an audiologist is critical if you seriously want to limit the damage, and to be able to establish your current baseline threshold, which will be very helpful for continued monitoring of your condition, and levels of preventative and corrective measures that can be taken.

As for sales pitches, like Unisaw mentioned.............ignore them. THERE IS NO CURE for hearing loss. Hearing aides are useful for only certain types of hearing loss, so all of the sales pitches, and money cannot restore your Humpty Dumpty ears if hearind aides are not prescribed for your condition. In my case, I have severe Tinnitus, a problem in the ears themselves, but a hearing aide will do nothing for that. There are some aides that provide "masking", giving enough static/white noise to help single out specific noises, such as speech. However, due to the bi-lateral nature of my hearing loss, the actual benefit for a device that uses "masking" doesn't do enough to warrant their use.

The other issue is a disconnect between the ears and brain. Making sounds louder or clearer via a hearing aide will not make those disrupted connections suddenly connect.

Go see the expert. Take their advice and input to heart, and take your hearing seriously from here on out.

[ReverendMeat]

When I was 18-19 I did all my shooting without earpro, and have been exposed to many loud noises in the military (the GAU-17 + improperly fitted headgear = particularly unpleasant) but according to my last audiogram before EAS I'm still good to go and my hearing is fine. I still feel like I have a bitch of a time hearing people when they talk though, and I've started taking hearing preservation more seriously. First, get an audiogram just so you know where you're at. Second, earpro. I prefer firmer, reusable plugs over soft disposable ones but YMMV. Third, be mindful of what volume your music, shows, etc are at and avoid earbuds. If you're wearing headphones and your roommate or SO is complaining about your noise that's a problem.

[Robinson]

Getting an audiogram, and seeing an audiologist is critical if you seriously want to limit the damage, and to be able to establish your current baseline threshold, which will be very helpful for continued monitoring of your condition, and levels of preventative and corrective measures that can be taken.

Go see the expert. Take their advice and input to heart, and take your hearing seriously from here on out.

Okay, you convinced me -- a visit with an expert is now in my near-future plans.

However, I want to point out that I DO take my hearing seriously and have tried to be consistent with doubled-up earpro. The noise that caused my hearing loss was a one-time incident, and my main concern is whether continued shooting -- even with good earpro -- will further degrade my hearing. Maybe the expert can tell me more about that. And I ain't a youngster.

[David B.]

I think what many people fail to realize in shooting is that even with the best hearing protection on (doubled up), every time you fire a gun that produces an SPL of 150 decibels or more e.g. 9mm, you're exposing your ears to a noise level that will damage your hearing eventually. Even the best hearing protection can only reduce the sound coming into your ears by approximately 30 or so decibels. So that means approximately 120 decibels are reaching your ears every time you pull the trigger.

The only reason we are able to endure the 120 decibel sound coming into our ears is because the SPL is so short. It only lasts a few milliseconds. However, if you were to extend the length or time duration of that 120 decibel gunshot sound wave and make it a continuum lasting indefinitely, it would be too uncomfortable and painful for most people to endure even with the best hearing protection on.

The potential for hearing loss increases the more you expose yourself to gunfire. Those 120 decibel millisecond sound waves add up over the years. It effects some people worse than others, but it will effect everybody. If you shoot indoors, that's even worse because you're exposing yourself to maybe double or even triple the amount of damaging noise depending on how many people are shooting that day with you.

Some things you can do:

1. Use the best hearing protection and double up.
2. Shoot subsonic ammo. <1100 fps.
3. Shoot outdoors and only by yourself.
4. Use a suppressor if possible whenever you can.
5. Get a hearing analysis done every 6 months or yearly and reduce the amount of time you spend shooting if necessary.

God Bless,
David

[Totem Polar]

I use my ears for a living. I have some rules for the range: one, full foam plugs inside of electronic muffs. Two: short duration. Three: go during midweek days when there is less traffic. Four: if there are ARs in the bay, I enjoy a leisurely stroll through the sales counters until they're done.

I can't believe the number of times I've looked into the bay windows and seen cleti on the indoor range shooting short barell ARs with only those foam plugs--the kind attached to a plastic neck holder-- for ear pro. Some people think the FBI range scenes from "bones" or "numb3rs" are training films.

[Zhurdan]

Huh? What?

Sorry, couldn't resist. Rule of thumb, 80dB for 8 hours is considered damaging. As you probably know, its not a linear scale. (dB's). Neither is the time factor. (inversely) I've got some loss in my left ear to the point that in a crowded room, I have to read lips. Limit as best you can, but remember this, you can't hear if your dead either, due to lack of being ready. ��

[peterthefish]

I like to think that flinching is overcome by shooting enough to permanently damage your hearing.