I recently had the chance to test out new aviation earplugs designed to reduce the pressure in your ears while flying and I have to say that I’m impressed!
These new earplugs are made by Eargasm, one of my favorite earplug companies known for their amazing high-fidelity earplugs that lower the volume of your environment while still allowing you to hear music and conversations clearly.
(SIDE NOTE: If you haven’t tried high fidelity musicians earplugs before, they are amazing for both tinnitus and Meniere’s patients. You can learn more about them here.)
But today, I want to talk about their new aviation earplugs because flying can present a huge challenge for tinnitus and Meniere’s sufferers.
Tinnitus and Air Travel:
Between the unhealthy foods sold in airports, the stressful nature of a long day of travel, and the changes in atmospheric pressure while airborne, there are a lot of factors that can cause problems.
During flight, airplane cabins are pressurized, but only to about 6000-8000 feet above sea level. And depending on where you off from, that can add up to a significant and rapid change.
If you’ve flown before, you how much take offs and landings can affect your ears. Ear fullness, popping, and pain are all common because the air pressure in your inner ear doesn’t change as fast as the air pressure of the cabin, causing the eardrum to swell inwards or outwards.
It’s entirely possible to equalize the pressure in a variety of ways but when you live with tinnitus, Meniere’s disease, or other vestibular disorders, these pressure changes can be far more problematic, especially if your symptoms are triggered or influenced by changes in barometric pressure or weather.
The Review:
Now I want to be clear that barometric pressure changes are not one of my major triggers. Occasionally, a storm front rolling in will trigger a temporary spike in my symptoms, but it’s rare, and I generally don’t have problems equalizing the pressure in my ears when I fly.
So when I tested these earplugs on two different flights, I focused on how well they equalized the pressure in my ears for me. And I was surprised at how well they actually worked.
On both flights, the pressure in my ears remained equalized more or less the entire time they were in my ears.
I also found them very comfortable and they worked really well as normal earplugs too, offering about 20 decibel noise reduction at the same time.
Now I should mention that this technology is not exactly new, a disposable version of this kind of earplug called Earplanes has been around for a long time. But Earplanes are only good for 2 or 3 flights and don’t offer much in the way of noise reduction, whereas the Eargasm aviation earplugs are reusable and have a far more durable filter.
Final Thoughts: Are they worth it?
Are the Eargasm Aviation earplugs worth the money for tinnitus and Meniere’s suffers?
I definitely think so and I recommend grabbing a set and giving them a try on your next flight.
But it’s also important to know that cabin pressurization problems primarily affect the middle ear, rather than the inner ear, which is potentially affected by tinnitus, Meniere’s disease, other vestibular disorders.
So if changes in barometric pressure are a big symptom trigger for you, these may not give you the level of protection you might be hoping for on flights. But you still will likely get some protection, and so in my opinion it worth giving them a shot.
The price is pretty good too. With the discount code mindover (one word, all lower case) that Eargasm was nice enough to provide to the community, you can get a set, along with a metal carrying case for less than $18 before shipping. (You can also find them on Amazon)
So I hope you guys give these a try! And if you’ve tried them already, be sure to leave a comment below!
The one thing I was not able to test was whether or not these earplugs can help protect you against changes in barometric pressure when not flying, so if anyone else has these, please comment on this as well!
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NOTE: Eargasm was nice enough to send me a free pair of their new aviation earplugs to test out. I receive many free products (and purchase many products too) but only ever end up writing about a very small percentage of them that work for me and that I stand behind and actually use. Some of the links featured in the post are affiliate links. If you decide to purchase a product through these links, Rewiring Tinnitus may receive a small commission that goes toward the maintenance cost of the website.
Comments 6
Bought the book and the project user guide One problem is with the guided sleep audio. I’m claustrophobic and after getting all relaxed you guide me down a mine shaft which totally tenses me up and kind of freaks me out. Any suggestions
Author
Hi Renie, yes I do! The key point here is to create a sensation of downward movement. Instead of descending underground, you can imagine you are floating down in a hot air balloon, or in a huge elevator on the 100th floor of a large office building. Any scenario where you are slowly sinking or descending will work!
Glen,
I just tried ordering the eargasms, but they didn’t accept the discount code. Also, I tried to change my order as I realized i need the smaller size and they have no phone contact information. Can you help with this?
Author
Hi Annie, that is super weird! I just checked and you are right, my discount code doesn’t seem to be working. I will reach out to them to find out why. In the meantime, I recommend emailing them at info@eargasmearplugs.com
Hello do you know if the type of inner ear damage would make a difference in the management of tinnitus. Mine was caused by chemotherapy and is loud 24/7 where I have never forgotten about it. It’s plain awful . Survived cancer only to have this.
Author
Hi Ruth, I’m so sorry to hear that chemo has left you with tinnitus. This is unfortunately all too common. The good news is that when it comes to finding lasting tinnitus relief through habituation, it doesn’t matter what caused your tinnitus.
You see the real problem with tinnitus is how we react to the sound emotionally, physically, and psychologically. When it’s bothering us, we can’t tune it out or ignore it because it’s impossible to tune out a sound that our brain interprets as something dangerous or threatening. We’re evolutionarily hardwired to focus in on sounds that imply danger. Unfortunately, our brains also can’t tell the difference between an imagined threat like tinnitus and real danger, so the reaction is the same. We have a stress response, and it doesn’t end because the tinnitus doesn’t go away. But we can change the way we react to the sound. It’s the one thing we actually have control over. Check out these two posts I wrote, they go into a lot more detail: https://rewiringtinnitus.com/treating-tinnitus-not-about-the-noise/ AND https://rewiringtinnitus.com/the-selective-torture-of-tinnitus/