Foam earplug issues

[Fulltimemuso]

Hi guys,

Long story short. Full time care home singer have tried every type of earplug to reduce sound exposure.

Foam

Silicone

Custom 'pro' moulds with filters

Please don't suggest earplugs to me unless they are something different, thanks anyway.

Main issue as a singer? Occlusion/voice booming in side head. Most earplugs are rubbish for this (for me). Even the anti-occlusion expensive moulds from ACS. Nope. Boom - city!

The best by a long way are simple FOAM cheap earplugs. I've got used to singing against the muffled sound, and it's ok now.

The current issue? The foam plugs do weird things to my eardrums and I get a lot of crackling/wet type noises afterwards, and that horrible thing where your breath sounds loud in your ear momentarily.

Anyone know WHY these eardrum issues happen with the foam plugs? Are they too big? If I insert them less deeply, the problems seem worse.

For now I've tried manually 'slimming' them with scissors. Fingers crossed!

I would like to try some slimline foam plugs but they are the wrong colour! Any info would be appreciated thanks guys XX

Currently I use these :

[Bridiecat]

hi there, My tinnitus issues started five years ago, I went to have hearing test, couldn’t do it and told to go and remove all the earwax, as both drums were not visible, eventually two small cigarette butt size of hard wax was removed. I was shocked. But the tinnitus had gone away significantly. Now I was asked, ‘do you use ear plugs’ ‘yes I do, my husband snores’ I replied ‘well stop’ she said ‘why?’ I asked ‘because you keep pushing the earwax down the tube to the eardrum’. Apparently it compacts and builds up and causes sound reduction and distortion to the brain, hence the tinnitus. I never used them again. I was using the orange silicone ones and thinking that squishing them and ramming them in would keep out the snore, which it did. So …. a cautionary tale for you to consider. A separate but related issue aside, I never had wax build up again but I was diagnosed with tinnitus due to profound high frequency hearing loss last year and now wear HAs. Good luck

[Fulltimemuso in reply to Bridiecat]

Thanks for this. I can understand the issue as I had similar once when I was regularly wearing the foam plugs. This time I don't think this is the problem, as I've only used them for a couple of weeks. I now think it's an infection issue.

Have had a rough time with my ear the last few days! I think finally my body is getting on top of it. Pretty sure I caused it by using the foam plugs though. Perhaps I wasn't careful enough.

I have gigs tomorrow and not currently sure what I will do.